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 enlarge | Author: Marcello Simonetta
Publisher: Doubleday
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy New: $13.00
You Save: $13.00 (50%)
New (31) Used (14) from $10.22
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 167541
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.6 x 1
ISBN: 0385524684
Dewey Decimal Number: 945.05
EAN: 9780385524681
ASIN: 0385524684
Publication Date: June 3, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Expedited shipping is not available for this item. Items are mailed via USPS media mail within 2 business days and should arrive 4-14 business days later.
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 A brilliant discovery September 20, 2008
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
This book is a must read for anyone interested in the Renaissance broadly, and politics more generally. The book is a riveting account of the delicate balance of power that existed in Italy during the fifteenth century.
With so much academic research being focused these days on esoteric topics, it is remarkable that Mr. Simonetta has been able to shed new light on the Pazzi Consiperacy, with primary research that conclusively links all of the major leaders of the time. From Naples, through the Vatican, Urbino and Florence, this book traces the motives and actions of the men who helped shape Western civilization as we know it today.
The latter part of the book, which discusses Boticelli, is perhaps the most interesting as it links religion and politics with Boticelli's masterpieces.
I cannot agree with Mr. Katzo's review. This is a highly recommended book that will provide a riveting read for anyone who picks it up.
 A Review of Marcello Simonetta's "The Montefeltro Conspiracy" September 15, 2008
11 out of 18 found this review helpful
Marcello Simonetta's 'The Montefeltro Conspiracy' is a vain attempt to create a mountain out of a molehill. The author, a student of Renaissance history and paleography, has discovered an obscure 15th century letter of Federigo da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, which he has deciphered and introduced into the historical record. So far so good. One of the most obvious problems with Simonetta's presentation, however, which revolves around this discovery, is that it sheds only marginal light on a situation which has not only long been known, but thoroughly understood. The new letter is indeed an authentic historical document, but the problem is that it does no more than marginally reinforce the widely known facts of the Pazzi Conspiracy, fully understood by contemporaneous Italians of the time (1478) and by everyone else since. The author's main claim to fame, and the main raison d'etre of the book, is that he has definately linked Federigo to the Conspiracy, but Federigo has always been linked to the event. What Simonetta has done is to give Federigo an increased importance in the Conspiracy, having the Urbino ruler replace the pope as the main mover. It is a minor point, at best. Or would be if he had made his point. But nothing he produces does this as an historical fact. He merely documents Federigo's thoughts and involvement, but in no way displaces Pope Sixtus IV's traditional position as the real power behind the event. In his afterword (p.214) the author states his "surprise. . .(that) there were no immediate reactions from scholars" when he published his findings in an Italian historical journal in 2003. Quelle surprise! There is nothing new here! There is no "Montefeltro Conspiracy". Simply new documentation that Montefeltro was indeed involved in the Pazzi Conspiracy, which we've all known from the day the plot was launched.
Adding to Somonetta's problems is the fact that he attempts to expand his historical study into the area of art history, a discipline in which he is not grounded. He lacks the basic methodological tools that one would expect of a novice art history graduate student. In Part III he attempts to tie the Conspiracy to the iconography of several of Botticelli's subsequent paintings. An interesting and promising idea. But he bases most of this analysis on the most superficial of generalizations (pp. 191-201). Aside from the basic visual description, his scholarly foundation is based on the journalist statement: "In a recent and most convincing reading of the 'Primavera' two Italian scholars, working independently, recast the whole allegory in the light of an early Christian text. . . .etc.", but never evaluates these ideas, particularly as they are novel and contrary to most accepted scholarship on the issue. Simonetta doesn't even tell us who these scholars are, where they published, or any other bibliographical information that might be relevant. Adding to the problem is the fact that there are no footnotes in the text. The author does have a section after the basic text entitled "Notes" but, strangely, they are not notes to specific ideas, items, quotations, or other mentioned material in the previous manuscript, but lists of references; no numbers to specific places in the reading. Nor does Simonetta evaluate his Botticelli readings in light of the established (and very different) interpretations of Botticelli scholars. Edgar Wind, Ernst Gombrich, Erwin Panofsky--the foundation of Italian Renaissance scholarship in the area are completely missing not only from his discussion, but from his bibliography as well. In fact, for all his obvious resort to original historical documents, Simonetta largely ignores most of the established art historical sources, relying instead on superficial sources such as Tim Parks, a contemporary novelist and literary critic. He seems to hit on a few Italian language articles, but ignores most of the English and German language sources.
Finally, Simonetta makes silly mistakes: Perugino was not a "Tuscan master" (p. 201) given that he was not from Tuscany and his grounding was in Umbrian painting; gold is not a pigment (p. 201); the Perugino paintings on the altar wall of the Sistene Chapel did not constitute an altarpiece (p. 211); everyone with even the barest knowledge of Renaissance history has known that Pope Clement VII was the posthumous son of Giuliano de'Medici (p. 211); and Botticelli is in no way "the quintessential Florentine artist" (p. 215). And so it goes.
In sum, it is hard to recommend this book to anyone, whether knowledgeable in Renaissance studies or not. The former will find it an unlearned waste of time; the latter will be misled.
great historical read July 1, 2008
11 out of 16 found this review helpful
I am not a historian or expert in the topic, but as a lay person, this is one of the most educational exciting reads I have ever had. Great facts, amazing story, even if you don't know (or care) much about the Italian renaissance. And if you do, it's even better!
Definitely recommended!!!
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