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The Day the Renaissance Was Saved: The Battle of Anghiari and da Vinci's Lost Masterpiece
It was a battle that change the course of history, and was immortalized in a massive painting by Leonardo da Vinci that was thought lost for centuries . . . until now.
On a sweltering day in June 1440, near the Tuscan town of Anghiari, the simmering conflict among Italy’s principal powers exploded into a battle whereby Florence and the papal States joined with Venice to defeat the previously unstoppable army of Milan. The shocking denoument would open the way for the flowering of Florentine culture, and the birth of what we now know as the Renaissance.
There was, perhaps, no stunning evidence of this than a massive painting by Leonardo da Vinci commemorating the Battle of Anghiari, a masterpiece that quickly became famous—but then was mysteriously lost. Until recently, that is, when researchers made a breathtaking discovery of the location where it has been hidden for more than four hundred years.
In The Day the Renaissance Was Saved , Niccolò Capponi—a direct descendent of Niccolò Machiavelli, as well as of a Florentine general who was a key strategist of the campaign at Anghiari—weaves the story of da Vinci’s lost masterpiece through the narrative of the history-changing battle, and offers context on the development of humanist thought and the political intrigues of fifteenth-century Italy.
Complete with maps and twenty-four color images, this is military history, political history, and art history all rolled into one, from a scholar whose ancestors were key players in the scheming, plotting, and fighting that led to this pivotal moment in Western history.
On a sweltering day in June 1440, near the Tuscan town of Anghiari, the simmering conflict among Italy’s principal powers exploded into a battle whereby Florence and the papal States joined with Venice to defeat the previously unstoppable army of Milan. The shocking denoument would open the way for the flowering of Florentine culture, and the birth of what we now know as the Renaissance.
There was, perhaps, no stunning evidence of this than a massive painting by Leonardo da Vinci commemorating the Battle of Anghiari, a masterpiece that quickly became famous—but then was mysteriously lost. Until recently, that is, when researchers made a breathtaking discovery of the location where it has been hidden for more than four hundred years.
In The Day the Renaissance Was Saved , Niccolò Capponi—a direct descendent of Niccolò Machiavelli, as well as of a Florentine general who was a key strategist of the campaign at Anghiari—weaves the story of da Vinci’s lost masterpiece through the narrative of the history-changing battle, and offers context on the development of humanist thought and the political intrigues of fifteenth-century Italy.
Complete with maps and twenty-four color images, this is military history, political history, and art history all rolled into one, from a scholar whose ancestors were key players in the scheming, plotting, and fighting that led to this pivotal moment in Western history.
- GenresHistoryArtNonfiction
295 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 23, 2017
This book was a disappointment, not because of its content but because it uses its title as a lure to fool readers into reading it . The supposed "lost painting of Davinci" doesn't get any mention,basically only 30 pages out of a 300 pages book, what this book is about is the complex relationship of Italian city states politics at the eve of the Renaissance, mostly focusing on Florence, Milan and Venice ... while the info is as complex as you would expect of any book dealing with this issue , this is not what I signed up for ... I kept waiting for the painting to become the main issue but it never happened....what I got was a summary of battle after battle in the eve of the rise of the Medici family in Florence , and how a battle could have stopped them short stopping all of its support of art therefore depriving the future of all its classical Italian renaissance art (which we know the Medici were a very important part of it)... if you are into that that, then you might like this book.... but don't go by the title.... huge diss appointment!
September 11, 2021
Gli albori del Rinascimento, il lungo periodo medioevale che si stempera, l'arte che per prima avverte il cambiamento incombente, lo scacchiere italiano con mille attori in campo. Se qualcuno si domandasse da dove possano derivare tante magagne di oggi, potrebbe trovare qualche risposta nella lettura di questo bel libro. Sono passati quasi sei secoli ma le divisioni sociali, gli scontri pretestuosi, gli odi campanilistici, i tatticismi, i sacrifici, i tradimenti, gli splendori di allora rimandano quasi direttamente al modo di condursi del giorno d'oggi. Miserie e nobilta' di una terra che non e', e non e' mai stata, come le altre.
October 30, 2015
Advanced reading copy review Due to be published November 3, 2015
I always note if I'm reviewing an ARC precisely because of books like this. The finished product could well deserve a 3 or 4 star review, but this edition is missing too much (maps, photos, glossary, index,etc) to make it worthwhile. It is a shame because I was really interested in the subject matter.
Reviewing the text alone, the title is a bit misleading. Only the last quarter of the book deals with the Battle of Anghiari and its aftermath. The rest is a confusing micro-history of power politics, mercenary warfare and papal shenanigans in late 15th century Italy. Maps, etc would have been a huge help. As it is, I found amusement in the way some battles were described and realized that bits of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" must have come directly from some knights' journals of medieval warfare, right down to taunting the enemy from the castle ramparts. A working knowledge of Italian military terms (no glossary) would also have been very helpful.
If I read the final version I'll be sure to amend this review.
I always note if I'm reviewing an ARC precisely because of books like this. The finished product could well deserve a 3 or 4 star review, but this edition is missing too much (maps, photos, glossary, index,etc) to make it worthwhile. It is a shame because I was really interested in the subject matter.
Reviewing the text alone, the title is a bit misleading. Only the last quarter of the book deals with the Battle of Anghiari and its aftermath. The rest is a confusing micro-history of power politics, mercenary warfare and papal shenanigans in late 15th century Italy. Maps, etc would have been a huge help. As it is, I found amusement in the way some battles were described and realized that bits of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" must have come directly from some knights' journals of medieval warfare, right down to taunting the enemy from the castle ramparts. A working knowledge of Italian military terms (no glossary) would also have been very helpful.
If I read the final version I'll be sure to amend this review.
August 27, 2025
An interesting book . . . but only if you are interested in the politico-military situation in Italy of the 1430-40s with an accent on the mercenary world- luckily I am. The art of the time and how it relates to politics, which one would think the book is about from the description, is touched on in only the most peripheral way.
ALSO, the translation is defective. I kept running across awkward sentences that did not read as I thought the author probably intended. For example, the translations of Twelfth Century, Thirteenth Century, etc., at times are in error, probably resulting from confusion with the terms Duecento, Trecento, etc., which are not one to one matches with the other words.
Another example, Filippo Maria Visconti famous quote, “statum vero dominatus sui saluti corporis et animae anteferre," is rendered here as him preferring the safety of his SOUL to that of his STATE.
ALSO, the translation is defective. I kept running across awkward sentences that did not read as I thought the author probably intended. For example, the translations of Twelfth Century, Thirteenth Century, etc., at times are in error, probably resulting from confusion with the terms Duecento, Trecento, etc., which are not one to one matches with the other words.
Another example, Filippo Maria Visconti famous quote, “statum vero dominatus sui saluti corporis et animae anteferre," is rendered here as him preferring the safety of his SOUL to that of his STATE.
February 26, 2020
In pratica tutti contro tutti e alla fine baci e abbracci e vissero tutti felici e contenti.
February 23, 2016
The topic is fascinating -- the political details of Italy at this time (and I suppose most times and places) were turbulent and ever-changing, with fluid alliances and many people seeking power, influence and of course wealth.
I agree with the previous reviewer, though -- maps would be extraordinarily helpful for those of us without an atlas of Italy implanted in our brains, and perhaps an index of the persona. What I would add is that I bet this book works better in the original than in its translation. Unfortunately, the book gets tedious in a number of places, even with all the high-powered action it seeks to describe, and in some places it seems like a prose list rather than description and cogent analysis. Plus there is precious little about da Vinci.
I agree with the previous reviewer, though -- maps would be extraordinarily helpful for those of us without an atlas of Italy implanted in our brains, and perhaps an index of the persona. What I would add is that I bet this book works better in the original than in its translation. Unfortunately, the book gets tedious in a number of places, even with all the high-powered action it seeks to describe, and in some places it seems like a prose list rather than description and cogent analysis. Plus there is precious little about da Vinci.
July 12, 2016
This book is really not about the Leonardo painting which is disappointing. It is an overly detailed account of the battles of central Italy in this time period. It does not have a sense of the larger scope of what is going on in the time period. I ended up skimming the end of it. It was disappointing.
September 12, 2016
I admit it, I skipped a lot of the military history. I was hoping for more on Leonardo's painting. There was not even a photo of it!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews