Erotic Cultures Of Renaissance Italy

Concentrating Largely On The 'middle Ranks' Of Society In Renaissance Italy - Artisans, Merchants, And Professionals Such As Bankers And Lawyers - This Book Focuses On Social Subjects, Documents And Unusual Objects. Using Innovative Methods Of Inquiry And Interdisciplinary Analytical Tools, Contributors Explore A Little-known But Pervasive Erotic Culture In Which Sexually Explicit Artefacts, Games And Gestures Were Considered Essential To A Number Of Rituals And Social Occasions. At The Same Time, They Demonstrate How A Burgeoning Market For Erotica, Along With A Cultural Tradition Of Allusion And Innuendo, Played An Increasingly Important Role In The Italian Peninsula Between The Fifteenth And Early Seventeenth Centuries.