Renaissance Prints Collection

Print Collections > Renaissance

The Renaissance (meaning ‘rebirth’ in French) covers a period in Europe from the 14th to the 16th century that includes some of the most loved and recognisable paintings in the world.

Renaissance artists took their inspiration from the art and literature of antiquity, especially the ancient world of Greece and Rome, and a newly found humanist philosophy which was based on a new idea of self-reliance and civic virtue among the common people, combined with a belief in the uniqueness, dignity, and value of human life.

Through their knowledge of mathematical perspective and new painting techniques, they produced truly unique and beautiful works of religious and secular art, containing realism, detail, drama and subtle layers of meaning.

Renaissance artists broke free from their craft-worker status and achieved new positions as vital contributors to the culture and prestige of the societies in which they lived, and for many the artistic creations of the Renaissance represent the highest of achievements in the history of art to this day.