In other words, clients no longer cared so much about the value of the materials. Later in the century, the emphasis shifted from the quality of materials to the quality of the painting itself. They especially valued shiny gold and silver, and a blue color known as ultramarine, which came in several grades of varying cost. Early in the century, clients were most interested in the quality of the painter's materials. He notes that as the fifteenth century progressed a change unfolded. Baxandall quotes extensively from intriguing letters that reveal this relationship.
In fifteenth-century Italy, a painting was the result of a contractual relationship between an artist and his wealthy client. Consequently, art is among other things a business. As amateur scholars of art history, understanding the impact and background of patronage is vital to influencing how we view art funded by a patron.In Part I, "Conditions of Trade," Baxandall identifies a fundamental point of departure: "Money is very important in the history of art" (1).
The relationship between art and artist is different in our lifetime in which we can likely assume that a piece of art is produced by the artist and largely from their own mind. While it might have a specific purpose (such as murals as public art), the artist generally has some artistic license for how they execute the piece. In contrast, artists in 15th-century Italy were largely constrained in how they executed commissioned pieces. Most importantly, the patron could approve a sketch from which the artist could not deviate. Additionally, the contract an artist signed could constrain other elements such as materials used and time frame to finish the piece. Rather than recognizing the artist’s opinions and feelings through their art like we often can in contemporary society, we must recognize the relative disconnect between art and artist. As the 1400s progressed, artists did gain a bit more agency in their work. While the notability and renown in paintings had come from the materials such as gold leaf or ultramarine, a painter’s skills became the factor that more so indicated the value of a piece of art. Given that the hand of them master was highly valued, how did apprentices themselves get enough experience to become masters and eventually get enough exposure to be given work especially in such a competitive art environment? Baxandall explained that “the intention of the later contracts is clear: the client will confer lustre on his picture not with gold but with mastery, the hand of the master himself” (23).
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