Renaissance Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Hungarian trecento and quattrocento=== {{further|Renaissance architecture in Central and Eastern Europe}} After Italy, Hungary was the first European country where the Renaissance appeared.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Louis A. Waldman|author2=Péter Farbaky|author3=Louis Alexander Waldman|title=Italy & Hungary: Humanism and Art in the Early Renaissance|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l-OKuQAACAAJ|year=2011|publisher=Villa I Tatti|isbn=978-0674063464}}</ref> The Renaissance style came directly from Italy during the [[Quattrocento]] (1400s) to Hungary first in the Central European region, thanks to the development of early Hungarian-Italian relationships — not only in dynastic connections, but also in cultural, humanistic and commercial relations{{snd}}growing in strength from the 14th century. The relationship between Hungarian and Italian Gothic styles was a second reason{{snd}}exaggerated breakthrough of walls is avoided, preferring clean and light structures. Large-scale building schemes provided ample and long term work for the artists, for example, the building of the Friss (New) Castle in Buda, the castles of Visegrád, Tata, and Várpalota. In Sigismund's court there were patrons such as Pipo Spano, a descendant of the Scolari family of Florence, who invited Manetto Ammanatini and Masolino da Pannicale to Hungary.<ref>''Hungary'' (4th ed.) Authors: Zoltán Halász / András Balla (photo) / Zsuzsa Béres (translation) Published by Corvina, in 1998 {{ISBN|9631341291|9631347273}}</ref> The new Italian trend combined with existing national traditions to create a particular local Renaissance art. Acceptance of Renaissance art was furthered by the continuous arrival of humanist thought in the country. Many young Hungarians studying at Italian universities came closer to the [[Florence|Florentine]] humanist center, so a direct connection with Florence evolved. The growing number of Italian traders moving to Hungary, specially to [[Buda]], helped this process. New thoughts were carried by the humanist prelates, among them [[Vitéz János]], archbishop of [[Esztergom]], one of the founders of Hungarian humanism.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fondazione-delbianco.org/inglese/relaz00_01/mester.htm |title=the influences of the florentine renaissance in hungary |publisher=Fondazione-delbianco.org |access-date=31 July 2009 |archive-date=21 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090321190654/http://www.fondazione-delbianco.org/inglese/relaz00_01/mester.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> During the long reign of emperor [[Sigismund of Luxemburg]] the [[Buda Castle|Royal Castle of Buda]] became probably the largest [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] palace of the late [[Middle Ages]]. King [[Matthias Corvinus]] (r. 1458–1490) rebuilt the palace in early Renaissance style and further expanded it.<ref>History section: Miklós Horler: Budapest műemlékei I, Bp: 1955, pp. 259–307</ref><ref>Post-war reconstruction: László Gerő: A helyreállított budai vár, Bp, 1980, pp. 11–60.</ref> After the marriage in 1476 of King Matthias to [[Beatrice of Naples]], [[Buda]] became one of the most important artistic centers of the Renaissance north of the [[Alps]].<ref name="czigany">Czigány, Lóránt, ''A History of Hungarian Literature'', "[http://mek.oszk.hu/02000/02042/html/5.html The Renaissance in Hungary]" (Retrieved 10 May 2007)</ref> The most important humanists living in Matthias' court were [[Antonio Bonfini]] and the famous Hungarian poet [[Janus Pannonius]].<ref name="czigany" /> [[András Hess]] set up a printing press in Buda in 1472. Matthias Corvinus's library, the [[Bibliotheca Corviniana]], was Europe's greatest collections of secular books: historical chronicles, philosophic and scientific works in the 15th century. His library was second only in size to the [[Vatican Library]]. (However, the Vatican Library mainly contained Bibles and religious materials.)<ref>Marcus Tanner, The Raven King: Matthias Corvinus and the Fate of his Lost Library (New Haven: Yale U.P., 2008)</ref> In 1489, Bartolomeo della Fonte of Florence wrote that Lorenzo de' Medici founded his own Greek-Latin library encouraged by the example of the Hungarian king. Corvinus's library is part of UNESCO World Heritage.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20051105150132/http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID%3D15976%26URL_DO%3DDO_TOPIC%26URL_SECTION%3D201.html Documentary heritage concerning Hungary and recommended for inclusion in the Memory of the World International Register]. portal.unesco.org</ref> Matthias started at least two major building projects.{{sfn|E. Kovács|1990|pp=177, 180–181}} The works in Buda and [[Visegrád]] began in about 1479.{{sfn|Engel|2001|p=319}} Two new wings and a [[hanging garden]] were built at the royal castle of Buda, and the palace at Visegrád was rebuilt in Renaissance style.{{sfn|Engel|2001|p=319}}{{sfn|E. Kovács|1990|pp=180–181}} Matthias appointed the Italian [[Chimenti Camicia]] and the Dalmatian [[Giovanni Dalmata]] to direct these projects. {{sfn|Engel|2001|p=319}} Matthias commissioned the leading Italian artists of his age to embellish his palaces: for instance, the sculptor [[Benedetto da Majano]] and the painters [[Filippino Lippi]] and [[Andrea Mantegna]] worked for him.{{sfn|Kubinyi|2008|pp=171–172}} A copy of Mantegna's portrait of Matthias survived.{{sfn|Kubinyi|2008|p=172}} Matthias also hired the Italian military engineer [[Aristotele Fioravanti]] to direct the rebuilding of the forts along the southern frontier.{{sfn|E. Kovács|1990|p=181}} He had new monasteries built in [[Gothic architecture|Late Gothic]] style for the [[Franciscans]] in Kolozsvár, [[Szeged]] and Hunyad, and for the [[Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit|Paulines]] in Fejéregyháza.{{sfn|Klaniczay|1992|p=168}}{{sfn|Kubinyi|2008|p=183}} In the spring of 1485, [[Leonardo da Vinci]] travelled to [[Kingdom of Hungary (1000–1538)|Hungary]] on behalf of Sforza to meet king Matthias Corvinus, and was commissioned by him to paint a [[Madonna (art)|Madonna]].<ref>{{interlanguage link|Franz-Joachim Verspohl|de}}, ''Michelangelo Buonarroti und Leonardo Da Vinci: Republikanischer Alltag und Künstlerkonkurrenz in Florenz zwischen 1501 und 1505'' (Wallstein Verlag, 2007), p. 151.</ref> Matthias enjoyed the company of Humanists and had lively discussions on various topics with them.{{sfn|Klaniczay|1992|p=166}} The fame of his magnanimity encouraged many scholars{{mdash}}mostly Italian{{mdash}}to settle in Buda.{{sfn|Cartledge|2011|p=67}} Antonio Bonfini, [[Pietro Ranzano]], Bartolomeo Fonzio, and [[Francesco Bandini]] spent many years in Matthias's court.{{sfn|E. Kovács|1990|p=185}}{{sfn|Klaniczay|1992|p=166}} This circle of educated men introduced the ideas of [[Neoplatonism]] to Hungary.{{sfn|Klaniczay|1992|p=167}}{{sfn|Engel|2001|p=321}} Like all intellectuals of his age, Matthias was convinced that the movements and combinations of the stars and planets exercised influence on individuals' life and on the history of nations.{{sfn|Hendrix|2013|p=59}} Galeotto Marzio described him as "king and astrologer", and Antonio Bonfini said Matthias "never did anything without consulting the stars".{{sfn|Hendrix|2013|pp=63, 65}} Upon his request, the famous astronomers of the age, [[Johannes Regiomontanus]] and [[Marcin Bylica]], set up an observatory in Buda and installed it with [[astrolabe]]s and [[celestial globe]]s.{{sfn|Tanner|2009|p=99}} Regiomontanus dedicated his book on navigation that was used by [[Christopher Columbus]] to Matthias.{{sfn|Cartledge|2011|p=67}} Other important figures of Hungarian Renaissance include [[Bálint Balassi]] (poet), [[Sebestyén Tinódi Lantos]] (poet), [[Bálint Bakfark]] (composer and lutenist), and [[Master MS]] (fresco painter). 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