Legacies of the Renaissance
The Renaissance in Italy was a busy, complex time in society. Trade also inspired some Europeans to sail south along Africa’s western coast. European merchants bought silks and spices from the Ottomans with gold and silver, but Europe’s supply of precious metals was limited. To gain direct access to West African gold, Italian merchants funded Portuguese mariners to sail further and further south, bringing gold back to the Mediterranean. These voyages also introduced Europe to West African art—ivory sculptures were especially prized—kicking off new exchanges in artistic styles.
The painting above, by an unknown artist, depicts the waterfront of the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. It illustrates the diversity of Renaissance Europe. If you zoom in on the image, you’ll see that many of the occupants are Black. Many of these people are enslaved, but the painting features several free Black people. It shows Black and white people dancing together. And in the middle-right, a Black man rides a horse. He is a knight of the Order of Santiago. This painting and many others are evidence that the urban centers of Renaissance Europe featured a great deal of racial, ethnic, and religious diversity.
However, this painting is also a reminder that, just as Renaissance art and culture flourished, systems of racism and enslavement were also developing. The Portuguese voyages to West Africa—funded by Italian merchants and bankers—returned with enslaved Africans onboard. By the mid-fifteenth century, slavery was common in the Italian city-states and the Iberian Peninsula. The great cultural achievements of Renaissance art were made possible by the same economy that eventually created the institutions of the modern slave trade.
