Material culture is not static: objects are created, used and re-used, sometimes for centuries, and their lives interact with those of the people who made and used them. The essays in this book discuss the 'social lives' of objects in late-medieval and renaissance Italy, ranging from maiolica, through sculpture and prostitutes' jewellery, to miraculous painted images.

* Demonstrates the continued life of these objects well past the deaths of their creators and patrons.

* Contains a series of original contributions by young scholars, representing a broad range of approaches.