Editing Fra Angelico (section)

===Patronage===

If not a monastic establishment, the [[Patronage|patron]] was most usually, as part of a church's endowment, a family with wealth. To maximally advertise this (wealth) favoured subjects where religious devotion would be most focused, an [[altarpiece]] for instance. The wealthier the benefactor, the more the style would seem a throwback, compared with a freer and more nuanced style then in vogue. Underpinning this was that a commissioned painting said something about its sponsor: the more [[gold leaf]], the more prestige accrued. Other precious materials in the paint-box were [[lapis lazuli]] and [[vermilion]]. Paints from these colours lent themselves poorly to a tonal treatment. The azure blue made of powdered lapis lazuli had to be applied flat. As with gold leaf, it was left to the depth and brilliance of colour to announce the patron's importance. This, however, constrained the overall style to that of an earlier generation. Thus, the impression left by altarpieces was more conservative than that achieved by frescoes. These, in contrast, were frequently of almost life-sized figures. To gain effect, they could capitalise on an up-to-date stage-set quality rather than having to fall back upon a lavish, but dated, display.<ref>Michael Baxandall, ''Painting and Experience in Fifteenth Century Italy'',(1974) Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|0-19-881329-5}}</ref>