Andrea Mantegna and the Italian Renaissance. Joseph Manca

time labouring in the Castle of Saint George, which still exists with its impressive crenelations and thick walls (Fig. 35). That castle is connected to other palaces, altogether comprising a huge complex of rooms that is largely empty now but at the time bustled with activity and held splendid furnishings and other decorative arts. One of Mantegna’s tasks as court painter was to add to this visual splendour, the amount and quality of the pictorial decorations reflecting the magnificence and prestige of the rulers. Mantegna’s first employer in Mantua was Ludovico Gonzaga (b. 1412), who ruled from 1444 until his death in 1478. He occupied himself with many of the typical activities popular at that time among the ruling classes, including hunting, hawking, horse racing, and warfare. Ludovico, like his father and grandfather before him, helped to earn money for his state by serving as a condottiere, a hired general who served other cities needing professional military leadership. A bronze medal he commissioned in 1447 from Pisanello declares him to be a military leader as well as a marchese (Fig. 33).