"During the fifteenth century, Florence emerged as one of Europe's most important city-states. This book investigates the intersection of art, politics, and gender in the public sphere of Florence at this time. Adrian W.B. Randolph identifies a pivotal moment in the history of public art when Florentines visually encoded political and social relations within gendered categories. Randolph shows how "engaging" political symbols were grounded in a revolutionary way in amorous discourses that drew on metaphors of affection, desire, courtship, betrothal, marriage, homo- and hetero-eroticism, and procreation."--Jacket.