From Giotto to Botticelli ─ The Artistic Patronage of the Humiliati in Florence

In From Giotto to Botticelli, Julia Miller and Laurie Taylor-Mitchell explore the two-hundred-year rise and fall of the Humiliati ("Humbled Ones"), a religious order infamous for its attempt to assassinate Saint Carlo Borromeo and ultimately suppressed, by papal bull, in 1571. This book focuses on the order's artistic patronage and considers the major works by artists such as Giotto, Donatello, Botticelli, and Ghirlandaio that the Humiliati commissioned for the Church of the Ognissanti in Florence. Miller and Taylor-Mitchell reveal how the Humiliati promoted their public image through the visual arts and examine the themes and ideas in these works. The Humiliati have received remarkably little scholarly attention to date, in part because of their suppression and eradication by the Church. This is one of the first comprehensive historical studies of this important religious order and the central role the Humiliati played in the history of Italian art. From Giotto to Botticelli will appeal not only to art historians but also to scholars of history, religion, and cultural studies, as well as members of the general public.

Julia I. Miller is Professor of Art History at the California State University, Long Beach.

Laurie Taylor-Mitchell was Associate Professor of Art History at Hood College. She is currently an engaged activist for public education in Baltimore County.