The Likeness of Venice A Life of Doge Francesco Foscari 1373-1457 Dennis Romano

Immortalized in later centuries in works by Lord Byron, Giuseppe Verdi, Eugene Delacroix, and others, Francesco Foscari reigned as the powerful doge of Venice during tumultuous years from 1423 to 1457. The stuff of legends, his life was marked by political conflict, vengeful enemies, family heartbreak, and, at the end, the forced relinquishment of the ducal throne. Yet, Foscari left behind no personal papers, and until now, no complete biography of him has been written. This book, a thorough and fascinating biography, fills that longstanding gap, illuminating not only the life of the man but also the history and culture of fifteenth-century Venice. Dennis Romano reconstructs Foscari's life through careful reading of extant governmental records and chronicle sources. He also uses architectural monuments built by Foscari and his heirs as critical interpretive keys for unlocking the personality and policies of the doge. Romano analyzes how art and power intersected in Renaissance Italy and how the doge came to represent and even embody the state. With this biography, Romano clears away longstanding myths, fills in previously unknown details about Foscari's triumphs and ordeals, and allows to emerge the first intimate portrait of this singular doge.

Dennis Romano is professor of history and fine arts, Syracuse University. He has conducted extensive research in Venice over the last twenty-five years.

'...an astute observer of Renaissance political symbolism, with all its nuances...Dennis Romano has left no stone unturned in this extremely learned biography.' -Noel Malcolm, The Sunday Telegraph