The Italian Renaissance Interior, 1400-1600

For the wealthy homeowner in Renaissance Italy, creating domestic comfort was a matter worthy of tremendous thought and planning. Women ran the household and their influence was ``particularly strong'' in establishing a harmonious environment, giving attention to the smallest details of embroideries, furniture, mirrors, potted plants, cradles, etc. In an extraordinary album with hundreds of intriguing period illustrations, London-based curator Thornton ( Authentic Decor ) offers a privileged glimpse behind closed doors during the Italian Renaissance. Building was a voluptuous passion, and 15th-century architects and designers worked hand-in-hand, pioneering such new-fangled innovations as the apartment, a group of rooms closely associated with a single person. Complete with the bric-a-brac of daily life--bathtubs, table covers, ceramics, bird cages--this chronicle suggests that living itself was an art in the Italy of Michelangelo. (Nov.)