An Emblem for War and Spectacle: The Grenade at the Court of Urbino between the Fifteenth and Seventeenth Centuries

The image of the 'exploding grenade' was the eloquent emblem chosen by the condottiere Federico da Montefeltro (1422-1482), founder of the Duchy of Urbino. As the use of this firearm had become decisive for the outcomes of sieges and battles, the reference to this instrument of warfare, reaffirmed the memory of the honors that the skillful condottiero had acquired in his career and the ways in which the objectives of an armed Pax to protect his nascent duchy could be achieved. The iconography of this military strategist, but also enlightened humanist and man of culture, marked any artistic manifestation, including spectacular and theatrical events