Book excerpt: This volume presents new discoveries and new interpretations of highly important paintings and frescos from the Gothic and Renaissance periods, featuring works from Duccio, Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Francesco di Giorgio, and Luca Signorelli. New interpretations pay particular attention to themes such as wedding iconography, political iconography, and historical identity as reflected in the iconography of the mendicant order as well as the social problems of artistic communities, the ascent of urban artists over court artists, and the artistic influence of foreign patrons.