Landscapes and Landforms of the Duchy of Urbino in Italian Renaissance Paintings

Abstract

The territory of the Duchy of Urbino (Adriatic Central Italy) is characterized by the presence of a natural heritage that is associated with attractive vistas and exclusive scientific, historical, archaeological and architectural assets. The great Renaissance artists who used to travel across these areas were aware of this. Among them, Piero della Francesca, Raphael and Leonardo were particularly fascinated by these landscapes and reproduced them in their most celebrated works of art. Both the Dyptic of the Dukes by Piero della Francesca and Gioconda by Leonardo bear the land of the Duchy in their background. Alluvial plains, lakes and landslides are the geomorphic features that can be best recognized in those landscapes.