Art History Professor Timothy McCall, PhD, Explores Masculinity in the Courts of Renaissance Italy in New Book
Villanova, Pa — In a fascinating look into the past, Timothy McCall, PhD, inaugural Bernard John Lucci Endowed Chair in Italian Studies, professor of Art History and director of the Art History program in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Villanova University, explores the world of 15th-century Italian courts. In his new book, Making the Renaissance Man: Masculinity in the Courts of Renaissance Italy, Dr. McCall examines the dramatic and often violent performances that defined Renaissance manhood and shaped European history.
Dr. McCall’s book illustrates the dynamic and multifaceted nature of masculinity in the Renaissance era. “This book presents a new perspective on how male identities and sexuality proclaimed power in a century crucial to the political formation of Early Modern Europe,” explains Dr. McCall.
His research highlights how Italian princes strategically crafted their image and solidified their social status through fierce battles, elaborate jousts and extravagant displays of wealth and prowess. By examining images, objects and the lived experiences of Renaissance men, Dr. McCall provides readers with an in-depth understanding of the period’s gender dynamics and cultural practices.
Making the Renaissance Man is written for a diverse audience, including art enthusiasts, history buffs, undergraduate and graduate students, as well as scholars across a variety of fields. With over 100 color images, this well-illustrated book will lead readers to new discoveries about prominent figures like Leonardo da Vinci and familiar yet overlooked cultural artifacts such as dog collars, toys for princes and jousting lances.
Dr. McCall received his BA in English from Georgetown University and earned his MA and PhD in History of Art from the University of Michigan. With research expertise spanning Italian Early Modern constructions of gender and sexuality, Medieval and Early Modern Italian courts, histories of fashion, material culture and constructions of aristocratic male beauty, he is the author of more than 30 scholarly publications, including his most recent book, Brilliant Bodies: Fashioning Courtly Men in Early Renaissance Italy (2022). At Villanova University, Dr. McCall enjoys teaching courses on Renaissance and Medieval Art, Race and the Renaissance, Theories and Methods in History, as well as seminars on Leonardo da Vinci and Material Culture, among other subjects.
About Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Since its founding in 1842, Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has been the heart of the Villanova learning experience, offering foundational courses for undergraduate students in every college of the University. Serving more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students, the College is committed to fortifying them with intellectual rigor, multidisciplinary knowledge, moral courage and a global perspective. The College has more than 40 academic departments and programs across the humanities, social sciences, and natural and physical sciences.