The Renaissance has been idealised as a high point in history, as a revival of classical antiquity which brought about technological advances and a flourishing of the arts. Yet recent literature on Renaissance globalism has revealed a very different picture of this era, one which is more complex and inter-connected. New scholarship has highlighted the contributions made by non-Western cultures to what is understood as a European 'Renaissance', and exposed the less-than-heroic side of the beginnings of European expansion into the world during this era.

Examining art and visual culture...