This study of patrons in the Italian Renaissance argues that it was they who controlled artistic creation, rather than the artists themselves. In an ostentatious age, perceived cost became more important than artistic quality, and artists were employed as craftsmen until the late 16th century, when relations with patrons began to change into the pattern we might recognize today. The author emphasizes the extent to which Lorenzo de Medici, Ercole d'Este, and Federigo da Montefeltro, as well as several Popes, can be considered their own architects.