Daddi, Bernardo (active 1290–c. 1349) Italian painter
A gifted pupil of GIOTTO, Daddi absorbed the seriousness
of his master and combined it with the lyrical grace of the
painters of Siena, becoming the leading artist in Florence
during the 1340s. His earliest dated work was the
Madonna triptych (1328; Uffizi, Florence), which was
based upon Giotto’s Madonna Enthroned, originally in the
same church. The influence of the Sienese school is evi-
dent in Daddi’s Enthroned Madonna (c. 1340; Uffizi),
which reflects the style of the LORENZETTIbrothers and Si-
mone MARTINIin particular. Daddi also painted a number
of notable smaller panels, such as The Story of St. Cecilia
(Museo Civico, Pisa), which demonstrate his skill in the
handling of color. Other works still in Florence include a
Madonna (1347; Orsanmichele) and two frescoes showing
the martyrdoms of SS. Lawrence and Stephen (Sta. Croce).
Daddi’s influence remained profound throughout the 14th
century.

Dalmau, Luís (fl. 1428–1461) Spanish artist
A native of Valencia, Dalmau visited Bruges (1431) and
Flanders before returning to Spain by 1437. There he
worked as court painter to Alfonso V of Aragon (ALFONSO
Iof Naples). An admirer of van EYCK, he imitated the ap-
proach of the Flemish school in his own Virgin of the
Councillors (1445; Barcelona museum), which was
painted in the already outdated International Gothic style
and is his only surviving documented work.

dance The Renaissance was perhaps more conscious of
dance and dancing than any other period in Western his-
tory. As in the Middle Ages, dancing was a widely enjoyed
physical pastime that also had an important role in

courtship, social celebration, and the ritual of the courts.

From the 15th century, however, dancing was discussed,

analyzed, and celebrated as never before, and came to em-

body some of the most cherished ideals of the age. To the

poet and philosopher, dance was a symbol of social order

and cosmic harmony; to the humanist, it suggested the

possibility of a perfect balance between mind and body, art

and nature. The Renaissance saw the first theoretical writ-

ings about dance and the advent of the first professional

dance teachers. It also saw the emergence of the distinc-

tion, unknown in the Middle Ages, between dance as a so-

cial activity and dance as a formal artistic spectacle.

The new attitudes to dance are first apparent in Italy,

where dancing became an increasingly important part of

court life from the late 14th century. The ability to dance

with grace and vigor became an essential social accom-

plishment, indispensable to the aspiring courtier or the

marriageable young lady. Dance was also the main el-

ement in the spectacular court festivities that arose at this

time. These combined music and dancing with feasting,

visual spectacle, and elements of pantomime or spoken

drama to pay tribute to the reigning prince or duke. The

usual mode was allegory or pastoral, and the performers

the men and women of the court in elaborate costumes

and masks (see MASQUE). A well-documented example is

the lavish banquet given for the wedding of Giangaleazzo

Sforza, duke of Milan, in 1489, in which the dancers as-

sumed roles from Greek mythology.

Such spectacles clearly required a high degree of

choreography, and to provide it a new profession arose—

that of the dancing master. The role was a complex one,

involving not only the organization of lavish pageantry

but also the teaching of dance steps to the nobility and ad-

Di

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