The first examination of Alessandro Vittoria in English, this book is also the first devoted to his work in over 35 years, and provides a much-needed analysis of the chronology and style of Vittoria's portrait busts. Vittoria was one of the greatest sculptors of 16th century Italy, and the greatest portraitist in Italian sculpture prior to Bernini. The book both clarifies the work of a major Renaissance artist and places it in context by explaining how Vittoria, who produced portraits modelled on ancient Roman busts, was responding to cultural and political forces which fostered a classicizing style in Venice. Special attention is devoted to Vittoria's patrons, many of whom were collectors of ancient art. Professor Martin demonstrates that, even more than Palladio's buildings, the portrait busts of Vittoria were the foremost expression of classicism in Renaissance Venice.