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Sexuality in Renaissance Art The Italian Renaissance, which spanned over the years 1350 until about 1550, is usually defined as a rebirth, focusing on the revival of classical learning and an exhilarating sense of renewed human potential in the moral, political and creative spheres. This revival was accepted into the lives of bankers, merchants, and clerics however, it was the two institutions of the nobility and the church that played a key role in the dissemination and development of Renaissance ideas and values. These two institutions recognized sexual values which had tremendous influences on the innovative Renaissance painting and sculpture, the most important value was declared the familial one. Weddings and births were causes for great celebration and artists would create pieces to commemorate such occasions. The triumphant scene following a woman's achievement in birth is illustrated in a famous painting by Masaccio called A Birth Scene (1426). It shows a traditional birth scene with midwives bathing the infant and visits from female friends and relations (Welch, 287). It is interesting to note that these works of art were only commissioned for the birth of a son, rather than a daughter. The artwork commiseratin