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A sumptuously illustrated book presenting the highlights of Renaissance court treasures, bequeathed to the British Museum by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, MP in 1898.

You are what you own. So believed many of the most magnificent men and women of Renaissance Italy. This notion that a person's belongings transmit something about their individual history, status and character was reappraised in the 15th and early 16th centuries.

The playhouse and the role of playwright were relatively new phenomena during Shakespeares time, yet his audience spanned from royalty to the common man. This text shows what these audiences were finding out about the world through the eyes of the playwright Dora Thornton.

From the common playgoers to the royal patrons, this book explores Britain from the perspective of Shakespeareâ__s audience â__ revealing how the significant issues of the day were explored at the playhouse through objects and quotations from Shakespeareâ__s plays