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Your first reading assignment in your textbook, Turner’s “Renaissance Florence” provides an important foundation for our exploration of Renaissance social, religious, economic, and cultural values. Answer the following questions in a thorough and thoughtful manner and quote directly from Turner in all instances. Remember, this is about analyzing Turner’s ideas and concepts, not what Google says about Renaissance Florence. Stick with our textbook – that’s what you need to successfully complete this assignment. Your assignment should be about 4 pages long and needs to be typed, carefully edited and proofread.

1. What are Turner’s most significant points about the importance of business, trade, and banking in the creation of a successful Florentine city state? What were the guilds and why were they so important politically and socially? Discuss in detail and quote directly from Turner’s “Introduction”.
2. In chapter 2, why does Turner call Florence a “marketplace for art” and in what ways was the creation of works of painting and sculpture important for the city of Florence? By what process, according to Turner, did artists learn their trade and eventually earn their living by making art? Discuss in detail and quote directly from chapter 2 in Turner.
3. According to Turner in chapter 1, why were the Duomo, the Baptistry, and the Palazzo della Signoria such important civic structures in the city state of Florence? Discuss these structures individually, describing their function and place in the life of Renaissance Florence, and quote directly from Turner in chapter 1 in your analysis.