English Mannerist Poets and the Visual Arts

After laying a foundationary definition of Mannerism in Continental and English visual arts, this study proposes four key terms (technical precision, elegance, grazia, and the difficulta/ facilita) to assist the delineation of a mannerist poetic. Although strict chronological development of the aesthetic is not enforced, a certain stylistic evolution is suggestively charted. Through this process the poets are linked with various visual arts in early modern England, including painting, sculpture, gold- and silversmithery, miniaturism, garden design, and architecture.