noun
- the 16th century, especially in reference to Italian art and literature
Usage: art history
Examples
- The cinquecento was marked by the High Renaissance in Italy.
- Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci were masters of the cinquecento.
- Art historians study the painting techniques of the cinquecento period.
- The cinquecento saw the completion of St. Peter’s Basilica.
- Renaissance literature flourished during the cinquecento.
- Many consider the cinquecento the golden age of Italian art.