How did the court and wealthy merchant patronage shape the content and appearance of religious and secular art? Cite specific examples in your answer.

The sponsorship of the court and wealthy merchants prevents artistic freedom from works of art, as they often sponsored works that painted them as religious figures, or in religious scenes.

Explanation:

Sponsorship was very important for the development of art during the Renaissance. However, this sponsorship often prevented artists' creativity and artistic freedom, as it prevented them from painting what they wanted, but made them paint portraits of their sponsors as historical figures, or religious figures. This characteristic reinforces the adoption of humanist concepts by artists of the time.

nothing certain is known about what happened, but it seems that the country declined gradually, perhaps due to bad government, or, more likely, due to a series of bad harvests, which resulted in widespread and recurrent famine.

the answer is a) the proclamation of 1763.