Portrait sculpture, usually in busts, became popular in Italy around 1450, with the Neapolitan Francesco Laurana specializing in young women in meditative poses, while Antonio Rossellino and others more often depicted knobbly-faced men of affairs, but also young children.
Obdobje je bilo zaznamovano s patronatom države za javno umetnost in pokroviteljstva bogatašev za kiparske izdelke za svoje domove; še posebej v Italiji javni kip ostaja ključni element videza zgodovinskih mestnih središč.