The term mannerism describes the style of the paintings and bronze sculpture on this tour. More important than his carefully recreated observation of nature was the artist's mental conception and its elaboration. This intellectual bias was, in part, a natural consequence of the artist's new status in society. No longer regarded as craftsmen, painters and sculptors took their place with scholars, poets, and humanists in a climate that fostered an appreciation for elegance, complexity, and even precocity.
Works appear strange and unsettling, despite their superficial naturalism.
Mannerism coincided with a period of upheaval that was torn by the Reformation, plague, and the devastating sack of Rome. After its inception in central Italy around 1520, mannerism spread to other regions of Italy and to northern Europe. In Italy, however, it remained largely a product of artists in Florence and Rome. The character of mannerism continues to be debated. It is often discussed, and judged, in relation to the High Renaissance that preceded it.