Patronage (technology) (Civ5)/Civilopedia

Patronage, or more formally, "patronage of the arts," occurs in wealthy civilizations, where the rulers or elite citizenry are both wealthy and are willing to expend a portion of their wealth on cultural or artistic ventures. Throughout much of history, artists - musicians, painters, sculptors, poets, and dramatists - were employed by (if not the actual property of) the nobility. The wealthy commissioned the work, and the artist completed it. There was no "London Symphony Orchestra," although the King of England might have one in his court. The King's court composer would write works for that orchestra; if the King didn't like the music, he'd be replaced by a composer who wrote music more to His Majesty's liking.
In Europe, the patronage system reached its height in Renaissance Europe, particularly in Italy. Cities like Venice, Milan and Rome were swimming in gold, and the great wealthy families of the day competed with grim enthusiasm to adorn their majestic houses with the most beautiful paintings, statues, and music. Many of the greatest artistic works in Western history came from this period - much of Michelangelo's work, including the statue "David" and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, were done on commission, as was Raphael's "Stanza della Segnatura."
Many Asian courts followed the same general pattern. The brilliant 12th century Chinese landscape painter Ma Yuan was court painter for Emperors Guangzong and Ningzong, while both his father and grandfather held similar positions for previous Emperors.