Isabella d'Este was at the court of Mantua a patroness, art collector, and eccentric princess. She impatiently demanded a painting from Giovanni Bellini, the most sought-after painter in nearby Venice at the time. The specific painting in question has not been documented, but a delightful correspondence regarding themes, deadlines, and payments has survived, which turned into a power struggle between the self-assured artist and the increasingly impatient princess. In this and other famous examples (including Dante, Petrarch, and Leonardo da Vinci), Heinz Georg Held describes the high art of dialogue about art. The conversation about paintings, sculptures, or architectural works was (and is?) a favored form of elegant living, enjoyment, and sensual perception. The author himself provides an excellent example with his style: standing outside the academic sphere, he writes with flair.