A leap, with all due respect, that I did not make.
I just named some examples that came to mind. Would they have managed to be extraordinary artists even without the patronage? Who can tell after the fact?
The point being - in the course of history public patronage (as I defined it previously) was not neccessarily a bad thing. Above and beyond that, 'fortune is a fickle mistress'...
Had Bach never had the chance to write his cello sonatas, I could not possibly miss them. But as he did have the chance to do so, I would hardly be without them. Thus I am grateful for the patronage he received.
RE: A leap, with all due respect, that I did not make.
And with all due respect, I never insinuated that you did.