The phrase "maddened by despair" refers to the state of being frustrated due to depression.
<u>EXPLANATION:</u>
Usage of the phrase maddened by despair in a sentence refers to the insane or frustrating behavior that a person makes when he is been subjected to grief and depression because of an incident.
<u>Example:</u>
Maddened by despair, the author wrote a novel that exhibited the pain and loneliness he underwent after the death of his daughter "the moment when I was aware of the sudden demise of my daughter, I would no longer wish to survive in this world". Here it expresses the grief of the author due to his daughter’s death.
If you were to look at the art forms of the 15th century, we see quite a bit of all three style(murals, frescos, and sculptures), this was the renissance period after all. Hope this helps!