The first well-known name of the Medici family in Italian Renaissance Age is Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici (1421-1463), also known as Cosimo the Elder (il Vecchio). His father, Giovanni di Bicci (1360-1429) started the family business as a great banker. 5 Having watched and learned the business world since very little, Cosimo successfully inherited the family business. Adding on his own talent, Cosimo expanded the Medici banking empire throughout Europe. He launched branches in London, Bruges, Lyon and some main cities within Italy such as Milan, Venice and Rome. His success in business financially supported him to invest in enormous amount of art pieces including architectures, paintings, sculptures, ancient manuscripts and antiques.
The most famous commission by Cosimo is probably his home place - the Palazzo Medici. Remembering his father's word: "do not draw attention to yourself," Cosimo abandoned the original plan by Brunelleschi, which was twice as large as the actual building; and adopted Michelozzo's more humble design. Yet the exterior look of the building is still forbidding and fortress-like. Three layers, with each layer indicating a different level, compose the exterior wall. Rustication, an element that was also applied to the city hall, was used on the ground floor of the palace. Along with the double arched windows, the Palazzo Medici reminds anyone who looks at it of the actual role of its master. Unlike the low-key exterior look, the inside of the house is expensively decorated with frescos, paintings, sculptures, valuable antiques, and the finest furniture.11 For instance, The Bronze David by Donatello and Judith and Holofernes by the same sculptor, the famous fresco masterpiece Procession of th...
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... the youth.13 He also sponsored other universities in Pisa and Florence. Lorenzo brought culture to people, like his grandfather did.
From Cosimo the Elder to Lorenzo, the three generations witnessed the most glorious time of the grand Medici family. Cosimo accumulated enormous fortune for his successors and set up a great example as a generous patron. Piero maintained the family position in the last five years of his life and preserved the family tradition. Lorenzo had the most art talent and accelerated the blossom of Renaissance in many ways. But the latter two of the Medici rulers wasn't able to keep expanding the banking business. On the contrast, the Medici bank had been shrinking even since the death of Cosimo. Two years after Lorenzo died in 1492, the bank finally failed due to system flaws and other reasons after almost a hundred years' existance.10
“I’ll be out of here and away from all you knaves for one time anyway, as not a month will pass before you’ll see whether I’m nobody or a somebody.” The story of Bianco Alfani reflected the nature of 14th century Florentine society where, as Alfani remarked, the election to public office could make or destroy a person. In late 14th century and early 15th century Florence, decreased population and expanding commerce provided a favorable environment for ambitious individuals. The real life examples of Buonaccorso Pitti and Gregorio Dati demonstrated the positive role of ambition in Florence. Pitti, a nobleman had an extremely successful career, partaking in military campaigns, holding public office in Florence and being an ambassador to foreign courts. Gregorio Dati, the grandson of purse venders, engaged in commerce, rising in social standing which culminated with his election to public office. Holding office was a definitive sign of success and recognition in Florence. In contrast was the tale Bianco Alfani, a deemed man unworthy of office. As told by Piero Veneziano, Alfani was the chief jailor in Florence who was duped into believing he had been named captain of the town of Norcia. Alfani publicly made a fool of himself, spending all his money and creating a great fanfare over his supposed appointment. Comparing the lives of Pitti and Dati to the story of Bianco Alfani illustrates how economic and social change in 14th century Florence produced a culture centered on reputation and commerce. For men like Pitti and Dati, who flourished within the constraints of Florentine society, their reward was election to office, a public mark of acceptance and social standing. Those who were ambitious but failed to abide by the values o...
Andrea Palladio was born in 1508A.D. in Italy. At a very young age he became a stone mason, however his journey into architecture began when he met Gian Giorgio Trissino who immediately saw ability in him and decided to mentor Palladio. Trissino combined a study of classical architecture with architecture of the time, all the while allowing Palladio room to develop a style of his own. In time Palladio was constructing villas through out the country side of Italy, in all he constructed 30 villas, 18 of which are still standing today. Perhaps Palladio’s most famous work was the Villa Rotondra or La Rotondra which was started around 1565 and took approximately 4 years to build and was greatly inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. It is interesting to note that la Rotondra is different from Palladio’s other villas in a number of ways, and it is evident that these differences help distinguish it from the rest. The main differences between Palladio’s Rotondra and his other work are, The Rotonda is set on a hilltop, it is located near a...
In this great time known as the Renaissance, many pieces of art that reflect humanism were created, but only one stands out like a sore thumb, Brunelleschi's Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore! Since the Duomo is based off Roman architecture, many innovative ideas were used to create it, and because it was built to be enjoyed, not worshipped like the past pieces of religious art, the Duomo is, by far, the best creation to represent the
Catherine de Medici’s culpability for the turbulent events in France in 1559-72 remains a topic of some debate. Highly personal protestant pamphleteers associated Catherine with sinister comparisons to the contemporary evil Machiavelli which eventually developed into the ‘Black Legend’. Jean.H. Mariégol consolidates this interpretation, overwhelmingly assuming Catherine’s wickedness; the Queen Mother was deemed to be acting for ‘personal aggrandizement’ without an interest in the monarchy. Neale provides a corrective arguing a ‘dominant maternalism’ drove Catherine’s policies. Sutherland critiques Neale, suggesting he is guilty of using misconceived qualifying phrases from the ‘Black Legend’ stemming from the contemporary pamphlets, instead Sutherland and Heller attempt to disentangle Catherine from the context of the xenophobic Protestant pamphleteers that shaped much of Catherine’s historical analysis thus far, revealing the ‘politique’ whose moderate policies were a force for stability. Knecht is most convincing in his assertion that whilst the ‘Black Legend’ is a misrepresentation of her character and policies, Sutherland goes too far in whitewashing Catherine. Ironically, Catherine as a ‘politique’ aimed for complex policies and yet her role in French politics was over-simplified by contemporaries and arguably even by modern historians contributing to overly polarised interpretations. Instead we should bear in mind the violent pressures Catherine faced in the context of the collapse of monarchical authority and follow the more nuanced interpretation of her role.
The Medici Chapel is located in Florence, Italy and it is a house to the Medici family. The Medici Chapel includes, the Crypt, The Princes’ Chapel (Cappella del Principi) and The New Sacristy (Sacrestia Nuova). The main rooms are the New Sacristy and the Princes’ Chapel, and the entrance is at the back of San Lorenzo. The New Sacristy was designed and built by Michelangelo in 1519. The Princes’ Chapel is where the members of the Medici family are buried.
The portrait of Giuliano de Medici by Raphael, a tempera and oil on canvas, can be dated back to around 1515 (Fig. 2).25 The portrait includes a background depiction of Florence, which is revealed behind a green curtain. As part of a marriage arrangement with Philiberte of Savoy, it is not surprising that Florence would be depicted as an asset of Giuliano's. However, the picture was painted shortly after the carnival of 1513, and it highlights the sort of relationship that the Medici family wanted to re-establish with the city and its people, using public rituals to achieve this. Giuliano's gaze is directed to the part of the curtain revealing the city, thus asserting his status as legitimate ruler, watching over the people of Florence. This painting and the carnival of 1513 convey similar messages. When Girolamo Macchietti executed a portrait of Lorenzo the Magnificent, he used a similar device (Fig. 3). Lorenzo stands tall with Florence in the background, and he looks forward benevolently. What the Medici attempted to achieve with public rituals, they successfully managed to reflect in their portraiture. With their backs turned to the city, they would have appeared to contemporaries as larger-than-life leaders protecting Florence's interests and history. The link between the two portraits is interesting because the carnival of 1513 was a clear attempt at
The Medici family is officially in power. It is 1434 and the House of Medici has been looked up to since the 13th century, but now the Medici family is influencing major change. Due to the family’s support in arts and humanities the Renaissance has taken place. During the renaissance civilians primary focus was the idea that everyone should be educated and participate in arts and science. This change in the way people thought was influenced by the Medici family. The Medici family flourished financially in the 1400’s and continued to gain power politically in the 14th century. Several members of the Medici family created success for the
The Medici’s were a prominent family in the Renaissance, who ruled Florence from 1434 to 1737. They are regarded as being one of the most powerful and richest families in the whole of Europe. The Medics used this great status and wealth to develop an improved Florence, one that was significantly influenced by the Renaissance. The Medici family can most certainly be regarded as the significant heroes of the Renaissance. This is due to their significant promotion and patronage in the arts, in turn bringing focus back to the antiquities, a major importance during the Renaissance period. Furthermore, the Medicis can be considered the great heroes of the Renaissance, due to their significant influence of Renaissance Humanist thinking. On top of this, although the Medici family were allegedly corrupt and supposedly paid many bribes in order to become so powerful, they still focused on benefiting the heart of the Renaissance- the city-state of Florence- and should thus not be considered the great villains of the Renaissance, but instead the heroes.
In the article “Conditions of Trade,” Michael Baxandall explains that fifteenth-century Italian art is a “deposit” resulting from the commercial interaction between the artist and the purchaser, who he refers to as a client. These works, as such, are “fossils of economic life,” and money, and they play an important role in the history of art. In our current perception of the relationship between the artist and art, “painters paint what they think is best, and then look around for a buyer” . However in the past, especially during the Renaissance period, the customers determined the content and form of paintings, as it was them who commissioned the work before it was created. He states that the artists and clients were interconnected and a legal agreement was drawn up specifying subject matter, payment scheme and the quality and quantity of colors, which would influence the artist’s painting style. Baxandall not only looks at the explanation of the style of painting that reflects a society, but also engages in the visual skills and habits that develop out of daily life. The author examines the situations between the painter and client within the commercial, religious, perceptual, and social institutions, centrally focusing on markets, materials, visual practices, and the concept of the Renaissance period, which saw art as an institution. Baxandall notes that Renaissance paintings also relate to the clients’ motives through such ways as possession, self-commemoration, civic consciousness, and self-advertisement. The author considers works of a wide variety of artistic painters, for instance, Filippo Lippi, Fra Angelico, Stefano di Giovanni, Sandro Botticelli, Luca Signorelli, and numerous others. He defines and exemplifies fiftee...
The style of Baroque architecture is say to be overwhelm, in other word, heavy and powerful. In order to bring out the sense of solemn, holiness, it is presented in the form of massiveness and movement. The St. Peter’s Basilica, completed in 1626, designed by Donato Brama...
Florence, Italy was a city just like any other during the Renaissance. It was city of 50,000 people, less than there were in Paris and Venice but more than most other European cities. The busiest parts of the city were the Ponte Vecchio, a place lined with markets and houses, the neighborhood of the Orsanmichele and Mercato Vecchio, or the Old Market. Florence was a place of beauty and leisure. A Venetian visitor once said, “There is in my opinion no region more sweeter than that wherein Florence is a placed for Florence is situated in a plain surrounded on all sides by hills and mountains…And the hills are fertile cultivated, pleasant…” (Unger, pg. 1). Florence was a very prosperous city; it made fortunes off of wool and banking trades. A certain Florentine family contributed to the vast wealth as well. The Medici family was no doubt the foundation of prosperity for Florence.
The reason for this piece is to attempt a comparison between two architectural examples that employ classical design from different stylistic eras of architectural history. The two styles I've chosen to discuss are the Renaissance and Baroque periods. An understanding of classical architecture needs to be made, as it is the fundamental style of any period that developed architecturally
In the Florence Cathedral, Florence, Italy, there is a cathedral church whose octagonal dome, built without the aid of scaffolding, was considered the greatest engineering feat of the early Renaissance. Dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore, Our Lady of the Flower, it is also known as the Duomo, after the Italian word for cathedral. Created by many great Early Modern artists, this piece of architecture is a perfect example the Renaissance style. We can come to a better understanding of why this is so by exploring what the characteristics of the Renaissance “style”. To understand the properties of the Florence Cathedral that fit the Early Modern style, I will begin with a description and its history. The cathedral's architectural style, although greatly influenced by French Gothic elements remained distinctively Florentine, especially the geometric patterns of red, green, and white marble on the building's exterior. Construction of the cathedral began in 1294 on the site of a Christian church founded in the 6th or 7th century and continued until 1436. Several celebrated Italian architects were involved in the project, including Giotto, Arnolfo di Cambio, Andrea Orcagna, and, most notably, Filippo Brunelleschi, who was responsible for designing and building the dome. The cathedral's exterior is ornamented with sculpture and mosaics by Italian artists Donatello, Nanni di Banco, and Domenico Ghirlandaio, among others. The building's stained-glass windows are the work of the Italian architect and artist Lorenzo Ghiberti, and the interior is decorated with sculpture and fresco paintings by several Renaissance masters. Construction of the campanile (bell tower), situated to the right of the entrance to the Duomo, was begun by Giotto and completed according to his plans in 1359, after his death. Nearly 278 ft high, the campanile is embellished with red, green, and white marble panels of relief sculpture by Italian artists Andrea Pisano and Luca della Robbia, and niches with sculpted figures by Donatello and other masters. Facing the cathedral and campanile is a smaller, octagonal structure, the Baptistery of San Giovanni, noted for its gilt-bronze doors, elaborately worked in high relief by Andrea Pisano and Lorenzo Ghiberti. With that background information about the cathedral, one question comes to mind: what is it that makes the Renaissance style distinct? Renaissa...
...y brought in many Greek sources. The Medici's also started the Platonic Academy which supported Renaissance artists by feeding, educating, and providing them with necessities to live. Some of these were well known artists such as Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael. Because of the Medici family Florence became known as the cultural center of Europe and cradle of New Humanism. For a century they maintained total authority in Florence behind the popular forms of a republic.
"Famiglia De Medici: The Extraordinary Story Of The Family That Financed The Renaissance." Business Insider. 6 Dec. 2013. .