The Medici appeared as the first important bourgeoisie family, which supported the artists, writers and philosophers, in the history. However, we cannot consider the Medici as another ordinary bourgeoisies lived at the same time with them because their fortune and political power could not be compared with other bankers, merchants and higher classes of the society. The beginning of their dynasty accelerated the Italian Renaissance, especially in Florence. During the reign of Cosmo and Lorenzo de’ Medici, the Republic of Florence was transformed into the center of finance and trade of the world and also many of the most significant examples of the arts of classical antiquity like architecture and sculpture were generated under the patronage of the Medici family. In addition to these developments, new art forms like oil painting acquired importance and appreciation.Although the renaissance or ‘reborn’ spirit had started to be generated in Italy before the Medici, their impact and influence on the era cannot be underestimated.
The Rise of the Medici family
The ideals and works of the Italian Renaissance first began to be formed throughout the states of Northern Italy in the late fourteenth century. However, the flow of the Renaissance changed completely when a banker family , known as the Medici, came to power in Florence. The first significant member of the family was Giovanni di Bicci de’ Medici, who established the Medici Bank in 1397. In addition, the roots of the family can be traced back to 1201, when Chiarissimo de’ Medici was a member of the Communal Council.
Politics in Florence was like the battlefield of wealth families and factions such as the Ricci, Albizzi, Medici, Pazzi,...
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...orence, September, 23, 1389. He received a good education based on Latin, logic and arithmetic, and enriched his knowledge of Greek by taking lessons from Roberto de’ Rossi. According to Will Durant, ‘he had a smattering of Arabic and Hebrew.’ By inspring his lesson , Cosmo started to collect manuscripts and books written in Greek and Latin and planned to go to the Holy Land to improve his collection by finding new manuscripts. His interest on the arts and letters led him to be the patron and protector of the artists. His patronage that came with wealth forms one of the major milestones in the revival of antiquity and the beginning of renaissance.
With the coming to power of Cosmo de’ Medici in 1434, Florance became a capital for most of the genius of the time including artists, sculptures and men of letters looking for the partonage of the Medici.
“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...
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 House of Medici, or the Medici family, was a very influential and extremely powerful family during the time of the Renaissance in Italy. The Renaissance took place starting in the late 14th century. During this time, the people started to take interest in and have an appreciation for the classical times. The beginning of this powerful family really begins with Giovanni di Bicci deˈ Medici. He was born in the year 1360 in Florence, Italy. Originally from the Tuscan hillside, the Medici family immigrated to Florence during the 12th century. Giovanni di Bicci deˈ Medici was the man who really got the family moving. He founded the Medici Bank and began using money to gain influence. The Medici Bank eventually became the official bank of the Papacy in the early 15th century. Giovanni had political power, but not through political office; he used his money and wealth to encourage and influence the politicians of Florence. Giovanni was well liked by the people because of his influence for tax reform. Giovanni had a son named Cosimo de Medici in 1389. Using the family wealth, Cosimo set ...
As stated above, the overall goal of these experiments is to better understand the inhibition of EBV from the latent to the lytic phase, as caused by Clozapine. Experiments will be performed using many different cell culture lines, two of which are HH514-15 and B95-8. The HH514-16 Burkitt lymphoma B cell line is a human tumor cell line; a subclone of the P3J-HR1K Burkitt lymphoma cell line. The B95-8 cell line is a primate cell line, infected with EBV. Cells are cultured in RPMI 1640 containing 8% fetal bovine serum, penicillin, streptomycin, and amphotericin. The cells will be grown at 37℃ under 5% carbon dioxide. Quality and quantity of cells will be measured using a hemocytometer, by counting the number of alive and dead cells under a microscope and also noting shape, size, and arrangement.
Lorenzo De Medici can be considered as one of the most influential men of the 13th century. His work in political affairs and administration were renowned in all Italy and his family could count on him in every aspect. Lorenzo was also a promoter of a new period called Renaissance. He was one of the first “mecenate” to explore this new way of art. In this project, I will concentrate how he developed art in Florence, giving a clear example through an Artist of that period that was working for him: Sandro Botticelli. His work “The Spring” is a well-defined example of what we can call “art in the Renaissance”, in particular for the Italian Renaissance.
As the years progress, many historians have come up with their own conclusions and thoughts on the paintings, adding to the complexity of paintings’ meanings. One opinion that I used was the online article "The Special Case of the Medici: Experts in Self-Promotion,” which is a source in association with the National Gallery of Art, and the purpose of this article was to inform of the different ways the Medici Family used art during the Renaissance to promote themselves among the city of Florence. The source includes opinions of Artistotle; Vespasiano da Bisticc, a librarian of the early Renaissance period; and close friends of the Medici family, such as Poliziano. This article was useful in understanding the history of the Medici family and
Viruses are genetic elements enclosed in protein. Although some consider them to be non-living, viruses are important biological entities because they have the capability of producing disease (Raven, 2010). One of the most common viruses in humans is the Epstein- Barr virus or abbreviated (EBV). Throughout this essay, the biology of the Epstein-Barr virus will be examined by discussing characteristics that are associated with this virus such as the process of infection and entry, viral replication, and consequences to the host cell.
In the article “Conditions of Trade,” 1 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,” as money, he states, plays an important role in the history of art. In contrast to our current perceptions of the relationship between the artist and art, “in which painters paint what they think best, and then look around for a buyer” the author examines how the content and form of these paintings were, determined by the customers. He states that the artists and clients were interconnected as specified in the legal agreements of subject matter, payment scheme and the quality and quantity of colours, through the conditions of the artist’s painting style. He not only looks at the explanation of the style of painting that reflected 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, material visual practices, and the concept of the Renaissance period overlooking art as an institution. Baxandall observes Renaissance paintings also relate to the clients’ motives through such ways as possession, self-commemoration, civic consciousness, and self-advertisement. The author considers discussions 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 fifteenth century art through the concepts used by contemporary critics of th...
In the article “Conditions of Trade,” Michael Baxandall explains the interaction serving of both fifteenth- century Italian painting and text on how the interpretation of social history from the style of pictures in a historical period, pre-eminently examine the early Renaissance painting. Baxandall looks not only on the explanation of how the style of painting is reflected in a society, but also engages in the visual skills and habits that develop out of daily life. The author examines the central focus on markets, material visual practices, and the concept of the Renaissance period overlooking art as an institution. He observes a Renaissance painting, which relate the experience of activities such as preaching, dancing, and assessing. The author considers discussions 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 concepts used in contemporary critic of the painting, and in the assembled basic equipment needed to discover the fifteenth- century art. Therefore this introductory to the fifteenth- century Italian painting and arise behind the social history, argues that the two are interconnected and that the conditions of the time helped shape the distinctive elements in the artists painting style. Through the institutional authorization Baxandall looks at integration in social, cultural and visual evaluation in a way that shows not only the visual art in social construction, but how it plays a major role in social orders in many ways, from interaction to larger social structural orders.
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 objective of this essay is to provide an explanation of Leonardo da Vinci’s life and work as an artist in context with his time spent in Milan. Following an initial introduction to Leonardo’s formative years in Florence (and his apprenticeship to the sculptor and painter Andrea del Verrocchio, 1435-88), I will attempt to explain the significance of his presence in Milan with detailed descriptions of his work there. Giorgio Vasari (1511-74) was also an artist and architect, but is perhaps better known for his book on the lives of well known painters, sculptors and architects (published 1550; from Cimbue to his autobiography which was included in a revised edition):
Throughout the 15th and 16th century Florence was ruled almost completely by a powerful family known as the Medici that was the first family to gain control not through war, marriage or inheritance but commerce. Beginning with Giovanni di Bicci de’ Medici (1360-1429) in the 1300’s we see the first growth of the families wealth, Giovanni invests large amounts of his money made through the foundation of the Medici bank into political interests that begins the Medici’s rise to power. From this time on there is a succession of leaders from the family the most notable being Cosimo (1389-1464) who with the help of his father Giovanni began their ever growing political strength while maintaining their status as private citizens. Cosimo is succeeded by his son Piero the gouty (1416-1469) and him by Lorenzo the magnificent (1449-1492). Unlike
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.
...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. .