The Medici Family Their Patronage of the Arts and the Rise of Florence

The Medici Family

• Their Patronage of the Arts and the Rise of Florence

Pre-Medici Florence - Territory

• At the end of the 14th century, Florence was ruled by a merchantile elite.

• Costly, continuous wars enlarged the territory of the city-state by conquering Arezzo, Cortona, Prate, Pistoia and Pisa.

• Pisa’s ports made the Republic of Florence a sea power and major economic power of the West

Family Tree

Beginnings of Medici Power

• Giovanni di Bicci de’Medici

• First of the famous ruling Medici’s and considered founder of Medici family fortune
• Giovanni is considered to be the first prominent patron of the arts
• Giovanni was a leader not concerned with politics, but rather the family fortune and the arts
• Giovanni died in 1429 and his son Cosimo became head of the Medici family

Church of San Lorenzo

• In the 1420’s Giovanni di Bicci and Cosimo commissioned Brunelleschi to do extensive renovation, and it became the first church since Roman times to use the classical style.

• Attached to the church is the Laurentain Library which houses the Medici library.

• The Church also houses Michelangelo's famous Medici tomb

Rise of Cosimo de’Medici

• Became head of powerful family bank, and amassed a fortune because he became banker to the pope, and his bank also spread to all the important financial markets throughout Europe.

• Cosimo was very interested in a rebirth of classical ideas and even went so far as to recreate Plato’s ancient academy in Carregi.

• Cosimo was also a very religious man and much of his patronage of the arts was rooted in his religious fervor.

• Cosimo spent a considerable portion of his wealth on the arts

• Amassed the largest library in Europe
• Supported artists such as Ghiberti, Brunellechi, Donatello, Alberti, Fra Angelico, and Ucello

• Florence became cultural center of Europe

Artists Commissioned by Cosimo

Fall of Cosimo de’Medici

• Political career in shambles after Florence’s unsuccessful campaign against Lucca

• Campaign engineered by Brunelleschi to flood city of Lucca, containing water with giant dam
• Plan backfired when dam broke and flooded camps of Florence as well

• In September 1433, Cosimo was imprisoned on charges of plotting to overthrow the government

• Cosimo was then banished to Venice, resulting in the loss of Brunelleschi’s most powerful patron

Lorenzo de’Medici

• Grandson of Cosimo

• Lorenzo, know also as Lorenzo the Magnificent, was is said to be the most brilliant of the Medici

• Lorenzo was also respected as a very talented Latin poet, and like his family members was very interested in texts of antiquity

• Lorenzo is considered to be the greatest patron of the arts

• Commissioned such artists and musicians as Michelangelo,Botticelli and Verrocchio
• Reasons for this patronage included genuine interest, continuing family tradition, and political motives
• Lorenzo even discovered the talented Michelangelo when the artist was only 15 years old

Political Ties to Art

• Lorenzo commissioned several French musicians for papal music

• Although did have genuine interest in music, reason for gaining the services of French musicians mainly a political move to enhance relations with France

• His influence encouraging experimentation in music led to the development of the early madrigal

Decline of the Patronage

• Lorenzo died in 1492, at the moment that a new historical era was beginning (King Charles VIII was about to great chaos on the Italian peninsula)

• Lorenzo was succeeded by the fervent leader, Savonarola who was a strong believer in aestheticism