Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Lorenzo's City

Recently, I wanted to know more about one of the most famous Florentines, loved, hated, and feared, but whose loyalty to his home town was rarely questioned. Lorenzo de' Medici was a statesman who above all knew his duty to the Republic of Florence and to the Medici name, and throughout his short life not only succeeded in mapping conquerors out of the city, but prevented all-out war in the Italian peninsula. His methods were both diplomatic and ruthless, by today's standards, sometimes savage. Lorenzo however had a passion for philosophy, for art, literature, music, and dance; he is well-known as a great patron of artists whose means of survival depended entirely on wealthy and powerful supporters such as himself. What may be less know is that Lorenzo himself had a gift for poetry, and met frequently with the great minds of the day to converse about art and philosophy. He included many artists among his friends.

In the Palazzo Vecchio, which although is right next to the galleries of the Uffizi, I had never visited before, there are rooms dedicated to the Medici family members Cosimo the Elder, Lorenzo the Magnificent, his father Piero, and his son, the future Pope Leo X. These rooms are decorated with scenes from their lives. In the photos I have included below, the first is a scene of one of Lorenzo's most courageous diplomatic missions, to intercede with the ruthless and fickle King Ferrante of Naples in order to prevent Neapolitan support of a papal attack on Florence. In the second, a more relaxed and decidedly happier-looking Lorenzo is dining with a circle of talented and brilliant friends.

As I gazed at the frescos and paintings in these rooms, I realized that I may have admired them even without knowing the stories; but having read about the Medici family, I felt that I was "reading" the rooms like an illustrated text. Even the cameo of Lorenzo's brother Giuliano below the second picture of Lorenzo I have described had a particular significance. Before his murder at the hands of the Pazzi, Riario and the other conspirators, Giuliano too was a part of those intellectual gatherings. I felt fortunate to be able to see art in that intimate connection to history; I'm sure art historians take this for granted, but for me it was a revelation.

The Medici coat-of-arms is ubiquitous in the palace: six red balls in an inverted triangle. Hmmm...somewhat phallic. The role of women in 15th Century Florence was restrained.
Lorenzo interceding with Ferrante of Naples


 
Lorenzo in discussion with his intellectual circle
Giuliano dei Medici


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