Lorenzo de' Medici

La Primavera was created for the cousin of Lorenzo the Magnificent, Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici. It could be seen as some sort token of appreciate for being forced into marriage. The original date of this painting is uncertain but has been narrowed down to between 1477 and 1482. It is documented that this painting was hung in the bedroom of the bride Semiramide Appiani. By understand the background of this painting it opens the door for ample interpretation which is pretty beautiful. Almost every figure in the painting represents those who were involved in orchestrating the marriage between Semiramide and Lorenzo. Mercury, son of Jupiter and the nymph Maia, is depicted banishing the winds of winter for the arrival of spring. Lorenzo…

Through acquired wisdom and experience, Niccolo Machiavelli composed an intricately detailed letter to Prince Lorenzo de Medici in order to gain his favor. Comprised of military, leadership, and royalty advice, the letter has served not only as advisement to the addressed, but also to future leaders in the years to come. Free will is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the ability to make choices that are not controlled by fate or God.” Though many interpret Machiavelli’s opinions and viewpoints in…

Caprese, and Francesca di Neri. His mother passed when he was six, leaving his family alone with just their father. The family later moved to Florence, their original home town, and this left Michel to go live with a different family. Michel always had an interest in painting and sculpting. At an early age he was inspired by scholars and sculptures, and it showed in his later work. He was first noticed by an artist named Domenico Ghirlandaio, who was particularly known for his murals. A year…

of ceiling and contains over 300 stunning figures. This breathtaking 65 foot ceiling was completed by Michelangelo all by his self, spending many hours on his back painting. Michelangelo was relentless at guarding the project from others taking a peek till he revealed his finished work on the frescoes on October 31, 1512. After the Frescoes were complete Michelangelo continued to work as an artist however he started focusing more on architectural projects as he started to age. From 1520 to 1527…

took particular interest in the symbolism present during the Renaissance. The Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes publishes research discussing various disciplines, which often emphasises their link to antiquity. This article in particular article gave immense insight into the concept of Neoplatonic thought and the more philosophical interpretation of the Primavera. Gombrich argued that it was Ficino’s letter to Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco and his discussion of mythological figures as…

Niccolo Machiavelli’s gift to Lorenzo de Medici, The Prince, is a discourse discussing politics and how a prince should rule his state. Machiavelli describes his beliefs on the most efficient way for a prince to rule and remain in power and validates his arguments by referencing historical examples and using metaphors. One of the most prominent themes of The Prince is fortune. When speaking of fortune, Machiavelli is referring to luck, fate, or chance. He applies this concept to princes and…

time when Italy was in need of prestige and honorable buildings and in a time were artists no longer had to accommodate to the wishes of the their commissioner but to their own desires. Leonardo Da Vinci born in 1452 as a bastard son, lived with his father in Tuscany where he became the apprentice of Verrocchio, born in 1435 in Florence. Andrea Del Verrocchio was a Florentine sculptor and painter, commissioned by Piero and Lorenzo De’ Medici, rulers of Florence. De’ Medici family was also…

amount of outside beliefs from society which had an impact on the art that was created. One artist in particular who dealt with these ideologies was Alessandro Botticelli. Botticelli was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance who worked under the advocacy of Lorenzo de’ Medici. In his years of working as an artist he has created two paintings which reflects the embodiment of womanly beauty known as Birth of Venus, c. 1484-86 and Primavera, c.1482. Botticelli was a master ahead of his time.…

artist of Lorenzo de Medici, the man in charge of the Tuscan city-state from 1469-1492, allowed him to carry even more influence over his contemporaries than through his paintings alone. During his time under the Medici family’s patronage, he created some of the most cryptic and revolutionary works of art anyone had yet observed. Of these works, the most outstanding to both his fellow sub-Medici Florentines and 20th-21st century art historians and critics is La Primavera. As it was his first…

(1386–1466) A sculptor who revolutionized the art in Florence during the early Renaissance. Born as Donato di Niccolo Bardi, he was an apprentice in the workshop of Lorenzo Ghiberti, and assisted Ghiberti in creating the famous bronze doors of the Baptistry of Florence. December 13, 1466 By 1455, Donatello had returned to Florence and completed Magdalene Penitent, a statue of a gaunt-looking Mary Magdalene. Commissioned by the convent at Santa Maria di Cestello, the work was probably intended…