Piero di Cosimo de' Medici

Metropolitan Museum of Art, Giovanni di Ser Giovanni Guidi’s 1449 piece, The Triumph of Fame (Desco Da Parto di Lorenzo De’ Medici) stands out as a key work of the time period. Foremost, the subject matter seems to call to attention both a mythologized scene recalling characters of antiquity presiding over the representations of persons who were presumably alive at the time of the commission, all gathered for the birth of the new family heir, Lorenzo De’ Medici. Of equal importance to this is…

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni made contributions that helped make the time period of the 1500’s artfully beautiful. He was never interested in school as a young child and spent his time overseeing painters working at the church and imitating the drawings. His father took notice and believed he had talent, so at the age of 13 he decided to put him into the Florentine painter’s workshop, which he was shown the fresco technique. With just a year at the workshop a chance that most…

Sandro Botticelli was an artist in Florence, Italy. His life lasted from 1445 - May 17, 1510. Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi was Sandro Botticelli’s name at birth, but was later nicknamed Botticelli as he is known by. While he was young he was apprenticed by Fra Filippo Lippi, an artist. At the start of his career as an artist, he would paint frescoes for Florentine churches and cathedrals with another artist. He had a workshop of his own by 1470. After hiring Fra Filippo Lippi’s son, Filippino…

The Medici family ruled the Republic of Florence for a significant portion of the 15th and 16th centuries and they were the most respected of the merchant families of the time. The Medici family were patrons of many famous artists and scholars of Italy and as a result of their patronage the Medici family has become synonymous with the cultural phenomenon of the Italian Renaissance. The Renaissance, beginning in Florence and spreading throughout the rest of Europe, was the rebirth of classical…

was written in Italian rather than the traditional written language for the time; Latin. The book itself explores for the first time modern philosophy and how to be a proper aristocrat (Cunningham). The book was written for, and dedicated to Lorenzo Medici, who at the time was the ruler of Florence. The book focuses on Politics, Warcraft, and how to maintain an image as a ruler. Many scholars have debated whether or not this book is either satire, with its deliberate feel to ridicule tyrannical…

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 Medici…

The statue of David has inspired many renowned artists throughout art history maintaining the continuity of the story of David and Goliath. Four of such artists are Donatello, Verrocchio, and Michelangelo during the Renaissance period; and Bernini in the Baroque period. Each transformation of David is rendered in a distinctly different sculpture of the same subject reflecting each of the artist’s own style and time period in comparison. The inspiration of the subject matter is David; the…

Before I came to Florence, Italy, I used to dream about visiting Milan, Italy. The Reason I wanted to come to Italy was not only Milan is one of the major fashion-cities in the world, but also Italy is famous for the origin of a high-end fashion brand. But my main reason study abroad in Italy was only Milan, honestly, I didn’t even know about Florence that well. After I arrived in Florence, I realized that I was a big frog in a small pond, there were so many inspiring things I have not imagined…

Donatello, the early Italian Renaissance sculptor, was born Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi in Florence, Italy, sometime in 1386. His friends and family gave him the nickname “Donatello.” He was the son of Niccolo di Betto Bardi, a member of the Florentine Wool Combers Guild. Donatello (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…

history of involvement in Florence complex political scene. His mother, Bella degli Abbati, came from a family of wealthy landowners but died a few years later after his birth. His father, Alighiero di Bellincione, whom Dante seemed to have avoid mentioning as much as possible, soon remarried with Lapa di Chiarissimo Cialuffi. His father made his living by money-lending and by renting of properties. Florence, was a rich city-state located on the Arno River and its wealth was growing thanks to…