Medici played a significant role not only in politics, but also in the cultural life of Europe of their time. Like other wealthy and influential people, they ordered a work of art for the greater glory of themselves, their family, of the city and God. Under the influence of the new ideas of the Renaissance, Medici saw in the artists not only artisans. They were interested not only on a beautiful pieces and its content, but also on its creator. Not by chance, as an example of Renaissance patron relationship to the artist, Cosimo the Elder quoted words of Filippo Lippi. Monk of Carmines, painter gave a lot of trouble by his behavior, numerous love stories, particularly seducing Model-nun posing for him. Medici allegedly spoke about Lippi with a deep understanding, claiming that should be lenient to the antics of such people like him, because they "are not pack donkeys". History of Lippi is a perfect example of how patron like Medici dealt. Cosimo did not limit by ordering individual paintings and financial support of the painter, he provided his full protection - for example, made consent from Pope Pius for permission of the monastic vows of Lippi and his mistress, so they could marry.
He was the first of the famous patrons of the Medici. Not being an intellectual, he was an active supporter of artists and scientists. Among them were, besides the already mentioned Filippo Lippi, sculptor Donatello and architect Michelozzo. The most famous statue by Donatello, created by order of the Medici, "David", is the first sculpture of a naked body in Europe since antiquity. Michelozzo in 1434-1444 years also built the Palazzo Medici - the family residence of the Medici in Florence. Cosimo the Elder chose the younger and less known architect Michelozzo to famous Brunelleschi, as considered his project unnecessarily luxurious. Palazzo Medici, the first secular building in the Renaissance style - it is an urban fortress, strict outside, but luxury inside. Particularly impressive is the courtyard - a veritable museum of sculpture. Cosimo the Elder kept busy building in Florence (Convent of San Marco and Santa Verdiano, the church of San Lorenzo) and outside (the restoration of the Italian college in Paris, a hospital for pilgrims in Jerusalem). Michelozzo built a library building in the monastery of San Marco. Cosimo commissioned works of art and other artists, such as painter Angelico (frescoes in the monastery of San Marco). Creator of the family power was an avid collector. He was interested mainly in medal and jewelry. By the time of the death of the Duke, his collection was estimated at 28,423 florins, not counting the silverware.
His descendant, Lorenzo the Magnificent, not only actively supported the philosophers and artists, but he himself was engaged in poetry and organized jousting tournaments featuring poets. One of them was Angelo Ambrogini (Poliziano). Lorenzo gave him a studio and a house in a suburb, later appointed tutor of his sons. Poliziano was Lorenzo companion at table and on the hunt, and together they wrote poetry. Lorenzo himself, in contrast to the religious communities, Signori and competing families, ordered not many works of architecture and painting. But he was a passionate lover of decorative arts and collected during his life more than 200 gold medals, 1000 in silver , 60 intaglios and many vases. He patronized medalists, including sculptors, painters, like Andrea del Verrocchio, master of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Pietro Perugino. Perhaps in his studio studied also Sandro Botticelli, author of many paintings, created by order of the Medici, such as the "Adoration of the Magi" in the church of Santa Maria Novella, which in the form of the Magi and other figures depicted members of the family - Cosimo the Elder, his son Piero , Lorenzo the Magnificent and others. Botticelli was a favorite artist Lorenzo, who almost twenty years gives him orders and to create conditions for work. The most significant architectural order of the Duke was created in antique style villa at Poggio a Caiano, and of painting frescoes by Botticelli, Filippo Lippi, Perugino and Domenico Bigordi at Villa Spedaletto. He also supported projects of churches and city organizations. Many researchers claim that approximately 1490 Lorenzo created in the palace garden, decorated with antique sculptures, a kind of Academy of Fine Arts under the direction of the custodian Berthold. It is now believed that Berthold only monitored the status of the personal collection of the Duke and his assistants, in particular Michelangelo, simultaneously mastering new skills. Lorenzo the Magnificent was instrumental in spreading the Florentine style throughout Italy. His entourage of artists he directed to the right people. For example, Leonardo da Vinci made a personally silver lyre, with which went in 1482 to Ludovico Sforza in Milan, to strengthen the just concluded two rulers. Court of Duke Cosimo the First is considered to be a major source of Mannerism. His favorite was a court painter Bronzino, and from 1555 year - Giorgio Vasari, who, in particular, oversaw the renovation of the Palazzo Vecchio, the Florentine town hall. In the field of sculpture and decorative arts for the favor of Cosimo I rivaled Baccio Bandinelli and Benvenuto Cellini. Work in the Palazzo Vecchio continued with Francesca I. After he left the throne, decorated with paintings of several artists, including Francesca Allori ("Pearl Fishers"), and sculptures by Giambologna ("Apollo"), whose best-known work, "The Rape of Sabine women" (1572 1584), was established by order of Francesca I. During Cosimo I to the Medici family moved to Florence Palazzo Pitti, its construction are completed under the direction of Giorgio Vasari. Cosimo also instructed Vasari building, originally intended for officials, and from the time of Francesca 1 and up to now it houses the famous collection of art - the Uffizi Gallery. Francesca 1 was the founder of the theater in Florence, and support activities of the Florentine Accademia della Crusca linguistic scientific society. The Golden Age of Pap patrons. The pontificate of Leo X was the golden age of the Roman Renaissance. By luxurious court Pope humanist flocked to the most outstanding artists and scientists. Without considering the costs, Leo X continued to work in the Basilica of St. Peter, invited here by Michelangelo and Raphael. Rafael favorite artist Pope also did murals in his private dining room. Patronage of the Pope was not limited to Rome. In Florence, the Pope commissioned Michelangelo to build a new facade of the church San Lorenzo and creating sculptures for funeral Medici Chapels (unfinished). In order to strengthen ties with the king of France, the Pope sent him a gift of a gold cross worth 15,000 ducats, a copy of the ancient sculpture of Laocoön, two paintings by Raphael - "Saint Michael" and "The Holy Family".
Women of the Medici family, getting married, brought to the home of their husbands family tradition of philanthropy. An example is Catherine de Medici, wife of the king of France Henry 11 Valois. The fruit of her efforts was thirty heyday of the late French Renaissance. At this time, developed the French school portrait, presented, in particular, Jean Clouet and his son Francois. Catherine was actively engaged in the erection of new buildings. With her name is associated with the construction of the chapel in the abbey Valois Sei-Denis with a monumental tomb of Henry 11, the Tuileries Palace in Paris, and many other facilities. Writers associated with the court of Catherine, included in the group "Pleiad". The Queen was interested in music and ballet. At her court court ballet was born, the forerunner of modern ballet. But the most famous protégé Catherine was her personal adviser, physician and astrologer, Michel de Notre Dame, known as Nostradamus - say that he predicted the death of the queen of her husband and children. The main achievement of the Medici next to the French throne, Mary, the second wife of Henry IV of Bourbon, is the construction of the Luxembourg Palace in Paris in 1610-1630s. Residence of the Queen was stylized Florentine Palazzo Pitti, to remind her childhood Mary. Among the decorations of the palace occupied the main place in 1621 ordered a series of paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, known as "The History of Marie de Medici." The paintings allegorical scenes from the life of Mary and her husband. It was the largest single order Rubens. This series of paintings was the most brilliant illustration of the art of government in the history of painting.
Favorite scientists. Representatives of the Medici patronized not only artists, but also scientists. Cosimo the Elder in 1451 instructed the son of his court physician philosopher Marsilio Ficino to translate and comment on the works of Plato. Thus was born the passion Ficino ancient philosophy. In 1459 there was the so-called Plato Academy - a society of scientists humanists who gathered at the villa at Careggi near Florence. The villa was donated by Cosimo the Elder Ficino, who was called the new Plato. Neoplatonism later became something of the official doctrine of the Medici. Cosimo previously considered the founder of the formal academy, but now researchers believe that it is limited to providing the villa and financing its activities. Lorenzo the Magnificent knew Greek and Latin, was an intellectual, a connoisseur of art and literature. Personally involved in philosophical discussions of Plato's Academy. Academy members - Ficino, Poliziano, Greek Halkokondil, publisher of Homer, and Pico della Miraidola - included in the inner circle of the Duke. Lorenzo successfully defended against the attacks Miraidolu Pope Innocent VIII, who accused him of heresy. In addition, the Duke sent to Greece a group of philologists, who brought him 80 new manuscripts. Science supported and Pope Leo X. In 1513 he reformed the University of Rome, invited there eminent scientists such as Ian Greek Lascaris, who worked previously at the court of Lorenzo the Magnificent. Leo X also founded the first Roman printer of books in Greek. And the first book in Rome in Arabic printed in a printing house of the Medici in 1584, founded by Cardinal Ferdinando de 'Medici, Duke of Tuscany in the future, at the request of Pope Gregory XIII. With the patronage of the Medici also connected one of the great astronomical discoveries. In 1610, Galileo published a short treatise «Sideraeus nuncius», which reported the results of their observations of the sky with a new invention - the telescope. The most important was the fact that he was able to see the four largest moons of Jupiter. It was the first new celestial bodies discovered since ancient times. The discovery of celestial bodies orbiting other objects, in addition to the Sun and the Earth was a true revolution. It undermines one of the foundations of the Ptolemaic geocentric system and at the same time proved that with a telescope on the heavens can see more objects than the naked eye. Galileo made his discovery, teaching at the University of Padua, but he dreamed of returning to his native Florence, sought support from the Duke Cosimo de 'Medici 11, who once taught mathematics. In the name of the glorification of the Medici family, Galileo proposed to name new objects Medici moons. Name caught on and today satellites called moons of Galilee. After the death of scientist Duke Ferdinand of Tuscany was going to bury it in the church of Santa Croce in Florence, but abandoned his intentions because of the protest of Pope Urban VIII.
Cosimo the Elder shared interest in contemporary humanists to the book. One of them, Niccolo Niccoli, Duke helped pay for the purchase of manuscripts for his collection. Niccolo first meeting intended to make available to the general public, but in the end bequeathed his Medici. This marked the beginning of the personal library of the Medici. Cosimo instructed his architect Michelozzo to build for her a beautiful building in the Florentine monastery of San Marco, so it became known as the Marciana Library. Cosimo collected manuscripts and ancient authors. During the Council of Florence in 1439, when the city in connection with plans for the creation of Union of Eastern and Western Churches came a large delegation of Greek scholars, scribes Vespasian da Bistichi together with a group of 45 enumerators in very short time (less than two years) was commissioned by Cosimo whole 200 copies of the Greek codes. After the expulsion of the Medici from Florence in 1494, the library had been confiscated by the city authorities. Later, Giovanni de 'Medici, who became Pope Leo X, had to buy a meeting and take him to Rome. His successor Clement VII in 1524 moved back to the book collection in Florence and commissioned Michelangelo to build a decent building in the ensemble of the monastery of San Lorenzo. Hence the name - Laurentian Library. After 1534 the structure of Mannerist ending with whether the project Michelangelo other outstanding Architects. The new library, available to everyone, became the first European public library. Open in 1571, the building is considered to be the pearl of the architecture of the late Renaissance. Before survived designed by Michelangelo reading room where manuscripts were not on the shelves, and were chained to a lectern. Currently, Laurentian Library has more than 11,100 manuscripts, papyri in 2500 and 120 thousands of early printed books. Great Leonardo. "The gifts of heaven descend on people in a natural way, but in a supernatural way they are joined together in one person with beauty, charm and talent. His contemporaries saw it all in the personality of Leonardo da Vinci, who along with exceptional beauty had a talent in all areas," - wrote Vasari . Lorenzo the Magnificent, constantly communicate with the teacher Verrocchio Leonardo was immediately fascinated by the extraordinary talent of the boy and became his patron. For example, saved him in 1476 on charges of sodomy. In addition, Leonardo some time lived in the Palazzo Medici. Probably on the advice of Botticelli Leonardo Lorenzo received from one of the first significant orders. Medici wished to refresh Botticelli fresco on the wall near the Piazza della Signoria, depicting the events related to the so-called conspiracy of the Pazzi, who was sentenced to death for the assassination of the Medici in 1479. Another major order Leonardo, already on the recommendation of the Lorenzo, was the altarpiece "The Adoration of the Magi" for the now defunct church of San Donato in Scopeti. Commissioned in 1481 the work was never completed. Leonardo many times returned to it, always changing something.
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Machiavelli, Niccolo, and W. K. Marriott. Florentine History,. London: J.M. Dent &;, 1909. Print.
Strathern, Paul. The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance. London: Jonathan Cape, 2003. Print.
Hibbert, Christopher. The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall. New York: Morrow, 1975. Print.
Mallett, Michael Edward. Lorenzo the Magnificent: Culture and Politics. London: Warburg Institute, U of London, 1996. Print.
