The Medici

Name: The Medici
Brand: Unknown
SKU: 9781588397300
Price: 119.99 NZD
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Portraits and Politics, 1512-1570

By Keith Christiansen and Carlo Falciani

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Summary

The Medici examines how portraiture in Renaissance Florence reflected the politics, patronage, and power wielded by the Medici family, particularly under Cosimo I de’ Medici. Highlighting the transformation of Florence into a dynastic duchy, the book explores how artists like Jacopo Pontormo, Agnolo Bronzino, and Benvenuto Cellini created portraits that expressed character, social status, and cultural ambition. Featuring over ninety artworks, this volume offers a rich discussion of Florentine portraiture’s pivotal role during the sixteenth century.
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Format: Hardback

$119⁹⁹

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The Medici

$119⁹⁹

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers interested in Renaissance art, Italian history, and the dynamics of power in cultural patronage. Suitable for art historians, students, and anyone fascinated by Florence’s artistic heritage.

Portraits, an inherently personal subject, provide an engaging entry point to an exploration of the politics, patronage, and power in Renaissance Florence

Description

Portraits, an inherently personal subject, provide an engaging entry point to an exploration of the politics, patronage, and power in Renaissance Florence.

The Medici family ruled Florence without interruption between 1434 and 1494, but following their return to power in 1512, Cosimo I de’ Medici demonstrated an unprecedented ability to wield culture as a political tool. His rule transformed Florence into a dynastic duchy and gave Florentine art the central position it has held ever since.

As Florence underwent these dramatic political transformations in the sixteenth century, portraits became an essential means of recording a likeness and conveying a sitter’s character, social position, and cultural ambitions. This fascinating book explores the ways that painters, including Jacopo Pontormo, Agnolo Bronzino, and Francesco Salviati, as well as sculptors like Benvenuto Cellini, and artists in other media endowed their works with an erudite and self-consciously stylish character that distinguished Florentine portraiture.

Featuring more than ninety remarkable paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and medals, The Medici is written by a team of leading international authors and presents a sweeping, penetrating exploration of a crucial and vibrant period in Italian art.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised as "cogent and illuminating" by the Washington Post, the catalogue is celebrated for its beautiful design and extensive colour reproductions. It provides an intellectually intriguing yet accessible exploration of Medici Florence, described as "excellent" by Apollo and a "superb catalogue" by the Burlington Magazine. Reviews highlight its detailed scholarship on patronage and ambition, bringing the vibrant cultural and political world of the period to life.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781588397300

Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 22 June 2021

Country: United States

Imprint: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Illustration: 212 color illus.

Contributors:

Contributions by Elizabeth Cropper
Contributions by Davide Gasparotto
Contributions by Sefy Hendler
Contributions by Antonella Fenech Kroke
Contributions by Tommaso Mozzati
Contributions by Elizabeth Pilliod
Contributions by Julia Siemon

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 229.0mm

Height: 279.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 328

Collections

Arts & Culture Carlo Falciani Keith Christiansen Non-Fiction

About the Author

Keith Christiansen is the John Pope-Hennessy Chairman of the Department of European Paintings at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Carlo Falciani is professor of art history at the Accademia di Belle Arti, Florence.