Lorenzo de' Medici, detail from Procession of the Magi, fresco by Benozzo Gozzoli, 1459; in the Medici-Riccardi Palace, Florence. (more) What could possibly be so valuable about the picture? As friends and clients are slaughtered around her, Luciana turns to the one man who has never desired her beauty, novice librarian Brother Guido. Fleeing Venice together, Luciana and Guido race through the nine cities of Renaissance Italy, pursued by ruthless foes who are determined to keep them from decoding the painting’s secrets.

Their influence had declined by the late 14th century, however, when Salvestro de Medici (then serving as gonfaliere, or standard bearer, of Florence) was banished from the city in 1382 due to his oppressive policies and was forced to live in exile. Cosimo de Medici The book started off wonderfully. I was truly gripped by the prologue, detailing the siege mentioned above and how it progressed. This set up extraordinary hopes, which honestly weren't quite fulfilled by what came next.But for others, the simple recitation of the Medici family's history in Florence might seem almost aimless, for there's no attempt by Mary Hollingsworth to draw any grand conclusions about history, or the Renaissance, or art patronage. "The Family Medici" is the story of this fascinating Italian family's journey through the complex politics and ugly realities of medieval life, and Hollingsworth does nothing to gloss over the less

In general, the later Medici line renounced the older generation’s republican sympathies and established more authoritarian rule, a change that produced stability in Florence and Tuscany, but led to the region’s decline as a cultural hub.Although Botticelli painted numerous religious subjects and some portraits, he’s best known for his mythological subjects. These include his masterpieces Primavera, Birth of Venus,and Venus and Mars(which, as mentioned, appears in Medici). For those who haven’t watched the series or read the book, I would highly recommend that you combine. The book provides more detail than the series, particularly around the events in Europe and the rest of Italy, but the televised series brings the characters to life in a way a history book will not, and what a great cast they were. Born in Florence around 1445 (the exact date is unknown), Botticelli belonged to the Florentine school of painters under the patronage of Lorenzo de’ Medici. Botticelli appears in Season 2 of Medicias a friend of Lorenzo’s and plays a fairly significant role in some episodes. Botticelli lived all his life in the neighborhood in Florence that he grew up in, only leaving Florence to paint in Pisa in 1474 and in the Sistine Chapel in Rome in 1481-82. Compared to the High Renaissance style attributed to painters such as Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli’s style appears to be from an earlier time. However, Botticelli was seven years older than da Vinci and has been described as an “outsider in the mainstream of Italian painting.” My favorite Italian artists are from the 14th century (Lorenzetti, Martini, Giotto), but if I had to choose a fave from the 15th century, Botticelli would win hands down.