The Medici and their Artists

The Medici family, initially led by Cosimo de’ Medici in the early 1400s, wielded immense economic and political power in Florence and beyond. Their patronage extended across architecture, sculpture, painting, and the humanist scholarship that defined Renaissance culture. For the Medici, art was more than personal collections and the projection of cultural superiority; it was also a vital instrument for expressing civic pride allied with dominance, religious devotion, and projecting the legitimacy of their rule.  Cosimo de’ Medici, in particular, cultivated relationships with artists whose works adorned both private spaces and public institutions. The Medici’s support was not limited to secular commissions and their own spaces; they played a crucial role in sponsoring religious art and confraternities, which in turn cultivated their reputation as pious Christians and benefactors of Florence and eventually keepers of the Papal purse.