Maddelena, Lorenzo's favorite daughter

"Historians believe Maddalena de’ Medici, born in Florence on 25 July 1473, was Lorenzo il Magnifico’s favourite daughter. Her marriage to Franceschetto Cybo, the son of Pope Innocent VIII, was a vitally important development for this noble Florentine house. Lorenzo’s prestige grew and, furthermore, he was able to better cultivate his relations with the Pope. This marriage also paved the way for his second son, Giovanni, who was to assume the papal office as Leo X. Maddalena received this work, a small exquisitely adorned and bound book of prayers − now a part of the Rothschild   collection at Waddesdon Manor in England − as a wedding gift. (see post of Aug 24, 2013)  Of the codices commissioned for his daughters, this work was the finest and most richly adorned. The original binding went missing hundreds of years ago. Franco Cosimo Panini Editore therefore conducted in-depth historical and philological research to do the impossible: painstakingly reconstruct the binding as it was, down to the very last detail! An extraordinary tribute to Maddalena de’ Medici has thus been revived." (from http://www.oremedici.it/en/the-manuscript/

Lorenzo had these Books of Hours made . . .

. . . for his three daughters as wedding gifts.  'The first of these works - commissioned about 1485, and now to be found in Monaco - he gave to Lucrezia, who married Jacopo Salviati.  The second, now at the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana library, was for Luisa, the betrothed of Giovanni di Pierfanncesco de' Medici (she died before the day of the wedding).  The third was a wedding gift for Maddalena, the bride of Count Franceschetto Cybo, the illegitimate son of Pope Innocent VIII.  These three Offizioli (or breviaries) are a touching tribute from a loving father - one of the most powerful men of the period of the Renaissance - to his three very young daughters."(from  http://www.oremedici.it/en/the-manuscript).

Another Botticelli Beauty--Minerva and the Centaur

As I mentioned in the last post (March 21, 2013--sorry for the gap), Lorenzo traveled to Naples to convince King Ferdinand "that a large and potent pontifical state would irremediably alter the already fragile equilibrium amount Italian states." (The Medici, Story of a European Dynasty,by Franco Cesati).

Botticelli's "Minerva and the Centaur," commissioned around 1485 by/for a minor branch of the Medici family, has been interpreted as an allegory of Lorenzo's success with King Ferdinand.   Not coincidentally, the Gulf of Naples can be made out in the background, while the goddess's cloak is studded with the three interlocking Medicean rings.  (Source:  The Medici, by Cesati)

This painting is in the Uffizi, where it is listed as "Pallas and the Centaur."

For an interesting read on the significance of the Roman goddess Minerva (also known as the Greek goddess Pallas Athena) go to this web-site:  http://library.thinkquest.org/17709/people/athena.htm.  For further reading, and other interpretations, visit this web-site:  http://www.palazzo-medici.it/mediateca/en/Scheda_Sandro_Botticelli,_Pallade_e_il_centauro_(1482-1485_circa)

"The Botticelli Secret" . . .

. . . a novel written by Marina Fioroto, is a story about "secrets" embedded in Botticelli's famous painting.  The painting tells, in allegory, the story of a sinister high-level conspiracy among the rulers of the Italian city-states at the end of the 15th century.  A fascinating book on many levels, and one I can't wait to re-read.  It's sitting in my "library" in Florence, and I will re-visit it soon.

In the years following the Pazzi Conspiracy, there was a fragile peace established amongst the major Italian city-states, which were Florence, Venice, Milan, Naples and Rome.  Much of Lorenzo's time and attention was spent keeping the powers balanced.  He even traveled to Naples to negotiate with King Ferdinand directly, knowing full well that at any time the King could have turned him over to his enemy the Pope, had the King been so inclined.

In any event, today is an appropriate day to contemplate "The Primavera," or "Spring."

In the meanwhile, Sandro Botticelli . . .

. . . was painting the "Primavera," which today hangs in the Uffizi.  The patronage and meaning of the painting are shrouded in mystery and speculation.  It most likely was commissioned by one of the Medici, perhaps Lorenzo himself, or by his cousin, Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de Medici.  Whatever its origin and history, by 1499 it was included in an inventory of the possessions of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco.

     There are many fascinating aspects to the painting, including that there are around 500 different plant species, of which 130 have been specifically named, according to Gloria Fossi, in her 1998 book.

     The painting has been in the Uffizi since 1919, except during WWII when it was removed to a castle about ten miles south of Florence, to protect it from war time bombing.

     The painting has darkened considerably just since I have been going to visit it.  In 2002, when I first saw it,  the colors were quite brilliant.  Sadly, these days I skip the Botticelli rooms altogether, as it breaks my heart to see how dark and dingy so many of the paintings have become.  According to my research, the last time this painting was restored was 1982.  Unfortunately, it needs to be done again.  The next time I am in the office of Amici deli Uffizi (to buy my museum pass), I will ask if there are any plans.

Who were the Duke and Duchess of Ferrara?

So, who were the Duke and Duchess of Ferrara, so important that Lorenzo would write to each, individually, immediately after the death of his beloved mother Lucrezia?  And where is Ferrara?

Ferrera, in the province of Emilia-Romagna, today is a one hour train ride north from Florence.  It's a well preserved walled medieval city, with many 15th and 16th century palazzos, as well as a Romanesque cathedral (pictured above).

Back in Lorenzo's day, the Duke of Ferrara, Ercole I d'Este, was an important ally during the Pazzi War (the aftermath to the Conspiracy).

"The Duchess of Ferrara, Eleanora d'Aragona, has a special place in the history of patronage in the Renaissance period because of the notable amount, quality, and innovative subject matter of the works she sponsored.  She came to Ferrara from Naples in 1473 at the time of her marriage to the Ferrarese ruler, Duke Ercole I d'Este, and became an important sponsor of art and architecture in the city of the Este family until her death in 1493.  Most other wives of courtly rulers in the fifteenth century were less active in their art patronage.  Eleanora was notable for the scale and diversity of the artworks produced specifically for her during her reign, works that included significant building projects in the city of Ferrara, fine illuminated manuscripts, mural painting, and pictures on panel."  (from Joseph Manca's article on "Isabella's Mother:  Aspects of the Art Patronage of Eleanora d'Aragona, Duchess of Ferrara, in The Journal of the History of Art)

The Death of Lucrezia in 1482 . . .

Lorenzo de' Medici to the Duchess Eleanora d'Aragona d'Este at Ferrara:

"The duty I owe Your Excellency compels me to communicate to you the terrible and disastrous blow that has today befallen me through the death of my most beloved mother Madonna Lucrezia.  This leaves me utterly desolate as Your Excellency can think, for I have lost, not only a mother, but the only person I could turn to in many vexations and who aided me in many troubles.  It is true that we ought to submit patiently to the will of God, but in this case my heart refuses to be comforted.  I pray He may perhaps send me patience and comfort, and grant her peace and happiness.  Your excellency to whom I thus pour out my grief for such a loss, and to whom I turn for comfort in such sorrow, will understand the state in which your attached servant, who commends himself to you with all his heart, finds himself,  Florence, March 25, 1482."                                                     Your Excellency’s Servant, Laurentius de Medicis

 . . . and to Duke Ercole D’Este, Lorenzo wrote much the same letter, adding, “I am more full of sorrow than I can say, as besides losing a mother, at the mere thought of whom my heart breaks, I have lost the counsellor who took many a burden from off me.”

The text is from Jane Ross's translation of the Lives of the Early Medici, as Told in Their Correspondence, published in 1910.

The book cover is a recently published book, which I am lusting after . . . perhaps I can get my local library to order it, if they haven't already.