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.

The Pazzi Conspiracy: A Tour through Florence

Now, with a nod to Cheryl Tucker, whose concept for this walk was first published In Florence, Sights and Landmarks:

Let us begin at the Palazzo Medici Riccardi (see post of Sun, Jan 29, 2012), at the corner of Via Cavour and Via de' Gori. The conspirators had originally set their sights on this palace to carry out their attack on the two Medici brothers, but as Guiliano was not in attendance, the site was changed to the duomo, one long block away, down Via de Martelli:

We'll walk around the north side of the cathedral, taking note of the fact that Lorenzo hid in the North Sacristry until it was safe to get back to the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi (see post of Feb 3, 2012 for more info on the duomo).  We'll proceed to the street facing the east side of the cathedral,  the Via del Proconsolo, and we'll turn south, going about a block to the corner where Borgo degli Albizi meets Via del Corso.  This is the Canto dei Pazzi (see post of Nov 25, 2012), where the Pazzi and their compatriots would have run from the melee that ensued after the murder of Guilano and the attempt on the life of Lorenzo.

Looking up we can see the Pazzi coat of arms (see post of Sep 28, 2012), and on the ground level we can take note of the entrance to the Palazzo Pazzi Quaratesi.  If we had been here Sep 21 & 22, 2012 and if we had purchased a 15 euro "wine card," as part of the Wine town 2012 festivities, we would have been able to enter (see <www.winetown.it> for details).  Since we missed that opportunity, we'll continue south along Proconsolo another long block or so until we see the Bargello.

Today the Bargello is the National Sculpture Museum, but in the time of the Medici it was a prison, and it was in this place that many of the low-level conspirators were hanged.  There will be more on the Bargello, one of my favorite museums, in a later post.   From here we cross the tiny Piazzi di San Firenze, turning right at Via di Gondi, which is also the most northeast corner of the Palazzo Vecchio.

Walking around to the front of the Palazzo, we see the windows at the top which served as a continuous gallows during those three days after the attempted coup.  The bodies of the major conspirators--Francisco de' Pazzi and the Archbishop of Pisa among them--were each left dangling by a noose above the crowd below (see post of Oct 20, 2012).  In all, about a hundred people were killed in three days.

I don't know about you, but one of the things that impresses me most about Florence is its permanence. Living in Southern California as I do most of the year, I have become accustomed to public, commercial, and private buildings being continuously torn down and replaced.  It gives me great reassurance to walk around Florence and see that the major landmarks are still there, as they were three, four, five hundred years ago.

Canto dei Pazzi

Another reminder of the Pazzi family that we can still see today is the Palazzo Pazzi Quaratesi, or the Pazzi Quarter (neighborhood).  Today, when we walk north up Via del Proconsolo and turn left at Borgo degli Albizi to go to the Duomo, we look up and see "Canto die Pazzi," which means the Pazzi corner.  There we find the main Palazzo Pazzi, which was rebuilt 1462-72 for Jacapo de' Pazzi.  When the Pazzi were executed or exhaled, this property was seized by Lorenzo.  We next hear of it when it becomes a wedding present . . .

Also in the neighborhood is the three-story Palazzo Pazzi-Ammannati, which today houses Florence's small museum of natural history and is also the site of temporary exhibitions.

[edit]

The Pazzi Chapel

Of course, the Pazzi should not only be remembered for their bad deeds, their participation in the Pazzi Conspiracy, but also for their good deeds.  The Pazzi Chapel, designed by Brunelleschi, who also designed and completed the dome over the cathedral, is located in the Santa Croce complex.  One passes through the chapel when leaving the church before going to the museum.  Construction was begun in 1442, in the iconic style of Brunelleschi, and is made of pietra serena and white plaster, and is unrelieved by color.

So, while the Medici and their friends were temporarily successful in stripping the Pazzi of their possessions, their properties, their florins (and therefore their dowries--there's another story), in the long run, the Pazzi name continues still today to be visible in Florence. 

Clarice and the Children after the Conspiracy

Above, we see a portion of a fresco by Ghirlandaio in the Sassetti Chapel of Santa Trinita, Florence.  Poliziano is seen here with his pupils, Lorenzo's sons and nephew.

In 1478 , after the Pazzi conspiracy, when the Pope was stirring up war against the Medici he hated, Lorenzo sent his wife and children to Pistoia, where they were the guests of the Panciaticchi, for safety.  With them went Angelo Poliziano as tutor to Piero the eldest boy, then about six years of age.  The stiff, proud Roman, Madonna Clarice, had never know how to gain her husband’s love, and did not get on well with his brilliant, sarcastic, rather Bohemian friends.  She particularly disliked Poliziano’s growing influence over Piero, and at the end of the year there was an open rupture, when she dismissed him with scant courtesy.  One pities them both.  Clarice, already far gone in consumption, was irritable and anxious about her husband, whose attitude towars the Holy See she, with her education, could not approve;  while Poliziano, used to the brilliant talk in the Medici palace, where he measured his wit with Luigi Pulci, Matteo Franco, Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola, etc., and Lorenzo himself, was bored to death and always longing to be back in Florence.

from Lives of the early Medici as told in their correspondence, as a point of information, most likely by Janet Ross, who translated and edited the letters, which were published in 1910.