Michelangelo Buonarroti:
"Design for a Candelabrum,"
ca. 1535; black chalk, brush and
brown wash, incised lines and
compass marks on cream laid paper.
Cooper-Hewitt National Design
Museum, Smithsonian Institution;
museum purchase in memory of
Mrs. John Innes Kane, 1942-36-4.

Medici Porcelain Manufactory:
"Ewer;" ca. 1575/87; soft paste
porcelain. The Detroit
Institute of Arts.

Grand Ducal Workshops: "Panel
with Vase of Flowers," early 1600s;
pietre dure mosaic on black marble
ground. Florence, Museo dell'
Opificio delle Pietre Dure.

two generations before Cosimo I — and the artist's
lasting legacy still on view in Florence.
The Medici had an inexhaustible hunger for the
arts, intertwining beauty and power with a consisten-
cy no family has ever come close to matching. They
began as bankers and merchants and became true
patrons of the arts, elevating art to the highest status,
literally shaping Florence into the treasure it is today.
Art not only enhanced their wealth, stature and
reputation throughout Italy but in the finest courts
of Europe as well. The Medici commissioned por-
traits of themselves, remarkable buildings and objects
of such great beauty that these creations remain
among the most awe-inspiring works in existence.
Art was a tool by which gifts were commissioned
to seal deals, fend off wars and secure friendships. If
this sounds rather admirable and erudite, it's coun-
tered by the family's autocratic rulings.
The family made many artistic contributions to
Florence. They are responsible for the Arazzeria,
Italy's first major tapestry manufactory; the forma-
tion of the first grand-ducal artistic workshops,
including the creation of the pietre dure industry
(exquisite pictures made of inlaid semiprecious
stones); and the first porcelain production in Europe.
Moreover, they introduced modern urban planning,
including the famed Uffizi, which housed both the
government and the family's extensive art collections.
The best way to enjoy the show is to soak it in
slowly, delving into the past without getting dizzy
from the unbelievable pool of talent and amount of
history covered.

Family History

The rule of the Grand Dukes began, ironically, in
a naive, yet manipulative, way.
Lorenzo de' Medici's son had been expelled from
Florence in 1494 after a popular uprising that estab- .
lished a democratic republic. But the family was

Cindy Frenkel is a Huntington Woods-basedfivekmce writer

restored to power in 1512. After the assassination of
the intensely disliked, tyrannical Alessandro de'
Medici, his young and remote cousin Cosimo — a
mere 18 years of age — was chosen to lead Florence.
Considered a neophyte, the future Cosimo I was
plucked from obscurity, and although his position
was one of status, those in power had every inten-
tion of using him as their pawn.
Reigning from 1537-1574, he surprised them by
being a great military strategist, intoxicated by
power, and surpassed all expectations as a ruler, con-
solidating his domain through ruthless conquering
of cities throughout Tuscany, the region of modern-
day Italy where Florence is located.
All of the Medici marriages were political, and a
few Medici married into the royal Hapsburg family,
as did Cosimo I, when he wed Eleonora of Toledo.
Their union, however, was also a love affair, produc-
ing 11 children.
Eleonora purchased the half-finished Pitti Palace,
making it the family home, and completing it
according to its original design. She also had Nicolo
Tribolo and his followers redesign the Boboli
Gardens behind the palace. Cosimo I was influential
in setting the family standard so his children would
follow his lead.
The exhibit is chronologically ordered, beginning
with a lush portrait of Alessandro, and equally
notable images of Cosimo I.

SPEC

r

To celebrate the Sunday, March
16, opening of "Magnificenza!
The Medici, Michelangelo and the
Art of Late Renaissance Florence,"
the DIA'.s Department of European
Sculpture and Decorative Arts
hosts a preview "Study Day" of lec-
tures and discussions on exhibition
themes 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

The most telling portrait is Cosimo's own com-
mission by Agnolo Bronzino, only two to three years
into his reign, where he is portrayed as a naked
Orpheus, his taut body draped in a deep red cape.
Subdued yet remarkably suggestive, this art is no doubt
erotic. It also sets the tone for the fascinating, eccentric
and often decadent personalities and times ahead.
Cosimo's portrait as Orpheus prepares us for the
personality of his son and successor, Francesco I, a
paranoid leader who ruled from 1574-1587 and
required his followers to submit written notes to
him rather than speak first.
Still, he was extremely dedicated to the arts and sci-
ences and is known for the Studiolo, a secret, vaulted
room in the Palazzo Vecchio in which he displayed
his precious works of art and natural specimens.
In the exhibition, there's an interactive area allow-
ing viewers to experience the feeling of being in the
Studiolo itself; one can open drawers in which natu-
ral specimens are stored and actually experience how
the Medici may have felt studying both natural and
artistic objects.
Grand Duke Ferdinando I de' Medici's wedding to
Christine of Lorraine (she, too, was a Hapsburg) was
a public relations extravaganza, costing the equivalent
of about $7 million today. Ruling from 1587-1609,
he also spent lavishly on grand public works and

MASTERPIECES on page 76

a01
Saturday, March 15, in the
Auditorium (enter via Woodward
Avenue entrance).
Subjects include the "Myth of
Michelangelo"; Michelangelo's
legacy in 16th-century Florentine
painting, sculpture and decora-
tive arts; and Medici art patron --
age from Cosimo I to Cosimo

A viewing of the exhibition for
"Study Day" participants will fol-
low, from 4-5:30 p.m.
For information on "Study
Dar," call (313) 833-1720. For a
full list of special events and pro-
grams associated with the exhibit,
go to the Web site at
www.dia.org.

3/14
2003

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