|
Lorenzo de' Medici (1 January 1449 – 9 April 1492) was an Italian statesman and ''de facto'' ruler of the Florentine Republic, who was one of the most powerful and enthusiastic patrons of the Renaissance. Also known as Lorenzo the Magnificent (''Lorenzo il Magnifico'' (:loˈrɛntso il maɲˈɲiːfiko)) by contemporary Florentines, he was a magnate, diplomat, politician and patron of scholars, artists and poets. He is well known for his contribution to the art world by sponsoring artists such as Botticelli and Michelangelo. His life coincided with the mature phase of Italian Renaissance and his death coincided with the end of the Golden Age of Florence.〔Gene Brucker, ''Living on the Edge in Leonardo's Florence,'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005), pp. 14-15.〕 The fragile peace that he helped maintain among the various Italian states collapsed with his death. He is buried in the Medici Chapel in Florence. ==Youth== Lorenzo's grandfather, Cosimo de' Medici, was the first member of the Medici family to combine running the Medici Bank with leading the Republic of Florence. Cosimo was one of the wealthiest men in Europe and spent a very large portion of his fortune in government and philanthropy. He was a patron of the arts and funded public works.〔Hugh Ross Williamson, ''Lorenzo the Magnificent'', Michael Joseph, (1974), ISBN 07181 12040〕 Lorenzo's father, Piero di Cosimo de' Medici, was equally at the centre of Florentine life, chiefly as an art patron and collector, while Lorenzo's grandfather and uncle, Giovanni di Cosimo de' Medici, took care of the family's business interests. Lorenzo's mother, Lucrezia Tornabuoni, was a writer of sonnets and a friend to poets and philosophers of the Medici Academy. She became her son's advisor after the deaths of his father and uncle.〔 Lorenzo, considered the brightest of the five children of Piero and Lucrezia, was tutored by a diplomat and bishop, Gentile de' Becchi, and the humanist philosopher Marsilio Ficino.〔Hugh Ross Williamson, p. 67〕 With his brother Giuliano, he participated in jousting, hawking, hunting, and horse breeding for the Palio, a horse race in Siena. His own horse was named Morello di Vento.〔Christopher Hibbert, chapter 9〕 Piero sent Lorenzo on many important diplomatic missions when he was still a youth, which included trips to Rome to meet the pope and other important religious and political figures.〔Niccolò Machiavelli, ''History of Florence'', Book VIII, Chpt. 7.〕 Lorenzo was described as rather plain of appearance and was of average height, having a broad frame and short legs, a swarthy skin, squashed nose, short-sighted eyes and a harsh voice. Giuliano, on the other hand, was regarded as handsome; he was used as a model by Botticelli in his painting of ''Mars and Venus''.〔Hugh Ross Williamson, p. 70〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Lorenzo de' Medici」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|