Date of Award

Spring 2024

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Visual & Performing Arts; College of Arts & Sciences

First Advisor

Jill Pederson

Abstract

A ruler’s image was an essential part of Italian Renaissance culture, particularly in the realm of the princely court. By commissioning portraits and other forms of art, courtly elites were able to manipulate their public identity by highlighting the aspirational ideals of the time. It is thought that the Florentine senate ratified Cosimo I de’ Medici’s election because they believed him to be weak and easily manipulated. Precisely because his election was so unexpected, Cosimo I focused the resources of his court on establishing his political and social legitimacy. Cosimo employed visual imagery to deflect and neutralize challenges to his authority and looked to family precedents to give a sense of continuity and legitimacy to his regime. Through an analysis of Bronzino's Portrait of Duke Cosimo I de Medici as Orpheus and Cosimo I de Medici in Armor, as well as Benvenuto Cellini's Cosimo I de' Medici bronze portrait bust, this thesis seeks to show that Cosimo promoted his authority, legitimacy, and the Medici name itself by propagating idealized images that obscured the nature of Cosimo’s transition to power, and instead focused on his role in ushering in an era of peace.

Download

Share

COinS
 

Cosimo I de' Medici: Politics, Portraiture, and Propaganda

A ruler’s image was an essential part of Italian Renaissance culture, particularly in the realm of the princely court. By commissioning portraits and other forms of art, courtly elites were able to manipulate their public identity by highlighting the aspirational ideals of the time. It is thought that the Florentine senate ratified Cosimo I de’ Medici’s election because they believed him to be weak and easily manipulated. Precisely because his election was so unexpected, Cosimo I focused the resources of his court on establishing his political and social legitimacy. Cosimo employed visual imagery to deflect and neutralize challenges to his authority and looked to family precedents to give a sense of continuity and legitimacy to his regime. Through an analysis of Bronzino's Portrait of Duke Cosimo I de Medici as Orpheus and Cosimo I de Medici in Armor, as well as Benvenuto Cellini's Cosimo I de' Medici bronze portrait bust, this thesis seeks to show that Cosimo promoted his authority, legitimacy, and the Medici name itself by propagating idealized images that obscured the nature of Cosimo’s transition to power, and instead focused on his role in ushering in an era of peace.