The Medici family members were the largest commissioners of artwork in Florence throughout the Renaissance. The contributions from this single family are absolutely stupendous: They aided many aspiring artists with their patronage. Sandro Botticelli (1444-1510) was an artist in great favor with the powerful family and painted many works for them. One of Botticelli’s paintings in particular, The Adoration of the Magi, serves to portray the extent of the Medici’s power and is a great example of the connections between the artists of the Renaissance and the Medici family.
The Adoration of the Magi, painted in Florence circa 1475, is the portrayal of a classic nativity scene: Classic only because it depicts Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus. These figures are centered and surrounded by a crowd definitely not spoken of in any bible story. The three Magi are there, looking suspiciously like members of the Medici family. The remaining crowd seems like a roster of “who’s who” in late sixteenth century Florence: Important scholars, politicians, and businessmen of the time are portrayed, as is a self-portrait of Botticelli himself (Horth, 2004).
This painting is very significant in understanding the mighty role of the Medici family. Botticelli was asked to paint it by an out-of-favor tax collector, Guasparre dal Lama, to impress the Medicis. What greater honor could there be but to see oneself and one’s kin gathered around the newborn savior? Cosimo il Vecchio, Piero el Gottoso, and, Guliano de Medici are each given a role as a Magus. Lorenzo the Magnificent, is also present (Horth, 2004). Cosimo, being the eldest and most prominent of the Medicis, is centered and has the honor of washing the child’s feet. The other family members are also unmistakable in the foreground. The identities of the remainder of the crowd have been lost or obscured but were guaranteed to have risen in status as an outcome of being portrayed here. In fact, this image could be seen as a statement of loyalty to the Medici family. In a time when the power and rule were held by a thread and leaders could be ousted the next day, it would be good to know who one’s friends were. The inclusion of himself by Botticelli was an affirmation of his loyalty: He now had powerful friends on his side, simply by painting himself next to them.
The Adoration of the Magi is a very appealing piece of artwork, both aesthetically and symbolically. The ruins of buildings in the background are not what one normally expects to see in a nativity scene: They give a feeling of timelessness, almost immortality, regardless of the actual timeline of events. The baby Jesus and his parents belong here just as easily as they do in a stable in Bethlehem; the prominent citizens of Florence are readily substituted for the barn animals of the traditional story. Perhaps it is this sense of ageless acceptance that the Medicis found in this piece: If they can belong here, they can belong anywhere. Botticelli, as well, was immortalizing himself by his inclusion.
This piece of artwork is a Renaissance masterpiece. Botticelli achieved a great task with the completion of this work. The Adoration of the Magi is a fantastic depiction of the power that the Medici family wielded in the time of the Renaissance. This single piece of art has managed to change the past; the Medici family now has an eternal place in history, for now they were present at the birth of Jesus. How many people can say that?
Sources:
Horth, Susan. The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance. Devillier Donegan Enterprises, 2004. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.com.
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