A Quest for Salvation - Cosimo de' Medici in 15th Century Florence

Cosimo de Medici was motivated by a strong desire to§achieve salvation. This became a high priority for§him after he returned from exile in 1434. He was a§prosperous banker who used his financial gains, in§the form of donations, to maximize his chances of§attaining salvation by assuaging his sins due to§usury. To establish Cosimo s patronage, the monastery§of San Marco, the Medici palace chapel, and the§church of San Lorenzo are examined. At San Marco, the§restoration of the monastery and the purpose of§including the Medici family Saints Cosmas and Damian§in Fra Angelico s Crucifixion are investigated. For§the Medici palace chapel there is a detailed§interpretation of the Confraternity of the Magi and§Benozzo Gozzoli s fresco of the Procession of the§Magi in the chapel. In the final analysis, the§location of Cosimo s tomb reveals his quest for§salvation with the masses that were performed in San§Lorenzo after his death. This book is tailored for§the art aficionado as well as the general reader as§it illuminates how politics and religion influenced§Cosimo s role as a patron of the arts in fifteenth§century Florence.