The Italian Renaissance Podcast (2025)

01/07/2025

https://linktr.ee/italian_renaissance_podcast

Tune in to the complete series on the Magnificent Lorenzo, 6 full podcasts with 3 accompanying Patreon episodes, for a total of 9 conversations on the life and court of Lorenzo de' Medici.

In this journey, we explore Lorenzo and the cultural forces that moved around him, including Lucrezia Tornabuoni, Sandro Botticelli, Poliziano, the Pollaiuolo, Lucrezia Donati, Giuliano da Sangallo and more.

Did you enjoy this series? What interested you the most?

29/06/2025

New podcast on Patreon: King Charles VIII Entering Into Florence
https://www.patreon.com/posts/132730892?utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=android_share

This extraordinary painting by Francesco Granacci shows the triumphal procession of the French King Charles VIII as he enters Florence at the start of the Italian Wars, on his way to put the Kingdom of Naples under siege. He entered the city thanks to Piero the Unfortunate, the son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, much to the dissatisfaction of the Florentines. As a result, the Medici were exiled once again, allowing the Dominican friar Savonarola to fill the power gap.

Granacci was a painter who trained under Domenico Ghirlandaio and grew up in proximity to the Medici circle. This striking image, painted decades later, recalls that critical moment in Florentine history. It also gives us a glimpse at Michelozzo's Palazzo Medici before Michelangelo restructured it, and before the Riccardi family expanded it. Yet reading Granacci's political intentions remains elusive. The question is, does this painting harbor pro-Medici or anti-Medici sentiment?

Francesco Granacci, Entry of Charles VIII into Florence, 1518 (1527?) https://www.wga.hu/html_m/g/granacci/entry_ch.html

23/06/2025

The Court of Lorenzo the Magnificent Part 6 of 6: Architecture

This episode looks at the most significant works of Lorenzo's court architect and dear friend, Giuliano da Sangallo. Among his most important designs, Sangallo was the chief architect and designer behind the Medici Villa at Poggio a Caiano, a countryside escape for Lorenzo that would serve as a prototype for Renaissance villas that came after. Additionally, Lorenzo and Sangallo were involved in the design and creation of the splendid church of Santa Maria delle Carceri in Prato.

Overall, this podcast addresses the way Sangallo served as Lorenzo's chief architect, as well as the way in which he remains an essential figure in understanding Renaissance architecture as a whole. Sangallo was a dedicated follower of Filippo Brunelleschi and Leon Battista Alberti, as well as an expert on the rules of classical architecture.

Works Discussed:

Giuliano da Sangallo, Medici Villa at Poggio a Caiano, begun 1485. http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/villa-poggio-a-caiano.html

Giuliano da Sangallo, Santa Maria delle Carceri, Prato, 1495. https://www.cittadiprato.it/en/Sezioni/content.aspx?XRI=186

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30/05/2025

New Patreon Exclusive Out Now! Consider supporting this project by becoming a Patron and get access to over 20 additional podcast episodes: https://www.patreon.com/TheItalianRenaissancePodcast?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

Episode 59 of the main podcast covers the complicated history linking the Pollaiuolo brothers to Lorenzo de' Medici's court, looking primarily at their many works featuring Hercules. This episode continues that conversation by taking a glance at another mythological work by Piero del Pollaiuolo, Apollo and Daphne.

When considered alongside the revival of vernacular poetry, this painting can be used as a lens to read attitudes about the relationship between medieval Tuscan traditions and the rising appreciation of pagan antiquity. Along these lines, we can even glace over a century beyond the Pollaiuolo to the Baroque master Gian Lorenzo Bernini and his Apollo and Daphne for Cardinal Scipione Borghese.

Works Discussed:

Piero del Pollaiuolo, Apollo and Daphne, 1470's https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/piero-del-pollaiuolo-apollo-and-daphne

Bernini, Apollo and Daphne, 1625 https://www.collezionegalleriaborghese.it/en/opere/apollo-and-daphne

26/05/2025

New Podcast!
The Court of Lorenzo the Magnificent Part 5:
Antonio and Piero Pollaiuolo

Among the many artists who earned the attention of the Magnificent, the Pollaiuolo brothers left behind an artistic legacy closely tied with Medicean propaganda. This episode explores the role of the Pallaiuolo brothers in the development of Florentine Renaissance art, specifically through the works they completed for the Medici Palace: The Labors of Hercules.

Later reappropriated, this episode also dives into how Hercules was used as a Florentine political symbol and was adaptable as both a pro-Medici and an anti-Medici symbol, similar to function of the biblical heroes David and Judith.

Works Discussed

Antonio Pallaiuolo, Hercules and the Hydra, ca. 1475 https://www.uffizi.it/opere/pollaiolo-ercole-idra

Antonio Pallaiuolo, Hercules and Antaeus, ca. 1475 https://www.uffizi.it/opere/pollaiolo-ercole-anteo

Antonio Pallaiuolo, Hercules and Antaeus, ca. 1475, bronze Antonio https://www.wga.hu/html_m/p/pollaiol/antonio/sculptur/hercul2.html

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12/05/2025

New Podcast!
The Court of Lorenzo the Magnificent Part 4: Angelo Poliziano

Born Agnolo Ambrogini in Montepulciano in 1454, Poliziano rose to intellectual supremacy in Laurentian Florence as the premier Humanist and poet of the Medici court. This episode explores his education, life, and works in vernacular Italian, namely his Stanze and l'Orfeo.

Poliziano is inseparable from the larger history of the Medici court. His output is directly tied to Medici family. He was friends with Giuliano and witnessed his murder at the climax of the infamous Pazzi Conspiracy. He was loved by Lucrezia Tornabuoni, but greatly unfavorable in the eyes of Lorenzo's wife, Clarice Orsini. Then, he helped educate the young Michelangelo and even advised on subjects for his earliest works. This discussion looks at these relationships, ultimately arriving at the questionable circumstances of his premature death at the age of forty in 1494.

Works Discussed,

Michelangelo Buonarotti, Battle of the Centaurs, ca. 1492

https://www.casabuonarroti.it/en/museum/collections/michelangelos-works/battle-of-the-centaurs/

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09/05/2025

We have a new Pope, Pope Leo XIV, who shares his papal name and heritage with a long line of Leo's.

Of particular interest is Pope Leo X, that is, Giovanni de' Medici, the son of Lorenzo the Magnificent and Clarice Orsini. His portrait is among the most revered paintings by Raphael, who completed this masterwork in 1520, one year before his death in 1521.

Leo X is portrayed alongside two cardinals, including Giulio de' Medici, the illegitimate son of Giuliano, and the future Pope Clement VII.

When the new Pope was announced by the Vatican yesterday, I could not help but immediately reflect on the Renaissance heritage of his chosen name. It was power, manipulation, and excessive wealth that won the Medici the papacy. I am not a Catholic, but I do wish Pope Leo XIV a prosperous and just papacy, perhaps not in the manner of his Renaissance predecessors.

Welcome, Pope Leo XIV.

28/04/2025

The Court of Lorenzo de' Medici Part 3: Large-Scale Mythological Painting

The 1480s in Florence was an age of relative prosperity under Lorenzo the Magnificent. During this period, the visual arts began to take a new shape. Influenced by both classical and contemporary literature and poetry, Lorenzo's court saw the introduction to large-scale mythological painting, ushered in by the famed Sandro Botticelli.

This episode looks closely at the formation of Botticelli's Birth of Venus, as well as the subsequent Court of Pan by Luca Signorelli in 1490. We discuss the cultural and political circumstances around the development of this new genre of painting, as well as a host of patrons, including the Vespucci family and Lorenzo il Popolano de' Medici. A close look at these works alongside scholarly research reveals a tension between representation and actual cultural attitudes, especially around differentiating between philosophical representation and lived, sensual realities.

Works Discussed:

Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, ca. 1485 https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/birth-of-venus

Sandro Botticelli, Venus and Mars, ca. 1485 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/sandro-botticelli-venus-and-mars

Luca Signorelli, The Court of Pan, ca. 1490 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Education_of_Pan

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Youtube Videos mentioned for extra information:

Piero di Cosimo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R99_lpzeLzQ&list=PLUejELZ-zvuCN0XSgU-4JoV4ezeU6MBLb&index=4

Luca Signorelli: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE3MC80SvHU&list=PLUejELZ-zvuCN0XSgU-4JoV4ezeU6MBLb

Get additional content by becoming a Patron: patreon.com/TheItalianRenaissancePodcast

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19/04/2025

Lucrezia Donati: Lorenzo's Muse
New patreon podcast out now!
https://www.patreon.com/TheItalianRenaissancePodcast?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

Lucrezia Donati (1447-1501) is often cited as the 'mistress' of Lorenzo the Magnificent. However, most of the evidence available suggests that their relationship was more closely tied to the combination of medieval poetic tradition with platonic thought of Lorenzo's age, and the popular public admiration of Florentine women. He chose her as a poetic muse, a type of open and public display rather than a secret love affair. Yet, in the end, this is a conversation about questions rather than answers.

This podcast discusses the social structures around public, platonic love between two Renaissance elites and what it meant for an elite male to select an elite female for public admiration. Further, we talk about the artworks said to be depictions of Lucrezia Donati, diving into the revolutionary portrait bust by Verrocchio that is said to be of Lucrezia, and observing it alongside Leonardo da Vinci's portrait of the Florentine noblewoman Genevra de' Benci.

What do you think? After listening, do you agree with my perspective?

Images Discussed:

Sandro Botticelli, Fortitude, ca. 1470 https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/fortitude

Verrocchio, Donna con mazzolino, ca. 1475 https://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/v/verocchi/sculptur/portrai.html

Leonardo da Vinci, Genevra de' Benci, 1474-78 https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.50724.html

14/04/2025

The Court of Lorenzo de' Medici Part 2:
Lucrezia Tornabuoni

Lucrezia Tornabuoni (1427-1482) was one of the key figures in both the political and cultural influence of the Medici family during the late 15th century. She served as a diplomat and stateswoman in the place of her ill husband, Piero the Gouty, and helped manage affairs for Lorenzo and Giuliano during their premature rise to power. In addition to her stately duties, Lucrezia was also an important patron and an achieved poet.

This episode looks at the broader scope of Lucrezia's achievements and positions them against the thriving cultural output that occurred during Lorenzo's reign. Importantly, it appears that Lucrezia was not merely the mother of a cultural giant but directly influenced major cultural shifts in Florence and helped solidify Medici power for her son.

Looking closely at her sacre storie, particularly the violent story of Judith and Holofernes, we can observe Lucrezia as a participant in both skilled literary production and in the propagation of Medici prestige. Her poetry produces the similar effects of Cosimo de' Medici's patronage of Donatello, and his bronze David and Judith and Holofernes that were in the Medici Palace.

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31/03/2025

New Podcast out now! The Court of Lorenzo de' Medici Part 1: Lorenzo the Magnificent
https://linktr.ee/italian_renaissance_podcast

To engage Lorenzo de' Medici's court in Florence, there is no better topic to introduce the subject than the man himself. This episode takes a glance at the life of Lorenzo as the quintessential "Renaissance Man." In his lifetime, not only was he a devoted head of his family, but a clever statesman, a patron of art, literature, and philosophy, and an exceptional architect and poet.

More masterfully, Lorenzo had to combine all of these to create decades of cultural production which made concrete the fledgling ideas of his grandfather Cosimo into what we define today as the Renaissance. Through his civic engagement, Lorenzo inspired a generation of patronage that would not only inspire Florentines, but the wider world of European nobility.

Central to Lorenzo's narrative is the bloody drama of the Pazzi Conspiracy, the graceful beauty of large-scale mythological painting, and the revival of carnal and evocative vernacular poetry.

The Italian Renaissance Podcast

01/07/2025

29/06/2025

23/06/2025

30/05/2025

26/05/2025

12/05/2025

09/05/2025

28/04/2025

19/04/2025

14/04/2025

31/03/2025

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