15th Century Florence

This article proposes a new interpretation of Domenico Ghirlandaio's celebrated high altarpiece for the Ospedale degli Innocenti in Florence. The emphasis is on Giuliano da Sangallo's lost framework, which will be reconstructed based on a careful examination of partly unpublished archival sources. These commissions will be seen in the wider context of ecclesiastical patronage during the 1490s and in particular the phenomenon of sacramental altarpieces.

cell. However, Cosimo would never have seen Dominic's admonition because the fresco was within the clausura. In any case, unlike many Observants, the S. Marco friars did not need to worry about the ownership of property or fundraising, since they had Cosimo himselfwithin their walls. Fra Angelico at San Marco is a beautifully produced volume. The many colour illustrations of S. Marco, mostly by Niccol6o Orsi Battaglini, are stupendous in quality and number, and most of the comparative colour photographs are also good. William Hood's text reads with a majesty and pace which probably only the Dominican's daily round of office could match. It is a magnificent celebration of Angelico at the convent of S. Marco.

(from 'quae viderant alleluia') makes much better sense; and in 'Postquam resurrexit' the ending should be ab-b, as for the previous phrase: it is the subsequent psalm tone ending, not the end of the main chant, that is pitched inaccurately. To explain what is not quite right here takes a lot of space, but this indicates how complicated a business it is to make such transcriptions (and translations), not that the attempt as a whole has misfired. A sense of proportion must be retained. There is much to be grateful for, not least the many previously unavailable processional chants. Used with care, these editions can teach us much.

As a case study in the pre-modern visual representation of Black figures and their historical context, this essay focuses on the central figure in Giotto's Mocking of Christ in the Arena Chapel, Padua (c. 1303-05). It moves away from the standard reading of the man as vilified, suggesting that he embodies possible conversion.

ENG.: During the 14th century, the Abbey of Settimo reached its peak economic development through the prudent patrimonial management strategies implemented by the Cistercian community to which it had been entrusted. However, the War of the Eight Saints (1375-1378) and the subsequent Ciompi Revolt led to a significant impoverishment and economic decline of the institution. It was only from the 1430s onward that a revival took place, allowing the Abbey of Settimo, in the following decades, to reform other monasteries as well, under papal authority.
This study, primarily based on a substantial and diverse series of accounting registers produced by the Cistercian community of Settimo, aims to define its patrimonial management strategies and identify the accounting administration practices employed between the 14th and 15th centuries. The information thus gathered will then be compared with that provided by historiography, not only in relation to other Tuscan religious institutions but also to the secular Florentine sphere.
ITA: Durante il Trecento la badia di Settimo raggiunse il suo massimo sviluppo economico, per mezzodi accorte strategie di gestione patrimoniale operate dalla comunità cistercense a cui era stata affidata.
La Guerra degli Otto Santi (1375-1378) e il successivo Tumulto dei Ciompi portarono però a un notevole impoverimento e decadimento economico dell’ente. Solo a partire dagli anni ’30 del Quattrocento si ebbe nuova rinascita che permise alla badia di Settimo, nei decenni successivi, di riformare (sotto l’egida papale) anche altri monasteri. Questo studio, basato principalmente su una cospicua e variegata serie di registri contabili prodotti dalla comunità cistercense di Settimo, intende definirne le strategie di gestione patrimoniale e individuarne le pratiche di amministrazione contabile operate tra XIV e XV secolo. Le informazioni così ricavate, saranno poi confrontate con quelle offerte dalla storiografia inerente non solo con gli altri enti religiosi toscani ma anche con l’ambito laico fiorentino.

The historical period between the 14th and 17th centuries is an important period of the European Renaissance that is dominated by the Medici family in Florance. The discovery of the New World along with the Renaissance and various Social Reform Movements are an important milestone in recorded human history. The Medici’s of Florence were not only prolific rulers, amongst their heirs were Europe’s first bankers and some of the most important figures in Renaissance Europe’s politics. The French queens Catherine de Medici & Marie de Medici, Pope Leo X, Pope Clement VII and Pope Leo XI are the most noted amongst the Medici heirs. The Medici family's three-hundred-year-old Florence based dominance ended in 1737 after the death of the last Grand Duke of Tuscany, Gian Gastone de Medici. However, the members of the Medici family are still relevant for their role in shaping the Sociopolitical and Socioeconomic thought of the Europe as know it today. The artists, scholars and scientists that the Medici’s protected and provided patronage to, are amongst the most towering figures of the Renaissance period. The main purpose of our paper is to highlight the financial, political and social impact of the Medici family not only in Europe but their overwhelming impact on the global trends. The Medici rule of Florence also highlights the fact that the Center of European Renaissance was Florence during their rule, and it was only after the death of Lorenzo De’ Medici that the center shifted to Rome. Florence was ruled for three centuries by the Medici dynasty followed by the governance system of the Westphalia, subsequently leading to the emergence of the Nation-State in 1648. The human history testifies the use of financial power as a powerful tool used by the by Monarchs and Governments as an agent-for-change. However, Cosimo de Medici's use of Political Power as a tool, subsiding the financial power created a new governance principle in the world’ political history. The Medici legend stays alive and pertinent through the magnificent art, literature and political thought that the Medici’s nurtured during their 300 years rule of Florence that set the pace for modern Europe.

Abstract
This study examines the Medici Magi Chapel—a hidden sanctuary within the Medici Palace in Florence—that functions as both an artistic masterpiece and a potent political manifesto, seamlessly intertwining art, politics, and theology. Through an intricate cycle of frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli, the chapel transforms into a visual narrative where the Medici family is portrayed as divinely ordained rulers, modeled after the biblical Three Magi. Intimately connected with the Magi and the annual Epiphany celebrations at San Marco, the chapel's imagery reinforces the Medici’s claim to both spiritual and temporal authority in Florence.
Each wall of the chapel is dedicated to a distinct stage of life and a corresponding Medici generation: the east wall, bathed in the rising sun, symbolizes youth and the promise of new beginnings through an idealized representation of Lorenzo de’ Medici; the south wall, illuminated by the noonday sun, reflects the vigorous authority and active governance of Piero de’ Medici; while the west wall, under the glow of the setting sun, conveys the pious wisdom and mature spirituality of Cosimo de’ Medici via the evocative image of Joseph of Constantinople. This carefully orchestrated triadic symbolism not only cements the connection between the Medici and the revered Magi but also mirrors the celestial journey of the Three Kings, whose guided procession underscores a divine mandate.
Moreover, the chapel’s lavish display of Medici emblems, including the recurring motifs of green and red porphyry, white marble, and the symbolic use of the diamond ring and Medici palle, further embeds the family’s identity within the spiritual fabric of the Epiphany celebrations at San Marco. By inviting an intimate circle of allies, patrons, and historical figures into this sacred procession, the Medici transformed the Magi Chapel into a dynamic stage where art and devotion converged to affirm their legacy as both civic stewards and heralds of Christendom. Ultimately, this study posits that the chapel is not merely a private devotional space but a meticulously crafted declaration of the Medici’s enduring divine right to rule, with its visual language intricately weaving together the threads of familial succession, religious symbolism, and the unfolding destiny of Florence.

Ci fu un ruolo del Granduca Ferdinando I de' Medici, grande mecenate delle arti, nella nascita del Melodramma? Il saggio ripercorre le tappe che hanno portato alla rappresentazione della Euridice del Peri, nel contesto dell'ambiente musicale- fiorentino e non - di fine Cinquecento e inizio Seicento.

Traduction française du texte de Franco Cardini : « Le feste in Toscana tra Medioevo ed età moderna », in "De finibus Tuscie". Il medioevo in Toscana, Florence 1989, pp. 138-149 ; et in Incontri pistoiesi di storia, arte, cultura, Pistoia 1987.

Catalogue entries of two cartoon fragments newly attributed to Pier Francesco Foschi (1502-1567) loaned from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam and the MacKenzie Art Gallery, University of Regine to the exhibition on Foschi held at the Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence in 2023

In Come pregava la gente, che Don Giovanni Pozzi diede alle stampe nel 1982, lo studioso analizzava gli aspetti orali e formulaici della pietà popolare nell’area ticinese e lombarda tra il XIX secolo e il primo Novecento. Partendo da questo spunto, il presente saggio intende soffermarsi sui percorsi devozionali dei fedeli in un periodo precedente, la tarda età di mezzo nella Firenze medicea. I casi presentati, l’inedita preghiera quattrocentesca di un servitore fiorentino (scritta di suo pugno nel 1434 nelle sue Ricordanze, custodite presso l’archivio dell’Istituto degli Innocenti a Firenze), e le testimonianze provenienti da uno Zibaldone e da un libro di conto di un merciaio fiorentino, permettono di operare una lettura della pietà popolare legata principalmente a questioni di materialità e consumo devozionale in un ambito quotidiano e domestico. L’intento è quello di offrire, mediante una chiave di interpretazione storica, una lettura degli aspetti caratteristici, e delle manifestazioni quotidiane della devozione popolare del tardo Medioevo.

Le mode e l’attitudine al consumo, già all’indomani della Peste nera, andarono rapidamente evolvendosi, accompagnandosi a un aumento progressivo del potere d’acquisto della popolazione, in grado, soprattutto nella prima metà del Quattrocento, di destinare cifre sempre più elevate all’acquisto di una vasta gamma di merci. Ciò trovò eco nell’offerta sempre più diversificata dei prodotti immessi sul mercato. Soprattutto categorie professionali come quelle dei merciai soddisfacevano molteplici esigenze, incontrando gusti e solleticando desideri e vanità. Tutto questo si ritrova nelle registrazioni contabili contenute nelle Ricordanze di un merciaio fiorentino, Lapino di Vico di Lapino. Il registro, che mostra tutte le vendite da lui effettuate tra il 1415 e il 1424, è di grande importanza per una ricognizione dell’attività giornaliera di un medio imprenditore, ma soprattutto per comprendere una serie di questioni che concernono la natura degli oggetti e delle merci vendute, la clientela e il mercato (urbano e regionale) entro cui egli operava. Emerge un mondo variegato di relazioni e di pratiche commerciali specifiche di vari settori produttivi e distributivi. Si delinea la grande ricchezza merceologica in un mercato alimentato dal lavoro di tutti quegli artigiani che necessitavano di rifornirsi dai merciai fiorentini, operanti a cavallo tra la vendita al dettaglio e la distribuzione all’ingrosso.

Traduction française du texte de Franco Cardini : « Le bambole nel medioevo toscano », in "De finibus Tuscie". Il Medioevo in Toscana, Florence, 1989, pp. 251-256. [précédemment publié in « La ricerca folklorica », 16 octobre 1987, pp. 27-29.]

Life and writings of the Florentine agent in the 15th century Renaissance, highlighting his humanist perspective and political views as exposed in 'Il Principe' and his 'Discorsi'. With an endnote how the nucleaus of his thinking was received afterwards.

This study examines the market strategies employed by the Florentine banking families Alberti, Medici, and Spinelli between 1400 and 1475. It explores how these merchants navigated the challenges and opportunities of the German market, facilitated financial transfers between Germany and the Roman Curia, and shaped medieval trade and finance. By employing advanced banking practices, they played a pivotal role in the development of early modern economic systems, particularly in the areas of trade and banking.

ENG. Between the end of the 14 th century and the beginning of the 15 th century, the Republic of Florence was almost constantly engaged in war. As a result, public debt in a short time increased from 1 million to 3 million florins. The most difficult time for the Republic occurred between the years 1425 and 1433. In this phase, authorities experimented with new forms of taxation to cope with the growing expenses, including the cadaster (Catasto) created in 1427, pursuant to which Florentine citizens were forced to list all their assets in addition to other personal information. Based on the information provided by this document, it has been possible to identify all Florentine citizens who were soldiers at the time. Furthermore, thanks to the data extracted from the accounting records of the Florentine government of 1430, it has been possible to evaluate an interesting change in society: several artisans, of various ages, abandoned their professions to become soldiers. According to the documents, such a choice was seen as a chance to one's economic condition thanks to the considerable wages and good working conditions offered by the Republic compared to those associated with work as artisans.

The book offers studies on different aspects of the life, activity, and written works of Roberto da Lecce, one of the most famous preachers of fifteenth-century Italy. His preaching cycles in Italian cities were attended by huge crowds and are representative for the activity of many other less-known confreres and, in the meantime, exceptional for their number and success. His sermons were read and re-used throughout Europe, contributing to shaping the shared religious culture. The nine authors of this book have addressed this polyhedric figure from ten different perspectives.
https://brill.com/display/title/70826

Der seit Ende der 1970er in Forschung und Museen gängige Begriff rinascita della terracotta (MARTINI 1977) erklärt die große Zahl der Anfang des Quattrocento von Florentiner Künstlern geschaffenen Ton-Arbeiten aus der Lektüre von Plinius’ Historia naturalis – eine These, die hervorragend zur Vorstellung von einer etwa zur selben Zeit in Florenz stattfindenden Wiedergeburt der Antike passt und die sich nicht zuletzt auf Passagen aus Lorenzo Ghibertis Commentarii und Benedetto da Mainaos aus Ton modellierter und ungefasster 'Madonna dell’Ulivo' (CARL 2019) stützt. Der Vortrag untersucht, wie stichhaltig die Annahme einer durch Plinius ausgelösten Terrakotta-Renaissance ist und welche Rolle das verwendete Material und seine Eigenschaften für die sprunghafte Zunahme von Ton-Arbeiten zu Beginn des 15. Jahrhunderts gespielt haben könnten.

B easts, street scenes, shops, objects of everyday life, pla- nets, women, saints, and prophets: these are amongst the subjects depicted in the fifteenth-century Florentine manuscript illustrations that are the focus of this book. I explore the role played by images in helping readers to assimilate knowledge, but not the knowledge that we usually associate with the Florentine Renaissance (such as the re-discovered philosophical postulates of Plato and Hermes Trismegistus). Instead, this book is about knowledge for everyday life: the moral principles that 1 helped people to live with each other; the mathematics that facilitated business transactions; the geometry that helped craftsmen and merchants in their trade and provided the young with a basic understanding of the cosmos and the world; and the insights into human nature that would be necessary in an often treacherous environment. This book also investigates the cultural and cognitive factors that empowered images themselves to transmit knowledge. Illustrations of vernacular texts were more than just visual memory aids; they allowed readers to associate new information with personal experience, and to apply the newly acquired knowledge to everyday life. The illustrations discussed in this book are found in manuscripts of vernacular works that enjoyed a wide diffusion in Quattrocento Florence: the Fior di virtù (an early fourteenth-century anonymous treatise on the virtues and the vices, incorporating a bestiary); the Esopo volgarizzato per uno da Siena (a late fourteenth-century anonymous Tuscan version of Aesop's 1

Neville Rowley est conservateur des sculptures et peintures italiennes des XIVe et XVe siècles au Bode-Museum et à la Gemäldegalerie der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin. Il a publié de nombreux articles specialisés sur l'art italien du XVe siècle.

Il trattato "Sulla natura dei diversi tipi di vino" è un’opera unica nel panorama letterario del Cinquecento italiano. Scritto in forma di dialogo dal medico-filosofo siciliano Giacomo Profetto, archiatra pontificio al tempo di Paolo III (papa dal 1534 al 1549), in questo eccezionale testo sono condensate tutte le cognizioni sul vino – letterarie, storiche, terapeutiche – prodotte fino a quel momento: tra le sue pagine è possibile trovare non solo una geografia dei vini allora conosciuti, con l’elencazione delle loro qualità e proprietà salienti, ma anche una “scienza del vino” che affonda le sue radici nella filosofia, nella medicina, nell’astronomia, nella mitologia, nella morale.

Finito di stampare nel mese di luglio 2024 a cura dell'Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato S.p.A.-Roma È vietata la riproduzione, con qualsiasi procedimento, della presente opera o di parti di essa. Ogni abuso verrà perseguito ai sensi di legge.

This article engages a long-running debate over Brunelleschi's Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence concerning the size and position of the old Romanesque basilica that it replaced. It argues for the “ex novo theory,” according to which the old basilica was substantially smaller, offset, and lower in elevation relative to present one, and did not influence the present design. Through a series of twelve tests it refutes the “extension theory,” according to which the present basilica began as an addition onto the back of the old basilica, and borrowed from it all major dimensions, proportions, and stylistic features. A detailed, step by step examination of archaeological and documentary evidence reveals new historical insights even beyond the terms of this debate. This study challenges long-held preconceptions about the construction history of San Lorenzo, and raises new questions about the role of Romanesque precedents in its design.

This paper offers a synthesis of the evidence presented in the book Adamo: Il segreto che riscrive la storia dell'arte, aiming to demonstrate how an interpretive anachronism led to the misidentification of Michelangelo's marble Giant as David. Through a detailed analysis of historical sources, the paper proposes a new reading of the sculpture, identifying it as Adam at the moment of Eve's creation. Why do we call Michelangelo's Giant "David"? The erroneous identification of the figure represented as David is primarily due to a phrase by Giorgio Vasari, who writes: "Michelagnolo, fatto un modello di cera, finse in quello, per la insegna del Palazzo, un Davit giovane con una frombola in mano."(which can be translated as: "Michelangelo, having made a wax model, depicted in it, for the insignia of the palace, a young David with a sling in his hand").However, this passage, when read without considering other historical documents, has been mistakenly interpreted as referring to the marble sculpture. When contextualized, it becomes clear that Vasari was instead referring to the David de Rohan in bronze.

Questo breve documento offre una sintesi delle evidenze contenute nel libro Adamo: Il segreto che riscrive la storia dell'arte e intende dimostrare come un caso di anacronismo interpretativo abbia portato all'identificazione errata del Gigante di marmo di Michelangelo come David. Attraverso un'analisi dettagliata delle fonti documentali, viene proposta una nuova lettura dell'opera, identificandola come Adamo nel momento della creazione di Eva. Perché chiamiamo il Gigante di Michelangelo "David"? L'erronea identificazione del personaggio rappresentato come David è principalmente dovuta a una frase di Giorgio Vasari, che scrive: "Michelagnolo, fatto un modello di cera, finse in quello, per la insegna del Palazzo, un Davit giovane con una frombola in mano." Tuttavia, questo passo, letto senza tener conto degli altri documenti storici, è stato erroneamente interpretato come riferito alla scultura in marmo. Se contestualizzato, appare chiaro che Vasari si riferisse invece al David de Rohan in bronzo.

Në vitin 1911, “Raccolta Di Studi Critici Dedicata Ad Alessandro D’Ancona” në Firence botoi një shkrim shumë interesant për humanistin me origjinë arbërore Michele Marullo dhe Poetin e madh Alighieri me autor Vittorio Cian. Shkrimi i shkurtër në faqen 42 të revistës qe shtysë për të pasqyruar e sqaruar disa tipare të këtij poeti, sidomos lidhur me origjinën e tij, duke u bazuar në një dorëshkrim të zbuluar veç në fundin e viteve ’80 në Dubrovnik

Eine Theorie der Machbarkeit? Giorgio Vasaris Einführung in mehr als drei Künste
Wolf-Dietrich Löhr, Andreas Huth
Eingabeschluss : 13.10.2024

Der material turn hat die kunstwissenschaftliche Forschung in den letzten zwei Jahrzehnten um eine beinahe vergessene Perspektive bereichert, Ding-Studien und Objektbiographien ermöglichen neue Zugänge zu den Werken, Kooperationsprojekte mit Restaurator:innen und Handwerker:innen rücken historische Verfahren und Traditionen mit ihren kognitiven Potentialen sowie Fragen nach artisanal epistemology, nach techné und Arbeit in den Fokus. Auf der anderen Seite zeigt sich die Kunstwissenschaft nach wie vor belastet von romantisch zugespitzten Vorstellungen von Unmittelbarkeits-, Genie- und Original-Ästhetik, die die blendende Isolierung einzelner Künstlerpersönlichkeiten reproduziert. Giorgio Vasaris Viten dienen dieser Sichtweise bis heute als Bezugspunkt und Rechtfertigung, dabei ist den Lebens-beschreibungen mit der kunsttechnologisch-materialkundlichen Introduzione alle tre arti del disegno ein umfangreicher, dezidiert praxisorientierter Abschnitt mit immer-hin 35 Einzelkapiteln vorangestellt, den Vasari selbst als „teoriche“ bezeichnet und auf dessen Informationen er in den Viten immer wieder Bezug nimmt. Trotz neuerer Ansätze ist die Bedeutung der Einführung als ein – vom Autor bewusst gesetztes – Gegengewicht zu seinen ausführlichen Proemien und den Biographien bisher nur wenig untersucht wurden.

Die Sektion soll sich mit Impulsbeiträgen und einer gemeinsamen Diskussion der pluralen Autorität des Machens, dem Geschichtsbild der Praxis sowie den Ökonomien von Zeit und Material in Vasaris Introduzione widmen.

Donatello's destroyed statue of 'Dovizia,' or Abundance, of c. 1428-30, once stood atop a tall column in the Florentine Mercato Vecchio. The statue's appearance can be reconstructed from the paintings of the market that reproduce it and the many sculptures it influenced, notably the numerous terracotta versions of it by the Della Robbia shop. The article demonstrates how Donatello's statue reunited a classical subject with classical form, making it the earliest sculpture to do so in the fifteenth century.

This essay explores the meanings imparted by the location of the once-Pope John XXIII's tomb in the Baptistry, Florence, and the political circumstances the led to this unique siting of a papal tomb in the city. It also studies the background of the tomb, which is Donatello's first venture into that category of monument.

The small bronze relief by Donatello of the Lamentation over the Dead Christ [Fig. 1] is a masterpiece by the figure widely considered Italy's greatest fifteenth-century artist. It poignantly depicts the dead Christ on the lap of his distraught Mother, who has collapsed after his Crucifixion. The mourning Mary, behind the two, screams and pulls her hair in anguish in a horizontal tug intended to recall the crossbar of the Cross on which Christ was executed just earlier. The Virgin bewails her son's death in an open-mouthed cry that we can almost hear. Mary Magdalene is poised to catch Mary should she lose consciousness, while the others are absorbed in their private grief. Some areas, notably the body of Christ, are highly finished and polished, to focus attention on it and its devotional association with the Eucharist. St John the Evangelist turns away and his face is roughly defined, its features almost dissolved, to intensify expressive power, a device Donatello often used purposely, but perhaps which here also expresses the play on words that exists in Italian as in English that he cannot face up to [affrontare] the horror of Christ's Crucifixion. 1 Surprising and highly unusual are the two types of voids in the bronze that are the focus of this article. The first are casting flaws, the most obvious of which is prominently above Christ's head, in the mourning Mary's thigh. Donatello may have intended to plug that hole and the other smaller ones in the relief, as evidence reviewed later suggests. The second category

Analysis of Donatello's bronze David and Judith together on basis that they were installed for more than 30 years in coordinated outdoor spaces of the Palazzo Medici in Florence. Argument that they represent prominent early republican themes which the Medici family aimed to coopt.

Diplomatic relations among Florence, Venice and Castile in the Late Middle Ages were not permanent, but rather determined by the need of Italian powers to look after their interests when damaged in Castilian territory. The present paper addresses the strategies deployed by both Italian signorie in a disadvantageous territory from a comparative perspective, to establish analogies and differences, as well as the Castilian response to their demands

ENG: The research project focuses on the analysis of public expenditure and taxation in the Republic of Florence between 1429 and 1434. Through this case study, the thesis primarily examines, using documentation preserved in the State Archives of Florence, the following topics: the history of the military events that affected the Florentine Republic during the conflict with Lucca (1429-1433); the real and accounting currencies used during that period; the consolidation of public debt, fiscal management, and the establishment of the Monti; the first three Catasti surveys and other Florentine tax impositions; ordinary expenditure, reconstructed by tracing the history of the Camera del Comune and delving into the study of the accounting books produced by this office; the organization of territorial defense; the analysis of extraordinary expenditure, starting from the study of the two main magistracies responsible for managing the war from a strategic and economic perspective, the Dieci di Balìa and the Ufficiali del Banco; for these, accounting records have been studied, and expenditures have been reconstructed in their complexity. A section is dedicated to the production and trade of armaments, exploring the types of goods, production centers, labor specializations, and related wages. In light of this analysis, the thesis also assesses the rise of the Medici faction and the power relations within Florentine society during the years under examination.
ITA: Il progetto di ricerca è incentrato sull’analisi della spesa pubblica e della fiscalità della repubblica di Firenze tra il 1429 e il 1434. Attraverso questo caso studio, la tesi analizza principalmente, per mezzo della documentazione conservata presso l’Archivio di Stato di Firenze, le seguenti tematiche: la storia degli eventi bellici che interessarono la repubblica fiorentina durante il conflitto con Lucca (1429-1433); le monete reali e di conto adoperate in quel periodo; il consolidamento del debito pubblico, la gestione della fiscalità e la nascita dei Monti; i primi tre catasti e le altre imposizioni fiscali fiorentine; la spesa ordinaria, ricostruita partendo dalla storia della Camera del Comune e approfondendo lo studio dei libri contabili prodotti da tale ufficio; l’organizzazione della difesa dei domini; l’analisi della spesa straordinaria, partendo dallo studio delle due principali magistrature deputate alla gestione della guerra sotto il profilo strategico ed economico, i Dieci di Balìa e gli Ufficiali del Banco; di questi sono stati studiati i libri contabili e sono state ricostruite nella loro complessità le uscite; una sezione è dedicata alla produzione e commercio di armamenti, approfondendo le tipologie merceologiche, i centri di produzione, le specializzazioni lavorative e le relative retribuzioni. Alla luce di tale analisi, è stata inoltre valutata l’ascesa della fazione medicea e i rapporti di potere all’interno del tessuto sociale fiorentino negli anni presi in esame.

ENG: For historiography, the war context is evaluated as a negative factor in medieval economies. Although valid in many respects, however, this view has not considered the sector of armament production and trade, due to the lack of studies on the subject. This historiographical vacuum has thus resulted in an altered view of the historical reality of that period.
The present research, based on the purchases made by the Republic of Florence during the War of Lucca (1429-1433), aims to evaluate this economic sector in concrete terms. The purchases made, have been divided according to their type: artillery and firearms together with gunpowder and bullets; crossbows, accessories for their use and darts; spears and polearms; and finally, defensive armaments. For the period under consideration, all information useful for such research is available: quantities, individual prices, total expenditures, the locations of production, and the names of the various manufacturers.
With these data, it will then be possible to assess whether from the economic point of view of armament manufacturers the wartime context was evaluated as a positive moment or whether, on the other hand, the heavy tax burden and insecurity in foreign trade, typical of those periods, had an even more negative impact.

Il presente scritto, che si pone all'interno di una serie di contributi pubblicati in occasione del quinto centenario di canonizzazione del frate domenicano Antonino Pierozzi (1389-1459), intende proporre una rilettura attualizzante di alcuni aspetti della vita del santo arcivescovo, moralista, riformatore e patrono di Firenze, soffermando in particolare l'attenzione su due aspetti della sua personalità spesso poco considerati: la disponibilità interiore e la speciale attenzione all'educazione e formazione del prossimo.

ENG: From the mid-fourteenth century, the boundaries of the Comune of Florence began to expand significantly. Initially, the territories of Alto Mugello were incorporated, followed shortly thereafter by other key locations such as Pescia, Prato, Pistoia, and San Gimignano, which were later joined by Volterra and San Miniato in the following decades. A further significant territorial expansion occurred from the 1380s onwards, with the subjugation of Arezzo first, then Montepulciano, and finally Pisa and Cortona.
By the early fifteenth century, Florence’s borders encompassed a territory covering more than two-thirds of present-day Tuscany, as well as a portion of Romagna. Florence thus transitioned from being a comune to becoming a true "territorial state," equipped with specific administrative offices for governance, which were clearly codified in the city's Statuti of 1415. These offices were specialized both by field of competence and according to the socio-political context of the geographical area under their jurisdiction. Their primary purpose was to protect Florence’s borders from external threats and ensure the city's supremacy over its dominions.
Fortified structures were undoubtedly one of the most widely used means of controlling borders and subjugated territories throughout history. Aware of the importance of properly managing its fortresses, Florence had already established a dedicated office for this purpose in the 1320s: the Ufficiali delle Castella. However, by the late fourteenth century, not all fortifications within the dominion were exclusively under their control. The annexation of Arezzo in 1384 forced the Florentine government to confront the challenges of managing areas that strongly resisted submission. In this context, the Sei Ufficiali di Arezzo were created. A similar approach was taken in Pisa: after the city's capitulation in 1406, Florence established an office akin to the one in Arezzo, the Dieci di Pisa.
By analyzing the management of Florentine castellanies overseen by these offices and their territorial distribution, it is possible to outline Florence’s strategies in defining its borders. This process of transforming both internal and external boundaries was far from a mere fifteenth-century development—it had been underway since the late thirteenth century. The goal was to shift from a zonal to a linear territorial structure. This reorganization of territory, and consequently of the population within it, served multiple practical purposes, including administrative, jurisdictional, fiscal, and military needs.
During the first half of the fifteenth century, the Republic of Florence further reorganized the defense of its borders and the oversight of its internal dominions, adapting to its newly expanded territorial reach. Through a complex system of fortifications and administrative offices responsible for their control, Florence demonstrated its ability—particularly during the transitional period between the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries—to operate flexibly in response to the contingencies of territorial management. This effort was aimed both at defending its borders and at maintaining internal surveillance within them.
ITA: Dalla metà del Trecento i confini del Comune di Firenze iniziarono ad ampliarsi notevolmente. Inizialmente vennero inglobati i domini dell’Alto Mugello e, poco tempo dopo, anche altre località di primaria importanza come Pescia, Prato, Pistoia e San Gimignano, alle quali si unirono nei decenni successivi Volterra e San Miniato. Un ulteriore importante incremento dei possedimenti territoriali si ebbe a partire dagli anni Ottanta del secolo tramite l’assoggettamento prima di Arezzo, poi di Montepulciano, infine di Pisa e di Cortona. Ad inizio Quattrocento i confini fiorentini delimitavano quindi un territorio che copriva oltre i due terzi dell’attuale Toscana, senza contare anche una porzione della Romagna. Firenze passò quindi dall’essere un Comune a divenire un vero e proprio “stato territoriale”, dotato di specifici uffici per il suo governo che troviamo codificati chiaramente all’interno degli Statuti cittadini del 1415. Tali uffici erano specializzati sia per ambito di competenza sia in funzione del particolare contesto socio-politico pregresso dell’area geografica a loro affidata, con il preciso scopo di tutelare i confini da possibili aggressioni esterne e per la supremazia di Firenze all’interno dei propri domini. Le strutture fortificate furono indubbiamente uno degli strumenti di controllo dei confini e dei territori assoggettati più adoperati nel corso della storia. Firenze, conscia dell’importanza della corretta conduzione delle proprie castellanie, già dagli anni Venti del Trecento istituì uno specifico ufficio preposto a tale compito: quello degli Ufficiali delle Castella. Almeno dalla fine del Trecento, non tutte le fortificazioni del dominio furono più sotto il controllo esclusivo di tali ufficiali. Con l’annessione di Arezzo nel 1384, il governo cittadino dovette concretamente far fronte alle difficoltà derivanti dalla gestione di realtà particolarmente renitenti a essere sottomesse. In tale contesto vennero creati i Sei ufficiali di Arezzo. Medesima scelta venne effettuata a Pisa. Dopo la capitolazione della città nel 1406, venne infatti istituito un ufficio simile a quello aretino: i Dieci di Pisa. Analizzando la gestione delle castellanie fiorentine operata da tali uffici e individuandone la dislocazione, sarà possibile presentare le strategie che attuò Firenze nella definizione delle proprie frontiere. Tale processo di trasformazione dei confini interni ed esterni, lungi dall’essere una novità quattrocentesca, era già in atto dalla fine del XIII secolo, con lo scopo di passare da una dimensione zonale a una lineare. Questo inquadramento territoriale e conseguentemente della popolazione ivi presente, rispondeva a molteplici esigenze pratiche di varia natura: amministrativa, giurisdizionale, fiscale nonché militare.
Nel corso della prima parte del Quattrocento la Repubblica di Firenze riorganizzò ulteriormente la gestione della difesa dei propri confini e la sorveglianza sui domini interni ad essi, in funzione dell’ormai mutata estensione territoriale acquisita. Mediante un articolato sistema di fortificazioni e di uffici preposti al loro controllo, Firenze si dimostrò capace, nel corso dei decenni a cavallo tra fine Trecento e inizio Quattrocento, di operare in maniera flessibile a risposta delle necessità contingenti di gestione del territorio, volto da una parte alla difesa dei confini e dall’altra alla sorveglianza interna a essi.

"A landmark publication on the drawings of one of the giants of the Italian Renaissance.
A New York Times Best Art Book of 2023
Sandro Botticelli (ca. 1445–1510) is one of the most beloved artists of the Italian Renaissance, especially known for his paintings La Primavera and The Birth of Venus. A lesser-known aspect of his career is his work as a draftsman. His drawings are extraordinary, yet their rarity and unconventional style have kept them from being more widely recognized.

Botticelli Drawings is the first major book to examine this aspect of Botticelli’s work. It considers the foundational role that drawings played in Botticelli’s oeuvre in terms of his aesthetic, practice, and process—from his earliest recorded drawings made under the master Fra Filippo Lippi to the experimental and expressive designs for his final paintings. This catalogue reunites the majority of Botticelli’s surviving sheets, including several new attributions, discussed in detailed object entries. Essays further highlight the development of the artist’s draftsmanship, the broader Florentine culture in which he worked, and his design practices as revealed in new technical analyses of the underdrawings of some of his most renowned paintings.
In its focus on little-known and unknown material by one of the best-known artists in the canon, this is a landmark publication in the field of Renaissance art that will be an important reference for years to come.
Published in association with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco"

ROSALBA SORICE Stranieri-nemici. Il riconoscimento del diritto di difesa agli hostes iniusti. Voci di giuristi tra i secoli XIV e XV Sommario: 1. Nemici da uccidere.-2. Popoli extra nos.-3. Possunt se defendere?-4. Nuove prospettive: Hostes aequaliter iusti.