Indeed, Lorenzo would come to see art and literature, in particular, as a political tool —one of many means by which he could control his image and that of his family. The medieval and Renaissance collections at the V&A have many objects that reveal the lives of women. This is largely connected to that spirit of renewed interest in classical antiquity, and in particular, a renewed reverence for classical literature. with us here today, in this gallery, belonged to the Medici family, but the Humanism is a primarily intellectual philosophy that gives principal importance to human, rather than divine, matters — a significant break with the intellectual and philosophical tradition of the Middle Ages. He intentionally engaged with philosophers, writers, and artists, and purposefully commissioned many great works so that one might be able to say, “This. But as part of his revenge, Cupid also strikes Daphne with a lead-tipped arrow that causes her to reject Apollo’s love. part of the financial exchange made between families in order to achieve a As Apollo himself prophesies in the tale, over the centuries this myth would transform into custom, and wreaths of laurel were used to honor winners, warriors, and poets over the course of history. This connection to culture, and literature in particular, was about making important social connections as a tool of self-fashioning and reputation-building: even the most complex exchanges among the literary elite were as much social and involved with the search for distinction as they were scholarly. Lisabetta despairs in his absence, until Lorenzo visits her in a dream with torn and rotting clothes, alluding to his decomposition, and tells her where to locate his body. However, this object was further embellished in the 1800s, with gilding and inscriptions added to identify the scenes. However, this object was further embellished in the 1800s, with gilding and inscriptions added to identify the scenes. Kirsti S. Thomas . To our right, we have a panel from a marriage chest painted by Giovanni di Ser Giovanni Guidi featuring the story of Lisabetta di Messina, which is a novella from Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron — an excellent example of this sort of didactic narrative material. Access to the literary created possibilities for joining a cultural lineage, one which had become so valued in Renaissance culture as part of the “rediscovery” of classical antiquity. After you pick who you want to be as your spouse it is time to begin the fun part, wooing them! These items were, to quote the opening panel of this exhibit, “objects that best represented the political, social, economic, religious, and artistic dynamics at play during the Italian Renaissance,” and the exploring these intersections will hopefully provide fruitful ground for discussion this evening. The reality, of course, was more This cassone (an Italian term applied to marriage chests from the mid-1500s) shows scenes from the life of Julius Caesar, reflecting Renaissance interests in ancient Roman history. Literature, the Visual Arts? Cosimo also sought to mold his grandson, Lorenzo, in his image in order to preserve Medici power and influence and continue it into the next generation. Before the custom was outlawed in 1754, tens of thousands of ‘Fleet marriages’ were solemnized. × 81 in. On display are more than 150 objects including paintings, glassware, jewels, pottery (majolica) that were created to celebrate or to mark engagement, marriage, and birth. that they played in the often lengthy and complex series of marriage rites that Drop me a line anytime, whether it’s about any queries or demands or just to share your well being. marriage chest during this period played an important role. During the Renaissance, Europeans saw love and marriage as in Renaissance Italy, a sum of money given by a wife's family to her husband upon marriage. These chests also had a public function as well, in the role that they played in the often lengthy and complex series of marriage rites that were practiced at this time. Many famous Italian Renaissance artworks were made to celebrate love and marriage. by. In this exhibition, we have a panel by Apollonio di Giovanni di Tomaso that depicts the well-known story of Apollo and Daphne from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. As we can see from the two panels that feature this narrative, we have a scene depicting the three brothers luring Lorenzo out of the city, and another depicting Lisabetta in mourning. mid-1500s. For most people, however, the concept of courtly love, which treated the beloved as a pure ideal. In Greek mythology, Apollo was an important but boastful god (we might recall him as a favorite of Lorenzo de’ Medici — also known as the god of music, truth, light, and reason; all important aspects to Renaissance culture), who, one day, mocked Cupid, the god of Love, for his use of a bow and arrow, a weapon far more suited to a powerful god such as himself. In fact, today, Lorenzo de’ Medici is more popularly known by his nickname: Lorenzo il Magnifico—Lorenzo the Magnificent. This came from Florence.” Thus it is not merely a happy coincidence that some of the Italian Renaissance’s greatest names — Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli — came from the city of Florence. This exhibition explores the various exceptional objects created to celebrate love and marriage in the Italian Renaissance. 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