The Medici beyond Florence. Art and Politics 1530-1648

This book reconsiders the history and culture of the Medici family of Florence between the beginning of the ducal era (1530) and the end of the Thirty Years’ War (1648), examining art collecting and patronage within a broad geographical, political, and cultural framework through unpublished case studies and innovative methodologies. The book investigates the family’s lines of expansion toward Rome, the Viceroyalty of Naples, and Milan, and its relations with the European powers: Spain (through the figure of Eleanor of Toledo), France (focussing on the artistic patronage of Maria de’ Medici) and the Habsburg Empire (in light of the lively artistic exchanges with the court of Rudolph II). It also shows the relevance of the Medici presence in non-European areas such as the principality of Transylvania, the Levant, and the Americas, through cultural and commercial exchanges with the Mughal Empire and Brazil. The aim is to refocus attention on the interaction between members and close associates of the family and their adversaries, and reread Medici historiography from its formation to the present day. Focusing on objects, collections, and artistic mobility around the Medici, the book delves into the relationship between art and power and the importance of the circulation of symbols in the ongoing process of identity reconfiguration of the early modern world.