The Medici Family Coat of Arms: The Use of Symbolism for Consolidating Power in Fifteenth Century Florence
Coat of arms or insignias are defined by Bartolo da Sassoferrato as “arbitrary signs designed to distinguish between persons, whatever their status in society”[1]. These signs played a fundamental role in fifteenth century Florentine society as they signified families or guilds. Due to their iconic coat of arms, The Medici family will be focused on in this essay where not only the palle, (the Medici balls), but also the diamond ring imprese will be explored as well as the visual vocabulary associated with them. This essay will mainly focus on Cosimo il Vecchio, Piero il Gottoso, Lorenzo il Magnifico and their use of these symbols for themselves individually and the Medici family as a whole as well as the different forms these devices can take in different commissions and different contexts. The origin of the palle is unclear as there are multiple theories though that will also be explored and in this essay I will argue that the Medici’s use of these symbolic devices were more effective in consolidating their rule over Florence rather than other symbols they chose to represent themselves with.
House Of Medici Coat of Arms with augmentation of honour by King Louis XI of France (1465)
Arte del Cambio (Bankers and Money-Changers Guild) Coat of Arms
The palle has gone through many variations though it is often shown comprising of six balls ,or “roundels”[2], positioned symmetrically with five red balls and one blue ball on a gold background. There are instances of the symbol appearing with eight or seven balls during Cosimo and Piero’s time however after Lorenzo it remained as six. The imagery of balls may allude to the Medici male virility as the palle is mostly linked to the men in the family like those mentioned in this essay but there is no apparent reason for this nor is there a clear origin of where the symbol came from leading to multiple theories surfacing though there is one that seems to be the most logical and apparent. This theory claims that the palle is based on the Arte del Cambio’s insignia, one of Florence’s major guilds. The guild is based on the bankers and moneychangers of Florence as it also links to early members of the Medici family who were merchants and bankers from their formation like Ardingo de’ Medici who was part of the guild and held a notable position. The guild’s coat of arms also comprises of multiple golden spheres positioned horizontally on a red background hence the Medici coat of arms could be alluding to their rich banking background. Another theory that has been considered is that the roundels represent pills. This theory originated after Catherine de’ Medici’s betrothal and marriage to the eventual king of France, Henry II and it started as an assumption that the Medici descended from physicians and apothecaries due to their name and its similarity to the Italian word “medico” ,meaning physician, and the Latin word “medicus”[3]. This has been disputed and proven to be a rumour created around Catherine de’ Medici’s arrival in France and promoted by Henry II’s mistress, Diane de Poitiers who played a prominent role in French court, in order to belittle Catherine and her family background as compared to the king she seemed to come from a lower family although technically Catherine could claim she was of royal blood as her mother, Madeleine de la Tour d’ Auvergne, was French and related to the ruling royal family.
The palle also showed up in other innocuous forms like the orange trees often seen in Medici commissions such as the Primavera. This was a way of the Medici asserting themselves in an inconspicuous manner and the inclusion of orange fruit could be attributed to Cosimo il Vecchio and his affinity for gardening. Cosimo’s biographer Vespasiano observed that, except for chess, Cosimo never played games and instead preferred more productive avocations hence gardening. This is further reflected in his gardens on all his estates and major sites he served as a patron for such as San Marco church. “The little garden of the melarancie”[4] stood symbolically for the golden roundels of the Medici family arms which for Cosimo he was more likely to position the coat of arms with more than five balls unlike Lorenzo thus orange trees would be used in place of the palle in his commissions. There is no confirmed theory for the origin or the palle’s imagery however it was successful in developing the Medici family’s perception to the public and helping their rise to power.
The Triumph of Fame; (reverse) Impresa of the Medici Family
Not only is Lorenzo attributed to the iconic palle as we know it now, but the same also goes for the Medici diamond ring imprese. As well as the palle, the ring was the most widespread family device used by the Medici family in the fifteenth century. Born in 1449, Lorenzo’s birth was announced with this same device to which his mother, Lucrezia Tournabuoni, received on a desco da parto (birth salver) after his birth. The birth salver, painted by Giovanni di Ser Giovanni, includes a Petrarchan triumph of fame on the front panel and the ring set against a blue background with three feathers and an inscription that says “semper” with a large gem set in the ring. It was confirmed in the sixteenth century that the gem in the ring is a diamond; Randolph goes into the symbolic meaning of the diamond as in Italian, it translates to “di Amando” which is a variation of the Latin “deo Amanté” that means “loved by God”[5]. The ring itself generically symbolises eternity whilst the feathers represent the three theological virtues through their colours green, white, and red that correspond to faith, hope and charity, respectively. Even the inscription of “semper” holds meaning as it translates to the word always[6]. Fifteenth century Florence was a pivotal time for the Medici family who were trying to assert themselves politically and so the use of their coat of arms in this was very necessary. Their coat of arms was seen in most if not all their commissions and so the image they conveyed to the public was essential. The diamond ring was put on architectural projects marking the Medici family’s patronage as most of these projects were for ecclesiastical spaces and so it spoke to the significance of the family both religious and civic. The imprese set itself as a visual cue for the public due to its produced notions of their place, ownership, and power in Florentine society, it does not appear consistently on Medici commissions, nor does it appear only on works commissioned by a single member of the family leading to its varying composition used by different family members. Paolo Giovo speculates Cosimo il Vecchio’s configuration of the ring consisted of three interlocking rings whereas Piero’s variation was illustrated as a falcon holding the ring in its talons and as is known Lorenzo’s version was the ring with three feathers[7]. The ring is a marker of the Medici’s legitimacy and their fidelity to the state as a representation of their authority. In order to understand the Medici’s intentions with this imprese and the message they tried to convey, it would be helpful to view the ring as a marriage device. Through marriage, a ring symbolises consent, loyalty, fidelity, and dependability which are all qualities that the Medici may have wanted to display to the public as they worked to establish their dominion over Florence. The ring would have helped to reinforce that the political connections keeping the family in power were mutual and reciprocal in regard to them and the state especially with the added meaning of the motto “semper,” it would have conveyed the message that the Medici were faithful to the state of Florence and its betterment.
Medici representation was also expressed through other symbols they co-opted such as the bronze statue of David or the statue of Judith and Holofernes, both done by Donatello per the Medici’s commission. The David has long been the symbol of Florence as they viewed themselves as unlikely victors compared to bigger regimes at the time like Milan who were trying to overtake them and as the Medici rose to power, they portrayed themselves as the face and leaders of Florence thus the co-option of the David in order to be connected to the Florentine government and position themselves as its successors . Although the David and Judith function as counterparts to each other in symbolism, the Judith was not a symbol used by the Florentine government that the Medici family co-opted. Similar to the ring imprese, the Judith was used to represent chastity and humility and through her as a symbol, the Medici wanted to promote themselves as the rightful leaders of Florence. Even the inscription at the base of this statue seems to confirm this: “Kingdoms fall through luxury [sin],cities rise through virtues. Behold the neck of pride severed by the hand of humility”[8]. As seen through this inscription, the Medici are referencing themselves as the “virtues” that Florence needs to succeed.
However, the difference between the coats of arms and the sculptures is how unique they are to the family. After their exile in 1494, the David and Judith were reclaimed by the Florentine government and adopted as symbols of Florence. That would not be possible with the palle or diamond ring as it is only exclusive to the Medici. The Judith and David were easy for the Florentine government to reclaim as theirs because ,outside of the commissions, they held no connection to the Medici family. Although the David and Judith represented a lot of the same visual cues and language as the Medici coat of arms it was able to be taken away and reinterpreted as a Florentine symbol because it held no intimate connection to the family besides their patronage whereas due to their long history with the coat of arms and the personalisation it underwent, it was always synonymous with the Medici family name. The ring imprese for example, initially appeared on commissions connected to the patronage of Piero il Gottoso and the embedded diamond on the ring would have been understood as a pun on his “stony”[9] name hence its effectiveness on Piero’s relationship with the public and their interaction with his patronage. The sculptures also do not bear any mark of the Medici family hence their seamless transition from the Medici Palace to their current home in the Bargello Museum and the Palazzo Vecchio, respectively, whereas the Medici coat of arms cannot be used by anyone other than a Medici due to its iconography.
In conclusion, the Medici’s use of their coat of arms and the iconography they had created around it worked more effectively for their success than their commissions for sculptures that conveyed the same message. The Medici family wanted to portray themselves as loyal to the state and powerful enough to run it through the palle and diamond ring which represent those qualities respectively and they wanted to make sure their influence was widespread hence the frequency onto which they plastered their insignias everywhere. I believe it was because of this that the Florentine public at the time were more so receptive to their power though I am aware of the power struggle between the family and Florentine government, their exile and subsequent return as Grand Dukes as well as the public’s apprehension however, their contribution to the arts is the realm I focused on and due to this it could be the case that at their return, Florentine society had grown acclimated to the family and their ambitions. The unique symbolism they represented themselves with was what furthered the family into power and allowed them dominion over Florence in the fifteenth century.
Bibliography
1. Ames‐Lewis, Francis. “Early Medicean Devices.” Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 42, no. 1 (January 1, 1979): 122–43. https://doi.org/10.2307/751088.
2. Cavallar, Osvaldo, Susanne Degenring, and Julius Kirshner. A Grammar of Signs: Bartolo Da Sassoferrato’s Tract on Insignia and Coats of Arms. Robbins Collection University of California, 1994.
3. De Roover, Raymond. “The Medici Bank Organization and Management.” the Journal of Economic History 6, no. 1 (May 1, 1946): 24–52. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022050700062100.
4. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Giovanni Di Ser Giovanni Guidi (Called Scheggia) | the Triumph of Fame; (Reverse) Impresa of the Medici Family and Arms of the Medici and Tornabuoni Families | the Metropolitan Museum of Art,” January 1, 1449. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436516.
5. Kent, Dale V. Cosimo De’ Medici and the Florentine Renaissance: The Patron’s Oeuvre, 2000.
6. Lincoln, Evelyn, and Pascale Rihouet. “Brands of Piety.” UC Davis Law Review 47, no. 2 (2013): 679–703.
7. McHam, Sarah Blake. “Donatello’s Bronze ‘David’ and ‘Judith’ as Metaphors of Medici Rule in Florence.” the Art Bulletin/the Art Bulletin 83, no. 1 (March 1, 2001): 32–47. https://doi.org/10.2307/3177189.
8. Pharmacy, International Society for the History Of, and H. Szancer. “‘the Origins of the Medici-Legend and Reality.’” In Die Vorträge Der Hauptversammlung Der Internationalen Gesellschaft F&qout;Ur Geschichte Der Pharmacie E. V. Während Des Internationalen Pharmaziegeschichtlichen Kongresses, 161–72, 1965.
9. Randolph, Adrian W. B., and Adrian W.R. Randolph. Engaging Symbols: Gender, Politics, and Public Art in Fifteenth-century Florence. Yale University Press, 2002.
10. Staley, Edgcumbe. “The Guild of Bankers and Money-Changers.” In The Guilds of Florence, 170–203. Methuen & Co, 1906.
11. Taylor-Mitchell, Laurie. “Images of St. Matthew Commissioned by the Arte Del Cambio for Orsanmichele in Florence: Some Observations on Conservatism in Form and Patronage.” Gesta 31, no. 1 (January 1, 1992): 54–72. https://doi.org/10.2307/767050.
Artworks Referenced
Fig. 1, Sandro Botticelli, “Primavera”, c. 1480, The Uffizi Gallery
Fig. 2, Donatello, “David”, bronze, c. 1440s, Bargello Museum
Fig. 3, Donatello, “Judith and Holofernes”, bronze, 1457-1464, Palazzo Vecchio
[1] Osvaldo Cavallar, Susanne Degenring, and Julius Kirshner, A Grammar of Signs: Bartolo Da Sassoferrato’s Tract on Insignia and Coats of Arms (Robbins Collection University of California, 1994).
[2] International Society for the History of Pharmacy and H. Szancer, “the Origins of the Medici-Legend and Reality.,” in Die Vorträge der Hauptversammlung Der Internationalen Gesellschaft F"Ur Geschichte Der Pharmacie E. V. Während Des Internationalen Pharmaziegeschichtlichen Kongresses, 1965, 165.
[3] Pharmacy and Szancer, “the Origins of the Medici-Legend and Reality.,” 164.
[4] Dale V. Kent, Cosimo De’ Medici and the Florentine Renaissance: The Patron’s Oeuvre, 2000, 299-300.
[5] Adrian W. B. Randolph and Adrian W.R. Randolph, Engaging Symbols: Gender, Politics, and Public Art in Fifteenth-century Florence (Yale University Press, 2002), 113.
[6] Randolph and Randolph, Engaging Symbols: Gender, Politics, and Public Art in Fifteenth-Century Florence, 111.
[7] Randolph and Randolph, Engaging Symbols: Gender, Politics, and Public Art in Fifteenth-Century Florence, 116.
[8] Sarah Blake McHam, “Donatello’s Bronze ‘David’ and ‘Judith’ as Metaphors of Medici Rule in Florence,” the Art Bulletin/the Art Bulletin 83, no. 1 (March 1, 2001): 36, https://doi.org/10.2307/3177189.
[9] Randolph and Randolph, Engaging Symbols: Gender, Politics, and Public Art in Fifteenth-Century Florence, 116.
