A Quest for Salvation - Cosimo de' Medici in 15th Century Florence

Cosimo de Medici was motivated by a strong desire to
achieve salvation. This became a high priority for
him after he returned from exile in 1434. He was a
prosperous banker who used his financial gains, in
the form of donations, to maximize his chances of
attaining salvation by assuaging his sins due to
usury. To establish Cosimo s patronage, the monastery
of San Marco, the Medici palace chapel, and the
church of San Lorenzo are examined. At San Marco, the
restoration of the monastery and the purpose of
including the Medici family Saints Cosmas and Damian
in Fra Angelico s Crucifixion are investigated. For
the Medici palace chapel there is a detailed
interpretation of the Confraternity of the Magi and
Benozzo Gozzoli s fresco of the Procession of the
Magi in the chapel. In the final analysis, the
location of Cosimo s tomb reveals his quest for
salvation with the masses that were performed in San
Lorenzo after his death. This book is tailored for
the art aficionado as well as thegeneral reader as
it illuminates how politics and religion influenced
Cosimo s role as a patron of the arts in fifteenth
century Florence.