Bibliograph

Medici money, banking, metaphysics, and art in fifteenth-century Florence, Tim Parks

Type

Label

Medici money, banking, metaphysics, and art in fifteenth-century Florence, Tim Parks

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (p. 249-253) and index

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Medici money

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

44699957319704

Responsibility statement

Tim Parks

Series statement

Enterprise

Sub title

banking, metaphysics, and art in fifteenth-century Florence

Summary

Their name is a byword for immense wealth and power, but before their renown as art patrons and noblemen, the Medicis built their fortune on banking. Banking in the fifteenth century, even at the height of the Renaissance, meant running afoul of the Catholic Church's prohibition against usury. It required more than merely financial skills to make a profit, and the legendary Medicis--most famously Cosimo and Lorenzo ("the Magnificent")--were masterly at the political, diplomatic, military, and even metaphysical tools that were needed to maintain their family's position. Parks uncovers the intrigues, dodges, and moral qualities that gave the Medicis their edge. Evoking the richness of the Florentine Renaissance and the Medicis' glittering circle, replete with artists, popes, and kings, Medici Money is a look into the origins of modern banking and its troubled relationship with art and religion. --From publisher description

Table Of Contents

Medici family tree -- Chronology -- With Usura... -- The art of exchange -- The rise of power -- "The secret things of our town" -- Blue blood and white elephants -- The magnificent decline -- Bibliographic notes -- Illustration credits -- Index

Classification