Details

EXCLUSIVE WEBINAR | “The Art of the Deals: Artists, Bankers and Merchants in 15th-century Florence”
Presented by Ross King
with Additional Commentary by Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

The Renaissance in Florence was the product of a perfect storm of wealthy bankers, talented artists, ingenious financial instruments, and a new attitude toward money. This new attitude took its cues not from age-old religious injunctions against usury but instead from the even more ancient ideas about wealth and expenditure recently discovered in the works of writers such as Aristotle. This lecture will look at how, armed with new philosophies of how to live in the world, bankers and merchants such as the Medici, the Strozzi and the Rucellai used the gift of their vast wealth to adorn the city of Florence with palaces and paintings.

The webinar will include a 45-minute lecture followed by 15-minutes of Q&A.

Please note:

• Your participation is confirmed once you have purchased your ticket. You will receive the Zoom link to join the presentation circa 30 minutes before the start time.
• VIDEO RECORDING of the webinar will be available for unlimited streaming at your convenience for 7 days after the event.

Lecturer

Ross King is the award-winning author of numerous books on Italian and French art and history, including Brunelleschi’s Dome and Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling. His biography Machiavelli: Philosopher of Power has been called a “convincing portrait of one of the most misunderstood thinkers of all time.” His most recent book, published in April 2021, is The Bookseller of Florence: The Story of the Manuscripts That Illuminated the Renaissance.