In the early Renaissance, the patron and not the artist decided many of the details of a work. This could include selecting the content, composition and colours in a painting. For this reason, the patron was often considered the creator of a work. The banker Giovanni Rucellai commissioned Leon Battista Alberti to create the facade of the church Santa Maria Novella. In the inscription on the facade, Rucellai names himself as the maker of the work. Many wealthy merchant families built their families new palaces in the new Renaissance style, with balance and symmetry, such as the Strozzi Palace in SOURCE8 . Rucellai wrote that his spending on architecture reflected ‘his desire to honour God and his city and in memory of himself’.
SkillBuilder discussion Continuity and change 1. How does the construction of the Strozzi Palace represent a change in the way wealthy families built their homes in Florence? 2. What does demolishing previous buildings for the Strozzi Palace suggest about changes in Florence? Did you know? Girolamo Savonarola was a Catholic priest who accused political and religious leaders of being corrupt. He was also very critical of the classical influences in literature, art and sculpture, which he described as pagan. He was particularly critical of the Medici family, who he thought were taxing the poor of Florence too heavily. He encouraged his followers to burn items he regarded as sinful, such as books, art and luxury items in the ‘bonfires of the vanities’. He was later hanged and burnt for his criticism of the Church.
SOURCE8 The Strozzi Palace was begun in 1489 by Benedetto da Maiano for Filippo Strozzi. Filippo bought and demolished many buildings on the site to make enough space for the new palace, but he did not move from the site of his family’s original house.
5.4 SkillBuilder activity USING HISTORICAL SOURCES In 1427 the Florentine Republic introduced a new taxation system, called the Catasto, to raise revenue for a war against the Visconti of Milan. The Catasto was based on the household with the assessment recorded in the name of the senior male. The information collected included the name, occupation and assets of all members of the household. Assets included property, investments, livestock, slaves and items of value. The Catasto assessed the wealth of over 40 000 people and determined how much tax was due. In addition, there was also a ‘head tax’ levied on each male between the ages of 18 and 60. Those who possessed neither property nor capital were exempt. Neighbours were rewarded for reporting people who understated their income.
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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