Project abstract:

The roles of Catherine and Maria de’ Medici, and those of the wives of the dukes, and later grand dukes of Tuscany, such as Eleonora of Toledo, Christina of Lorraine, and Maria Magdalena of Austria, have been studied in depth particularly in terms of the transmission of traditions and models. However, as we maintain, there is still ample room for research especially regarding the relationships between European courts and the consequent circulation of arts-related political strategies, patronage patterns, and encomiastic themes.
The courts of the Medici princesses were, in fact, the settings in which the vicissitudes of different sovereigns, popes and dynasties intersected, all motivated by a strong spirit of competition, striving for supremacy in the cultural and artistic spheres, often driven by the need for legitimacy and the desire for identity-building. The activities of these princesses as patrons (in the fields of architecture, painting, sculpture, ephemeral apparatuses and collecting) were part of the more general framework of European dynamics dominated by the House of Habsburg, with such protagonists as Margaret of Austria and Mary of Hungary, who fostered processes of transmission, practices and models between France, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy. The princesses were surrounded by a circle of ambitious nobles, endowed with refined culture: we need only mention the Tuscan outcasts in France and the fundamental role of the Gondi, who in turn promoted cultural strategies capable of bringing forth new artistic syntheses.
Animated by a group of European scholars, this project will attempt to situate the patronage of the princesses of the house of Medici in a broad European political network, to identify their relations with representatives of other dynasties (for example, the link between Catherine de’ Medici and Margaret of Austria will be considered), to compare their political and cultural motivations, and to examine the outcomes that reveal processes of transmission and assimilation capable of opening new avenues for dialogue with other traditions. On the methodological level, it is planned to consider comparisons with the patronage promoted by their husbands, fathers, brothers or sons, laying the groundwork for the reconstruction of a psychological profile of the protagonists as well, ranging from adherence to emulation and also aversion. New results are expected, capable of elucidating the formulation of the artistic culture of the Medici, based on continuous exchange in the sense of a va et vient, and involving new topics in a game that views the actions of the donor and the beneficiary as alternating in a vast platform of migration.
The project, which aims to develop the theme of intra-court dynamics and exchanges, will consist of annual workshops and the construction of interdisciplinary and international research pathways.

Sarà possibile seguire il workshop online: Link https://meet.google.com/ycg-dkkg-bzv