This book masterfully combines art and history to bring to life Renaissance Italy through the lives of the Pucci family. While the Medici family may have been the most prominent in Renaissance Italy, if you look closely, several famous Renaissance paintings reveal that the figure next to the major subject of the painting is often a Pucci. Numerous paintings and frescoes bear this out: Vasari's Cosimo il Vecchio and His Entourage Return from Exile (Cosimo is prominent; Puccio Pucci is to his right); Ghirlandaio's The Confirmation of the Rule (Lorenzo de’ Medici is centered; Antonio Pucci is to his right); and Vasari's Clement VII Crowns Charles V in San Petronio (Charles V is crowned, with Cardinal Lorenzo Pucci just below).
The Puccis rose to become one of the wealthiest and most influential Florentine families. The Pucci name is renowned in several ways: as supporters of classical education, humanism, art and architecture; for participation in conspiracies, murders and papal wars; and as a house that produced three cardinals and influenced Italian religion and politics in the Quattrocento and Cinquecento. The book starts with a helpful Pucci family tree showing the descendants through several centuries. While the volume covers many Puccis who contributed to the Renaissance, this review focuses primarily on the more notable (for good or bad) ones.
During the Renaissance, Puccis held numerous positions in government and the church. The book describes Puccio Pucci (1389–1449), who married a sister of Cardinal Farnese (who went on to become Pope Paul III) in an Orsini palace in 1534. As expected of social elites, the Pucci provided funds for the restoration and expansion of palaces, villas, and private chapels, and did so in a way that paid homage to classical culture. Chapter 2 includes a splendid image of Frederico da Montefeltro's beautiful studiolo in Urbino with a frieze of twenty-eight illustrations of famous people. (One of the wonderful attributes of this book is its inclusion throughout of numerous pictures, portraits, and drawings.)
Chapter 3 introduces us to another interesting Pucci: Antonio (1419–84). Antonio was a strong backer of Cosimo de’ Medici and was Lorenzo de’ Medici's right-hand man. Antonio was also known for his keen interest in architectural and archaeological reconstruction, particularly with Giuliano da Sangallo, who followed in Alberti's revival of ancient architecture. As a result, D'Arista characterizes Giuliano as someone who “changed the face of western architecture forever” (84).
The work then moves to the three Pucci cardinals. The book begins with Antonio's son Lorenzo (1458–1531). He was with Lorenzo de’ Medici at his peace meeting with Naples in 1486, assisted Piero de’ Medici in defending Florence against French invasion in 1494, and became a cardinal in 1513. During his time, however, he was charged with simony and promoting the sale of plenary indulgences (a Protestant reform target).
Cardinal Lorenzo headed the apostolic tribunal that covered heresy, excommunication, and impediments to sacraments. Notably, Lorenzo was faced with King Henry VIII's 1520s demand for an annulment from Catherine of Aragon on the basis that she was unable to produce a son. Unfortunately for Henry VIII, Catherine was an aunt of the Holy Roman Emperor, who, in 1527, invaded Rome in an attack that became known as the Sack of Rome. Lorenzo slyly figured out how to defer any resolution of Henry's ultimatum.
Two chapters describe the experiences of two other Pucci cardinals: another Antonio (1485–1544) and Roberto (1464–1547). Their lives continue the Renaissance story of the Pucci family's political connections, religion, extensive travels, literacy accomplishments, and the arts. This part of the work is well worth reading. The book ends with a description of the Pucci family from 1612 to 1913 and includes a ledger that describes the property owned by the three cardinals. The ledger includes many luxury goods and numerous books—including a life of Charles V; ten works of Cicero; and works of Plutarch, Euclid, Aristophanes, and Aristotle. This volume includes forty-two pages of notes, works cited, and indexes of people and places.
This is a large (9 x 11 ¼), scholarly, beautiful, and exquisite book—a work that you would be proud to highlight to family and friends as one of your personal treasures. It offers us a precious jewel on the Renaissance life and times of the Pucci family.
