Rebirth of the Republic 1494-1512

Tuesday 30th June at 18:00

Having rid itself of Medici rule, in 1504 the defiant Florentine Republic decided to place Michelangelo Buonarroti’s newly completed statue of David the giant slayer in front of the Palazzo della Signoria as a warning to would-be tyrants. Additionally, the government commissioned Michelangelo, along with Leonardo da Vinci to paint a massive fresco program celebrating the city’s military triumphs on the walls of the Salone dei Cinquecento, the chamber of the Great Council. Leonardo, recently returned to Florence in 1500, had begun working on a portrait of a notable Florentine merchant’s wife named Lisa Gherardini (Mona Lisa). Leonardo’s work was closely observed by the 21-year-old Raphael, who was present in the city at the same time and creating dazzling paintings for local patrons. Despite dramatic political events that were soon to bring down this republic, it was during these very years that the “golden age” of Florence reached its spectacular zenith.