The Medici family used patronage of the arts to communicate their wealth and power to the city-state of Florence, which in turn elevated their political position. The works of art they commissioned used the symbolism of jewelry, biblical figures, and the golden age of Rome to convey their prominence and accomplishments.
Cosimo the Elder, Jarcopo Carucci
1519-1520 - Uffizi Gallery
Bia de Medici, Agnolo Bronzino
1542- 1545 - Uffizi Gallery
Cosimo II with his wife and son, Justus Suttermans
1640 - Uffizi Gallery
Lorenzo de Medici, Giorgio Vasari
1533-1534 - Uffizi Gallery