The Vespucci Family: Art Patronage in Ognissanti

• In Event: Family Archives, Families in the Archives I: Florence

Abstract

This paper examines the artistic patronage of the Vespucci family in the Florentine church of Ognissanti in the decade 1470–80. The frescoes executed by Sandro Botticelli and Domenico Ghirlandaio have been almost unanimously accepted as Vespucci commissions, but doubts remain on the dates of execution and the exact identity of the patron. By taking into account new archival material unearthed in Florence, this paper offers further insights into the commissioning of these artworks and clarifies the role played by the Vespucci. It will be shown how artistic commissions functioned as means to politically, socially, and culturally connect the Vespucci to Florence’s elite, and considerations will be made on the way the family used art and culture to enhance the

Author

• Irene Mariani, University of Edinburgh