The Tigress of Forli Read Online Free Page B

the medallions depicting the great caesars of Rome seemed to be carved of marble instead of painted. The vault was crowned with a painted aperture through which one seemed to view the sky. An illusionist dome, intended to resemble the Roman Pantheon, alluded to a connection between the Gonzaga court and imperial Rome. In Mantua, under Gonzaga dominion for over 150 years, art celebrated the success of kingship, not republican rule.
    What the Sforza family saw in Mantua showed them that Italians valued more than displays of opulence, and nowhere was this more true than in the Republic of Florence, where Caterina and her family were greeted by Lorenzo de' Medici and welcomed into his home on the Via Larga. Although the Medicis were not officially the rulers of Florence, they were the de facto leaders of the powerful city-state. Florence, unlike Milan or Mantua, had succeeded in winning its independence during the wars between the papacy and Holy Roman Empire in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Together with Siena, Pisa, and Bologna, Florence was one of a handful of little Italian city-states with a fledgling form of representational government. Milan had twice attempted to throw off its feudal shackles (most recently before the reign of Galeazzo's father), but its proximity to France, the oldest monarchy in Europe, and its weak grounding in the principles of humanism seemed to destine all bids for freedom to failure.
    Lorenzo de' Medici was neither prince nor duke, yet his people called him "the Magnificent" in recognition of his leadership and his generosity. He did not live in a castle, protected by high walls and moats, but in a palace similar to those of other wealthy Florentine families. Its exterior did not boast state-of-the-art battlements or other defenses. Instead, hand-tooled stones were arranged in decorative, orderly patterns, and large windows illuminated the interior, bathing the rooms with light.
    The house contained a library even richer than that of the Sforzas, and the Medicis took great interest in its contents. Lorenzo kept among his household an academy of scholars who discussed the works of the ancient authors, particularly Plato, and who wrote copiously themselves. Lorenzo often spent time with them, composing poems. Less exuberant than his handsome younger brother Giuliano, Lorenzo the Magnificent was nonetheless never considered a weakling. Still very young, Caterina was captivated by this ruler, who fought his enemies valiantly, discussed Plato knowledgeably, and wrote poetry passionately. Her love for Florence and particularly the Medici family would long remain with her.
    The Medicis were grateful for the friendship of the Sforzas. Less than one hundred years earlier, under the Viscontis, Milan had been Florence's bitterest enemy. As soon as Francesco Sforza assumed the rule of Milan, Cosimo the Elder, grandfather of Lorenzo, had offered his friendship and considerable banking power, opening a Medici bank in Milan and transforming adversary into ally. Lorenzo was a gracious host and staged various entertainments for his noble guests, even commissioning one of his favorite artists, Piero del Pollaiuolo, to paint Galeazzo's portrait. Nonetheless, the austerity of the Florentines must have surprised the Sforza entourage. The Republic of Florence had adopted strict sumptuary laws, which prohibited luxuries in dress and accessories for both men and women. The pearl embroidery, horned headdresses, and lengthy trains typical in Milan were strictly forbidden in Florence. Although Tuscany produced the finest dyed luxury cloths in Europe, its citizens wore simple attire, more often made of wool than silk or gold brocade. Though the women of Florence chafed under these rules, they were nevertheless scandalized by the extravagance of the Milanesi. Some even considered the company from Milan to be a negative influence on the city's youth. Machiavelli would later lament that if Duke Galeazzo had found the city