Medicean metamorphoses: Carnival in Florence, 1513

Abstract

In early February 1513, the recently restored Medici family celebrated Carnival in Florence with two elaborate, allegorical triumphs. As moments of ephemeral, public ritual these triumphs provided a unique opportunity for the Medici to negotiate their position in the city and their relationship to the government, to tell a story about themselves. The images and concepts presented in the Carnival depicted the Medici as peacemakers and defenders of Florentine liberty. This central conceit later became significant in the family's iconography even as they transformed themselves into titled princes of the city and dismantled the republican government. © 2010 The Society for Renaissance Studies, Blackwell Publishing Ltd.