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73-522: Known primarily for designing Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence , he is often overshadowed by his contemporaries Donatello in sculpture and Brunelleschi in architecture. Michelozzo was born in Florence in 1396. He was the son of Bartolomeo di Gherardo Borgognone and Antonia. Borgognone was of French origin and arrived in Florence from Burgundy at an unknown date. Borgognone lived and worked in

146-486: A Mannerist expression Michelangelo and others used repeatedly. The Palazzo Medici Riccardi was built after the defeat of the Milanese and when Cosimo de Medici had more governmental power. Rinaldo degli Albizzi had also died giving Cosimo and his supporters even more influence. With this new political power Cosimo decided he wanted to build a palazzo. He was able to acquire property from his neighbors in order to begin

219-590: A die-engraver for the Florentine mint in 1410. As an engraver, Michelozzo learned how to cast, chase, and gild copper and bronze, two of the metals in which the Medieval and Renaissance goldsmith most commonly worked. He also gained immense precision of hand and a mastery of sculptural design in miniature. Beginning in the early 1420s, Michelozzo became a member of the Arte dei Maestri di Pietra e Legname , one of

292-697: A forum all'antica . In designing the Santissima Annunziata, Michelozzo followed the model of the Minerva Medica in Rome , making the inner plan round, creating a dome that was as hemispheric the Pantheon , and detailing it with a ten-sided exterior with deep, over-semicircular chapels. He also opted for a drum and a dome without ribs. Though the Santissima Annunziata was Michelozzo's attempt to surpass Brunelleschi on his ground, "a comparison of

365-523: A house and garden in S. Domino a Brozzi. Beginning in 1420, Michelozzo studied under Lorenzo Ghiberti . Michelozzo's first projects with Ghiberti was the North Door of the Baptistry between the years 1417 and 1423/4, in which Michelozzo's responsibilities "could only have been in the chasing and gilding of the panels, possibly in casting the four late reliefs...and in the frame....Most of his work on

438-516: A mistake to underrate Michelozzo's share in the work, for where Donatello appears as the sole designer of architectural ornament his style is quite different. He completely subordinates the architectural setting to his sculpture and makes architecture, so to speak, its handmaid. The beautiful ornamental sculpture in Brunelleschi's Sagrestia Vecchia shows how far Donatello would go with his sculpture in order to provide it with an effective frame in

511-542: A sculptor, was born in 1442; Piero in 1443; Antonia in 1445; Niccolo in 1447; Marietta in 1453; Bernardo in 1455; and Lisabetta in 1459. Two of his sons, Niccolò and Bernardo, were partially educated by the Medici and may have lived in the Palazzo Medici during their youth. They later achieved success in the highest humanistic circles of Florence. Bernardo became a member of the household of Lorenzo il Magnifico as

584-407: A standard for other housing designed by him in years to come. The palazzo itself is based on medieval design with other components added to it. The design was meant to be simpler but set in such a way that it still showed the wealth of the Medici family through use of materials, the interior and the simplicity. The building materials used for the construction were meant to accentuate the structure of

657-855: A very large villa at Fiesole . Between 1445 and 1451, he also expanded Villa San Girolamo next to Villa Medici at the behest of Cosimo. According to "Architecture in Italy, 1400-1500, Volume 53", Michelozzo's architecture contrasts with Brunelleschi in its closer adherence to the "immediately preceding Gothic tradition, the Gothic classicism which appears in the Loggia dei Lanzi or the monastery of S. Matteo." Ludwig Heydenreich and Paul Davies argue that all of Michelozzo's buildings are "works of considerable standing...the most independent architect after Brunelleschi." Michelozzo married Francesca, daughter of Piero di Ambrogio Galligari, in late January or February 1441. At

730-465: Is decorated with astrological depictions of star constellations . The arrangement of the constellations is accurate enough to estimate the particular date they represent, although there has been disagreement on the intended date represented there. In 1911, Aby Warburg first made an attempt with the help of a Hamburg astronomer and concluded that the date was the July 9, 1422, the date of the consecration of

803-402: Is not articulated by Vitruvian orders, and its big arches of its ground floor are not aligned with the windows of the upper stories. Instead, Michelozzo focused on the contrast between surface textures, such as the contrast between "the natural rustication of the ground floor, the flat ashlared courses of the piano nobile and the smooth masonry of the upper storey." The exterior also differs from

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876-465: Is restricted to grey for the stone and white for the wall. The correct use of the Corinthian order for the capitals was also new and a testament to Brunelleschi's studies of ancient Roman architecture . The decorative details are by Donatello , who designed the tondos in the pendentives , the lunettes , the reliefs above the doors and the doors themselves. The smaller dome above the altar

949-517: The Signoria of Florence . As Pater Patriae , Cosimo was able to find ways around it through building materials and the idea of having the exterior of the building simpler and modest while the inside was more decorated. It was larger than other palazzi but its more modest design made it less noticeable. Yet, Cosimo's attempts at modesty did not help later on when the Medici family was scrutinized for their political power. Accused of spending money that

1022-581: The rusticated masonry of the ground floor to the more delicately refined stonework of the third floor makes the building seem lighter and taller as the eye moves upward to the massive cornice that caps and clearly defines the building's outline. Michelozzo was influenced in his design of the palace by both classical Roman and Brunelleschian principles. During the Renaissance revival of classical culture, ancient Roman elements were often replicated in architecture, both built and imagined in paintings. In

1095-729: The Forest as its altarpiece. Lippi's original is now in Berlin, while a copy by a follower of Lippi has replaced the original. Other decorations of the palazzo included two lunettes by Filippo Lippi , depicting Seven Saints and the Annunciation , both now at the National Gallery, London . Work by Donatello was also displayed in the Palazzo, namely the statues David , in the courtyard, and Judith and Holofernes , in

1168-597: The Guilds of Florence that represented the master stonemasons, wood-carvers, and sculptors. He later served as one of the consuls of the Guild in 1430. Michelozzo's father died sometime before 1427, and his mother passed sometime between 1433 and 1442. Michelozzo retained the family residence on Via Larga , which was near the Medici Palace and next door to the humanist Bartolomeo Scala . In addition, Michelozzo possessed

1241-559: The Medici family and their allies, along with Byzantine emperor John VIII Palaiologos and Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund of Luxemburg parading through Tuscany in the guise of the Three Wise Men . Regardless of its biblical allusions, many of the depictions allude to the Council of Florence (1438–1439), an event that brought prestige to both Florence and the Medici. The chapel also used to have Filippo Lippi 's Adoration in

1314-548: The Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, from Cimabue to Our Times , was motivated by his great love and fidelity for Cosimo to accompany him into exile in Venice from 1433 to 1434. Historians have cited this as an unparalleled example of esteem between artist and patron. Vasari also claimed that Michelozzo built the library of San Giorgio Monastery in 1434 for Cosimo, though this claim contradicts

1387-605: The Palazzo Medici Riccardi, the rusticated masonry and the cornice had precedents in Roman practice, yet in totality it looks distinctly Florentine, unlike any known Roman building. Similarly, the early Renaissance architect Brunelleschi used Roman techniques and influenced Michelozzo. The open colonnaded court that is at the center of the palazzo plan has roots in the cloisters that developed from Roman peristyles . The once open corner loggia and shop fronts facing

1460-607: The Santa Croce quarter of Florence as a tailor, and was made a Florentine citizen on 9 April 1376. Michelozzo had three brothers named Leonardo (b. 1389/90), Zanobi (b. 1391), and Giovanni (b. 1403). By 1391, Michelozzo's family had moved to the San Giovanni quarter, where they continued to live throughout his life. Little is known about Michelozzo's childhood, other than that he received a comprehensive education in reading, writing, and arithmetic, and that he began working as

1533-872: The Second Chancellor of the Republic in 1513. When Cosimo began building the Palazzo Medici in 1444, he passed over Brunelleschi and gave his preference to Michelozzo. Like the exterior of the Palazzo Comunale in Montefiascone , that of the Palazzo Medici follows the tradition of the Tuscan late-medieval palazzo, but without the more eye-catching symbols of civic power, which would have been incompatible with Cosimo's role as primus inter pares and pater patriae . The palazzo's exterior

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1606-469: The Tuscan Renaissance palazzo," and became a repeated style in many of Michelozzo's later work. It was one of the first buildings to have a grand staircase that was not a secular design and for a building of this time and the status symbol of the client at the time, it was a simple and modest-looking building, however it was one of Michelozzo's most important commissions for the family and became

1679-490: The altar. Gertrud Bing later rejected this in favor of a calculation by Arthur Beer for July 6, 1439, the date of the closing session of the Council of Florence , in which the Articles of Union between Eastern and Western Christendom were signed by Latin and Greek delegates. More recent recalculation by Professor John L. Heilbron has independently confirmed this date and even estimated the time of day at about noon. In

1752-517: The architectural frames of Donatello's sculptures such as the funerary monument of Antipope John XXIII . In 1428, together with Donatello, Michelozzo erected an open-air pulpit at an angle of the Cathedral of St. Stephen at Prato , designed for the regular public displays of their famous relic , the Girdle of Thomas ( Sacra Cintola ). Though Donatello is the more well-known of the two, "it would be

1825-514: The books, neatness and gracefulness of the gardens, as it is in the tapestry decorations, cassoni of inestimable workmanship and value, noble sculptures, designs of infinite kinds, as well of priceless silver — the best I may ever have seen..." Niccolò de' Carissimi, one of Galeazzo Maria's counsellors, furnished further details of the rooms and garden: "[...] decorated on every side with gold and fine marbles, with carvings and sculptures in relief, with pictures and inlays done in perspective by

1898-502: The building of the palazzo. Unlike other wealthy families however, Cosimo wanted to start fresh and cleared the site before he began building. Most other families, including those from wealthy backgrounds, built from what was already present. During this time, there was also a concern over sumptuary laws which affected how much wealth one could display or how to display wealth without displaying wealth. Cosimo agreed with this law and believed in this ideal possibly because of his status within

1971-402: The building of the sacristy of Santa Trinita , where "Ghiberti [had] started to fuse together late-Gothic and antique forms." Both Donatello and Michelozzo began as sculptors with an uncompromising dedication to antiquity, and this was evident when Donatello enlisted Michelozzo's help in the decoration of the tabernacle of St. Louis of Toulouse . Michelozzo also became the partner responsible for

2044-443: The building through the threefold grading of masonry, rusticated blocks on the ground floor, the ashlar face of the top story, and the cornice . The exterior design of the rusticated blocks and ashlar also create an optical recession that makes the building look even larger by the use of rough texture to smoother textures as the building heightens. The cornice in the palazzo was also the first time it debuted fully developed, giving

2117-491: The chapel. Another apartment suite on the floor above was probably for guests, and there was a summer apartment suite on the ground floor. The ground floor contains two courtyards, chambers, antechambers, studies, lavatories, kitchens, wells, secret and public staircases. Regardless of its purposely plain exterior, the building well reflects the accumulated wealth of the Medici family . The fifteen-year-old Galeazzo Maria Sforza

2190-590: The church, sacristy, cloister, monastic living quarters, and the library. San Marco has been called the first Renaissance church, though it seems to be a compromise between the Trecento tradition and the Renaissance spirit. The plain white walls without frescos differ from the coloristic tradition of the Trecento and were essential to Michelozzo's architectural concepts and preference for large, unadorned surfaces, subtly articulated by necessary structural members in grey pietra serena . Like many of his projects, San Marco

2263-558: The combination of traditional and progressive elements. The arcades and entablature of the palazzo's courtyard also follows the model of the loggia of the Spedale degli Innocenti , which is symptomatically Brunelleschi's earliest and most un-Vitruvian building. One of Michelozzo's most well-known architectural projects, the palace led to the development of a new architectural type: the Florentine Renaissance palace. Among

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2336-403: The complaints. After studying documents and proofs for six weeks, the arbitrators found that the two brothers were the cause behind most of Michelozzo's debts, and they were required to relinquish their inheritance in partial compensation for the amounts they owed. Four boys and three girls resulted from Michelozzo's marriage to Francesca, of whom five survived their father. Bartolomeo, who became

2409-428: The dome, another relative novelty, more typical of Byzantine architecture. The dome is actually an umbrella dome, composed of twelve vaults joined at the center. It was not an uncommon design and Brunelleschi may have learned the technique from a visit to Milan or other places where such domes existed. What was new was the way in which the dome was integrated into the proportion of the space below. The use of color

2482-442: The doors is submerged, like that of the other assistants, in the force of Ghiberti's design and personality." From this, Michelozzo learned how to run a closely supervised shop, how to organize it efficiently, how to train and control assistants, and how to deal shrewdly in business and financial affairs. "He was exposed to Ghiberti's use of antique motifs, he absorbed Ghiberti's ability in juxtaposing antique and Gothic elements, and he

2555-567: The entire operation as at San Marco, SS. Annunziata and elsewhere." Michelozzo added various parts to the church and cloister of Santa Croce, including "the loggia in front of the Ex-Dormitory and Library (octagonal columns with foglie d'acqua capitals) which originally extended across the cloister to the elevated loggia on the south side of the church, running along the eastern flank of the San Giuliano (Mellini) Chapel...which divided

2628-520: The exile of Piero de Medici in 1494. Following their return to power the palace continued to be used by the Medici until 1540 when Cosimo I moved his principal residence to the Palazzo Vecchio . The Palazzo Medici continued to be used as a residence for younger family members until, too austere for Baroque era tastes, the palace was sold to the Riccardi family in 1659. The Riccardi renovated

2701-435: The extraordinarily vigorous modelling of the broad, slanting surrounds of his overdoors and medallions." Few historians have disputed Cosimo's close relationship to Michelozzo, who was the Medici architect for nearly forty years. "Michelozzo was more agreeable and accessible to the advice and desires of Cosimo than the turbulent Brunelleschi, and was willing to follow the strong personal tastes of his patron." Their relationship

2774-587: The first cloister into two parts before its destruction in the nineteenth century." Additionally, the Cerchi Chapel on "the ground floor of the Ex-Library wing at the end adjacent to the Ex-Refectory is evidently inserted into older peripheral walls which survived the 1423 fire. The language of the details (pilasters flanking the opening into the little square choir, capitals of the lunette vaults of

2847-491: The frieze is decorated, like the capitals at Bosco ai Frati, with the Medici balls." Commissioned by Lodovico Gonzaga , lord of Mantua and general of the Florentine troops, the choir was created in commemoration of Gonzaga's father and "for the celebration of masses for his soul." Cosimo had already commissioned Michelozzo with the construction of the church's vestibulum and atrium in order to continue Brunelleschi's idea of

2920-462: The garden. Sagrestia Vecchia The Sagrestia Vecchia di San Lorenzo , or Old Sacristy of San Lorenzo , is the older of two sacristies of the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence , Italy . It is one of the most important monuments of early Italian Renaissance architecture . Designed by Filippo Brunelleschi and paid for by the Medici family, who also used it for their tombs, it set

2993-422: The great taste and skill of the architect has combined the delicate lightness of the earlier Italian Gothic with the massive stateliness of the classical style. With great engineering skill Michelozzo shored up, and partly rebuilt, the Palazzo Vecchio , then in a ruinous condition, and added to it many important rooms and staircases. When, in 1437, through Cosimo's liberality, the monastery of San Marco at Florence

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3066-617: The hall in front of the choir - which overlap older windows in the side walls) is that of the Michelozzo circle." From 1461 through 1464, he constructed the Walls of Ston in Ragusa , the largest medieval wall in Europe. In spite of Vasari 's statement that he died at the age of sixty-eight, he appears to have lived until 1472. He is buried in the monastery of San Marco , Florence. One of

3139-543: The later family that acquired and expanded it, is a 15th-century Renaissance palace in Florence , Italy. It was built for the Medici family , who dominated the politics of the Republic of Florence . It is now the seat of the administration of the Metropolitan City of Florence and a museum. The palace was designed by Michelozzo di Bartolomeo for Cosimo de' Medici , head of the Medici banking family, and

3212-480: The main space is articulated by a rhythmic system of pilasters , arches that emphasize the space's geometric unity. The pilasters are for purely visual purposes, and it was this break between real structure and the appearance of structure that constituted one of the important novelties of Brunelleschi's work. The pilasters support an entablature , the only purpose of which is to divide the space into two equal horizontal zones. The upper zone features pendentives under

3285-407: The many Michelozzo innovations on the facade, the most notable include: "the use of bugnato digradante (large unevenly-cut stones which grow lighter as they ascend on the upper stories), the classical columns and fluted capitals in the bifore windows, the great classical cornice crowning the building and the small ones dividing the stories, the massive rectangular proportions of the block of square, and

3358-408: The most accomplished and perfect of masters even in the very benches and floors of the house; tapestries and household ornaments of gold and silk; silverware and bookcases that are endless... then a garden done in the finest of polished marbles, with diverse plants, which seems a thing not natural but painted." Furthermore, Cosimo received the young Sforza in a chapel "not less ornate and handsome than

3431-702: The most influential, yet unknown, architects of the Early Renaissance , Michelozzo's designs paved the way for the rapid development of the Central Italian Palazzo type. He developed the aisleless church and became the pioneer of a plan-type of sacred building, which is the most important in modern times. He transformed secular building and his adaptability in use of traditional forms enabled him to evolve good compromise solutions for distant regions, such as Lombardy and Dalmatia . In his careful treatment of architectural ornament, "Michelozzo

3504-539: The nave and the Cappella Maggiore was a high wall (tramezzo) with two doors. In the later remodelling of the church, the wall was removed and the doors were transferred to the polygonal apse where they are now located. Their fluted pilasters are crowned with composite capitals identical to those in the Barbadori Chapel in S. Felicita by Brunelleschi, and above the architrave with classical mouldings,

3577-508: The new building for San Lorenzo, the design for which Brunelleschi was also responsible, was not far along. It was only in the years after 1459 that the Old Sacristy was unified with San Lorenzo, connected to its left transept. The plan is a perfect square with a smaller square scarsella or altar on the south side. The scarsella is axially positioned in the wall, and connected to the main space by an arched opening. The interior of

3650-472: The original description and documents of the library, which indicate that although the library's construction was started by Cosimo, it was largely built under the direction of Medici bank manager Giovanni d'Orino Lanfredini between 1467 and 1478, which was well after Michelozzo's departure from Venice. The large Palazzo Medici in Florence, built by Cosimo, was designed by him; it is one of the noblest specimens of Italian fifteenth-century architecture, in which

3723-494: The palace and commissioned the magnificent gallery frescoed with the Apotheosis of the Medici by Luca Giordano . The Riccardi family sold the palace to the Tuscan state in 1814 and in 1874 the building became the seat of the provincial government of Florence. Michelozzo had become a favorite of Cosimo due to his attention to tradition and his style for decoration. Michelozzo had studied under Brunelleschi and some of his work

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3796-578: The palazzo in Montepulciano in its size, its more urbane character, and its massive classicizing cornice. "In its succession of dentils, egg-and-dart and consoles, Michelozzo directly followed the Temple of Serapis in Rome." Brunelleschi's influence on Michelozzo is evident in the palazzo's design, especially in the late-medieval bifora windows, the symmetry and the dominance of the entrance axis, and

3869-495: The palazzo more significance in a historical context. The Medici were still able to show their wealth on the exterior through their building material choices. The rusticated blocks soon became seen as a status symbol as the materials were costly and rare. They also, later, became a large part of power politics that was believed to have started with the Palazzo Medici Riccardi. The piano nobile had three apartments, each of four main rooms ( sala, camera, anticamera, scriptoio ), and

3942-589: The post under Piero di Lorenzo . In 1469, Niccolò began his political career as a notary in the Florentine Cancelleria, and he was often sent on important missions as ambassador for the Florentine Republic between 1489 and 1494. Following the downfall of the Medici, he was imprisoned for a brief time before clearing his name in 1496 and becoming the precounsel of the Arte dei Giucidi e notai and later succeeded Niccolò Machiavelli as

4015-426: The regularity of the disposition of the windows, which, however, are asymmetrical in regard to the doors." The fundamental basis of all monastic compounds built by architects during the Renaissance, this was one of Michelozzo's first and most influential architectural projects in Florence. Constructed at the expense of Cosimo dei Medici, the project began sometime between the years 1437 and 1438. Reconstruction included

4088-494: The rest of the house". The many portable artworks of the highest quality that were in the palace during the Medici years have long been removed; most are now still in Florence in museums. The most important section of the palace with wall-paintings is the Magi Chapel , famously frescoed by Benozzo Gozzoli , who completed it around 1459. Gozzoli adorned the frescos with a wealth of anecdotal detail and portraits of members of

4161-401: The street were walled in during the 16th century. They were replaced by Michelangelo 's unusual ground-floor "kneeling windows" ( finestre inginocchiate ), with exaggerated scrolling consoles appearing to support the sill and framed in a pedimented aedicule , a motif repeated in his new main doorway. The new windows are set into what appears to be a walled infill of the original arched opening,

4234-472: The time of their marriage, she was 20 years old, and he was 45. Francesca's dowry of 425 florins was about average for an upper-middle-class family at that time. The size of her dowry indicates a considerable rise in Michelozzo's social position. In 1441, Michelozzo launched a legal complaint to remove himself from the responsibility of his two older brothers' debts. Andrea di Benozo, representative for Giovanni, Zanobi, and Michelozzo, elected arbitrators to weigh

4307-428: The tone for the development of a new style of architecture that was built around proportion, the unity of elements, and the use of the classical orders. The space came to be called the "Old Sacristy" after a new one was begun in 1510 on the other side of S. Lorenzo's transept. The structure was begun 1421 and largely complete in 1440. When finished, it was, however, quite isolated, the reason being that construction for

4380-557: The tutor of Piero de Medici . In 1500, he was made a Florentine canon and was employed by Giovanni de Medici , first as his Chamberlain and then as his Secretary and Referendary. Like Bernardo, Niccolò studied with Ficino from a young age and took part in the Platonic Academy , where he formed friendships with other Florentine humanists who shared his love for antiquity. He excelled in literature and philosophy, and he later became secretary to Piero di Cosimo and continued in

4453-485: The two ground plans suffices to show how utterly superior Brunelleschi's is." In the May 1966 issue of The Burlington Magazine , Howard Saalman wrote that "the language of the details of the Ex-Dormitory and the Ex-Library wing points to Michelozzo. If Vasari is right and Michelozzo did work at Santa Croce (and there is no reason to doubt it in spite of the lack of documentation) then Michelozzo and his circle probably handled

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4526-497: The upper story of the convent. The pointed entrance arch rested on two pilasters with large, classical Corinthian capitals surmounted by a dado decorated with the Medici balls (also still visible). In front of the apse was the Capella Maggiore, covered with groin vaulting. The nave was a single open space without aisles, adorned with ediculas or altars (three on each side), and covered with a wooden beamed ceiling. Separating

4599-509: Was able to adopt ideas and turn them to good account as well as to transmit new ones. The styles of Manetti, Bernardo Rossellino, Giuliano da Maiano, and even of Giuliano da Sangallo are unimaginable without the support and influence of Michelozzo's artistic idiom in addition to that of Brunelleschi, and later, of Donatello." Palazzo Medici Riccardi The Palazzo Medici , also called the Palazzo Medici Riccardi after

4672-489: Was best described by Angelo Fabroni in 1789, who said: "Cosimo loved Michelozzo dearly and relied on him, not only because of his natural talents (he considered nobody, not even Brunelleschi, superior in all architectural judgments), but also because of his good qualities and worthy character." Michelozzo enjoyed a close relationship to Cosimo dei Medici throughout his life, and according to Giorgio Vasari in The Lives of

4745-417: Was built between 1444 and 1484. It was well known for its stone masonry , which includes architectural elements of rustication and ashlar . The tripartite elevation used here expresses the Renaissance spirit of rationality, order, and classicism on human scale. This tripartite division is emphasized by horizontal stringcourses that divide the building into stories of decreasing height. The transition from

4818-401: Was built to sustain the cells above. Work began on the church in 1438 and was probably completed three years later, though certainly by 1443 when it was consecrated by Pope Eugene . Using the perimeter of the former Trecento church, Michelozzo added a polygonal apse, similar in form to that at Bosco ai Frati; it was lighted by three long round arch pietra serena windows which can still be seen in

4891-407: Was constructed with incredible rapidity. Unlike Brunelleschi, Michelozzo was able to finish what he started, largely due to Michelozzo's efficiency and due to the availability of adequate financing from Cosimo throughout the campaign. The first part undertaken by Michelozzo was "the rebuilding of the old refectory, where a low vault, supported by consoles much like those in the sacristy at S. Trinita,

4964-457: Was different for its time, and has several architectural innovations. It was believed to be the combination of Michelozzo's traditional and progressive elements that set the tone and style for future palazzi. The palazzo was the first building in the city to be built after the modern order including its own separate rooms and apartments. The palazzo was also a start to not only Michelozzo's climb in status as an architect, but also as "the prototype of

5037-414: Was entertained in Florence on 17 April 1459, and left a letter describing, perhaps in the accomplished terms of a secretary, the all-but-complete palazzo, where his whole entourage was nobly accommodated: "[...] a house that is — as much in the handsomeness of the ceilings, the height of the walls, smooth finish of the entrances and windows, number of chambers and salons, elegance of the studies , worth of

5110-667: Was handed over to the Dominicans of Fiesole , Michelozzo was employed to rebuild the domestic part and remodel the church. For Cosimo he designed numerous other buildings, most of them of noteworthy importance. Among these were a guest-house at Jerusalem for the use of Florentine pilgrims, Cosimo's summer villa at Careggi , and the fortified castello that he rebuilt from 1452 as the Villa Medicea di Cafaggiolo in Mugello . For Giovanni de' Medici , Cosimo's son, he also built

5183-478: Was influenced by the renowned architect and sculptor. However, Brunelleschi had proposed a design to Cosimo but was believed to be too sumptuous and extravagant and was rejected for Michelozzo's more modest design, although Brunelleschi's style can still be seen in the palazzo. The courtyard of the palazzo was based on the loggia of the Ospedale degli Innocenti , a Brunelleschian design. The Palazzo Medici Riccardi

5256-473: Was not his, Cosimo's house became part of arguments claiming that the Medicis built the Palazzo with money that was not theirs. Cosimo and his family had moved into the new palace by 1458 (probably not long before that), moving from their old palace some 50 metres north, on the same street. He did not enjoy it for very long, dying in 1464. The palace remained the principal residence of the Medici family until

5329-612: Was undoubtedly influenced by Ghiberti's style and artistic concepts." While working under Ghiberti, Michelozzo created the statue of the young St. John over the door of the Duomo in Florence, opposite the Baptistery , along with the silver statuette of John the Baptist on the altar-frontal of San Giovanni. In his tax declaration of 1427 Michelozzo calls himself as "in partnership" with Ghiberti. Under Donatello , Michelozzo assisted in

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