Medici Money

None of this happened without patronage. The Medici family bankrolled Brunelleschi's dome, Donatello's sculptures, and Fra Angelico's frescoes. Cosimo de' Medici and later his grandson Lorenzo the Magnificent used art commissions to demonstrate power.

Patronage was transactional. Artists gained prestige and income; patrons gained political legitimacy and public admiration. A chapel fresco wasn't just a spiritual act — it was a billboard announcing that this family was rich.