![]() Baccio Valori, along with his son and nephew, was beheaded in the Piazza della Signoria, and Piero Strozzi was imprisoned (Campbell). Under the leadership of Alessandro Vitelli, Cosimo’s infantry was able to mount a surprise attack on the rebel army and storm the fortress at Montemurlo, capturing the main supporters of the exiled enemies. Upon hearing of this invasion, Duke Cosimo ordered a vanguard of Italian, German, and Spanish infantry to respond to this attack. During this time of insecurity, in Cosimo’s first few months as Duke, a band of exiles, under the command of men like Piero Strozzi and Baccio Valori, marched into Tuscany to try and seize control for the Republican party of Florence. The transition between Alessandro’s rule and Cosimo’s proved to be an uncertain period of time for Florence. Cosimo, though young, proved capable of defending his power and the city, which was entrusted to him. Cosimo, however, proved strong-willed, astute, and ambitious and seized the power that he had earlier entrusted to the council of Forty-Eight. Many influential men in Florence favored him and indeed, hoped to rule through him. ![]() As such, to carry on the Medici rule, the counsel of forty-eight elected 17-year-old Cosimo I de ‘Medici as his successor (Campbell). The location of the statue, the mythological symbolism, the actual material of the statue, as well as surrounding artwork all lend themselves to the idea that this statue was commissioned to commemorate Cosimo I de ‘Medici’s rise to power.Ĭosimo being the son of Giovanni Dale Banda Nere was not a member of the main Medici family, however, with the assassination of Alessandro de ‘Medici, the dominant branch of the Medici family was eliminated. The myth of Perseus and Medusa served as a perfect outlet for Cosimo to represent two messages he effectively gave a warning to his enemies while, at the same time, celebrated his own rise to power. By commissioning the statue of Perseus and Medusa, Cosimo successfully infused hidden meaning into artwork. Commissioned by Cosimo I de ‘Medici shortly after his appointment as Grand Duke, it is believed to hold additional meaning than that of the myth associated with the sculpture. In 1545, artist Benvenuto Cellini began work on his famous bronze sculpture of Perseus Beheading Medusa.
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