Bibliograph

Medici money, banking, metaphysics, and art in fifteenth-century Florence, Tim Parks

Type

Label

Medici money, banking, metaphysics, and art in fifteenth-century Florence, Tim Parks

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 249-253) and index

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Medici money

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

57319704

Responsibility statement

Tim Parks

Series statement

Enterprise

Sub title

banking, metaphysics, and art in fifteenth-century Florence

Summary

The remarkable story of the Renaissance's preeminent financiers. Their name is a byword for immense wealth and power, but before their renown as art patrons and noblemen the Medicis built their fortune on banking-specifically, on lending money at interest. Banking in the fifteenth century, even at the height of the Renaissance, meant running afoul of the Catholic Church's prohibition against usuryIt required more than merely financial skills to make a profit, and the legendary Medicis--most famously Cosimo and Lorenzo ("the Magnificent")--were masterly in wielding the political, diplomatic, military, and even metaphysical tools that were needed to maintain their family's position. In this brisk and witty narrative, Tim Parks uncovers the intrigues, dodges, and moral qualities that gave the Medicis their edge. Vividly evoking the richness of the Florentine Renaissance and the Medicis' glittering circle, replete with artists, popes, and kings, Medici Money is a brilliant look into the origins of modern banking and its troubled relationship with art and religion.4

Classification