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8 - Cultural Patronage and Sportsmanship

from Part II - Between Republicanism and Princely Rule

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 December 2019

Alison Brown
Affiliation:
Royal Holloway, University of London
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Summary

Although Piero was criticised for his love of sports and footballing in the streets, sportsmanship – like cultural patronage – contributed to the soft power increasingly enjoyed by Renaissance rulers. Visits to the antiquities in the Medici palace and to the model farm at Poggio a Caiano formed part of diplomats’ tours of Florence, while the sports of horse racing and falconry provided invaluable items for gift exchanges with other rulers. So too did Piero’s famous Spanish runner Garzerano, who was regarded as a trophy (‘like some prince’, in the eyes of the royal court) when borrowed by Alfonso of Naples for his son.1 So if Piero’s sporting activities were unappreciated at home, they gave him more standing outside Florence than his critics may have realised.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Cultural Patronage and Sportsmanship
  • Alison Brown, Royal Holloway, University of London
  • Book: Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici and the Crisis of Renaissance Italy
  • Online publication: 20 December 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108783798.011
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  • Cultural Patronage and Sportsmanship
  • Alison Brown, Royal Holloway, University of London
  • Book: Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici and the Crisis of Renaissance Italy
  • Online publication: 20 December 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108783798.011
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Cultural Patronage and Sportsmanship
  • Alison Brown, Royal Holloway, University of London
  • Book: Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici and the Crisis of Renaissance Italy
  • Online publication: 20 December 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108783798.011
Available formats
×