Sculpture in the Piazza della Signoria: Politics and Power in Renaissance Florence

Sorcha Keogh
Trinity College Dublin
Department of History of Art and Architecture
2015
BA

Subject: Sculpture
Country: Italy
Period: 15th and 16th Century

10,000 words

This thesis examines sculpture in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence. In particular, works such as Donatello’s ‘Judith and Holofernes’, Michelangelo’s ‘David’, Bandinelli’s ‘Hercules and Cacus’ and Celllini’s ‘Perseus with the Head of Medusa’ will be discussed. A study of these sculptures is a description of the history of fluctuations in power and patronage in a specific period in the history of Florence. In particular, this dissertation will examine who was in power, what artists were in favour and how each ruler expressed their status. The subject matter of each statue also conveys a particular political message and in a broader sense the prevailing political mood of the day. The four sculptures were the result of the desire to express power and wealth in a time of great political turmoil.

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Sculpture in the Piazza della Signoria: Politics and Power in Renaissance Florence