Machiavelli and the Visual Arts

Despite his extensive education and deep familiarity with the literature of Roman antiquity and contemporary Italy, Machiavelli has little to say in his writings about the visual arts.

This seem odd to me. Machiavelli was a keen observer of his surroundings, and his love for his city must have registered its breathtaking physical beauty, some of which was being created right before his eyes by people he knew. I have made this blind spot in Machiavelli’s writings part of young Nico’s character and a running joke among Nico’s friends, who make endless references to the art of the Italian Renaissance.

For the art-historically inclined reader, these references, even as they fly over Nico’s head, should be obvious. For the rest of us, I hope the final, published version of the book is beautifully illustrated and annotated. But the draft is not. So I’m posting here pictures of paintings, sculptures, and architecture referenced in the novel.

Images from Book I