Without exaggeration, this is one of the most important books on the Italian Renaissance to have been published over the last two generations. As a study of Lorenzo de' Medici's patronage, his wide-ranging artistic tastes, his complex personality, and the art world of his times, it is an original, comprehensive, and insightful work. And given Lorenzo's stature as a politician, patron, and poet, as well as the vast bibliography on the man and his times, it is also a work of remarkably courageous synthesis. -- Richard Goldthwaite, The Johns Hopkins University

In the past half century, numerous scholars have downplayed the Renaissance contribution of Lorenzo de' Medici, the Magnificent. They say that compared to his grandfather Cosimo, Lorenzo was not so magnificent. Historian F. W. Kent seeks to correct this view by examining Lorenzo's interest in art, aesthetics, collecting, and building. Kent finds that Lorenzo indeed had a cultural and artistic vision, which he applied to many aspects of his private and public lives, witness his interest in public buildings, urban design, and the construction of various Medici palaces. His expertise was well-regarded by gildsmen and artists who often turned to him for advice as much as for patronage. Supplementing the text are new photographs by Ralph Lieberman, commissioned by the author.