I love Florence, the city which brought us the Medici family, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, the Borgias, an enormous chunk of the Renaissance and Enlightenment, beautiful clothing and art, and a world of intrigue, death, and discovery. The Medici themselves encompass a story of new money become old, a humble family giving it's sons to be Popes and it's daughters to be Queens before itself becoming hereditary Dukes of Florence to rule in their own right. I came to love the Medici through Lorenzo de' Medici, grandson of the founder of the bank and dynasty Giovanni. A great lover of art, humanism, and controlling other people - Lorenzo gave us Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli and Michelangelo Buanarroti, among others, as his enduring legacies, and helped to broker the painting of the Sistine Chapel. You can see why I love his legacy even as his personal politics rankle! He altered representative democracy in Florence to elevate his own power, and understandable but frustrating choice we see within our own government now.
Niccolò Machiavelli's life follows the fall of the Medici family, coinciding with and studying the Borgias as they attempted to consolidate much of central Rome and rebuild an Empire. For me, Machiavelli's The Prince was a break in an interminable study of historical philosophy. In clear, cogent prose he laid out what he had observed with the rise of Cardinal Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI, as he moved from theological to martial means for power. My love for the Borgias themselves is less based on history than on the delightful manga Cantarella, based around the supernatural battle for Cesare's soul after his father the Pope sold it to the devil in exchange for the Papacy. Alternatively dark and hopeful, Cantarella is beautifully drawn and has one of the most epic love triangles of all time. As historical figures, the Borgias are fascinating. As examples of the depths people will take in pursuit of power, they are a cause for despair. All of this takes place against a backdrop of the architecture, art, and sumptuous dress of Florence - a place I love without reason.
I couldn't resist making a more medieval Italian look to honor the Medici, the Borgia, and the artists inspired and supported by them. Genre is still going on, giving us a lens into a European past we can learn from and explore.
( More pictures here. )
Credits:
Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Ploom, Eskimo
Crown: Tanoshi, Queen's Pearls (Genre)
Eyes: .:Soul:., Oculos Eyes
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Pididdle, Eyeliner - wings
Lipstick: Mock, Innocente
Wings: .:Soul:., Oree Wings
Necklace: Chaos Panic & Disorder, Mourning Pearls
Bangle: +XAnSA+, Viperas Grip (Genre)
Body: SLink, Hands, Feet
Undershirt: PixelDolls, Twilight Dress
Nails: La Boheme, Abalone
Ring: The Stringer Mausoleum, Regally Caged Ring
Outfit: Les Encantades, Birgit (Genre)
Poses: An Lar
Location: Rocca Sorrentina
Windlight Settings: Places, Astryls Wild
Water Settings: Mirror Water
Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping
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