The Medicis were an affluent family that rose to power in the 12th century. Through banking and commerce, they grew to become one of the most important houses in Florence and had significant sway over the city for two centuries. However, their influence started to decline in the 14th century. Wealthy houses were going bankrupt, the market was in decline, and the oligarchy was unstable. In an effort to preserve his power, Salvestro de' Medici spurred an uprising amongst the lower class to attack his enemy factions. But he made an error in his struggle against the Guelf party, thus spoiling his family image and others of similar rank. The Medici family was banished from Florence.
Cosimo de’ Medici brought back the Medici family’s lost fame and prosperity in 1434. His descendants became uncrowned monarchs of Florence thanks to his wealth and influence. They were avid patrons of art and antiquities and enabled numerous notable artists like Fra Angelico, Brunelleschi, Ghiberti and Donatello. Besides patronising many significant Italian Renaissance works, they imported collectables from foreign lands eagerly—most notably, Americana.
After Christopher Columbus landed on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola in 1492 and the subsequent Spanish invasion and colonisation of much of the Americas, material objects, flora, and fauna from these faraway lands were shipped back to Europe, where many people perceived them as exotic items of wonder and fascination. These artefacts were displayed in ‘cabinets of curiosities’, which offered a way for Europeans to engage with foreign and exquisite parts of the world remotely. They often combined human-made (artificiala), natural elements (naturalia), and scientific objects and instruments (scientifica). They were not, however, something anyone could access. They were exclusively for the elite. Medici popes Leo X and Clement VII were among the first to start collecting Americana. With the ongoing evangelisation attempts, they were able to access and study the habits of native Americans. They commissioned works depicting these strange, foreign people they’d never seen before. These mementoes of American culture started making cameos in High Renaissance art.
The Ñudzavui (Mixtec) Codex Vindobonensis Mexicanus I, one of the few surviving pre-conquest Mesoamerican screen fold codices, was owned by Pope Clement VII. It was sent to him by the King of Portugal along with other Americana acquired during the Spanish Invasion and Evangelisation.
