“Bindo Altoviti”的意思、由来-开放百科全书

Vita

Bindo Altoviti was born in 1491. Little is known about his youth or early education. As the Altoviti had blood ties with the houses of Cybo and Medici and alliances with the della Rovere, Pope Julius II (Guiliano della Rovere) became a mentor to Bindo as he was to his later successors Leo X (Giovanni de' Medici) and Clemente VII (Giulio de' Medici). Bindo was included among the young noblemen educated at the papal court where he was in attendance of the hostage Federico Gonzaga, the son of Isabella d’Esteand future duke of Mantua. During these years he also got introduced to Bramante, Raphael, and Michelangelo.^[1]

At the same time the Altoviti had ever since strong Republican leanings. Bindo became known not for just being a dashing young aristocrat, who had more to his credit than mere pulchritude, rather risking wealth and power for his ideals. He married Fiammetta Soderini, niece of Piero Soderini, head of the Florentine government and who had together with his second chancellor Niccolò Machiavelli unsuccessfully raised an army of national militia to defend Florence against the return of the Medici.However, loyal to family, Bindo's career flourished under Leo X and Clemente VII.^[2]

From the documents in the Vatican archives, it is possible to trace Bindo’s raise to prominence as a banker. Respected at the papal court, he contributed to the festivities of Leo X. He established partnerships with the Spinelli, Ricci, Pucci and Ruspoli, promoting the career of Bartolomeo Ruspoli, who was related to cardinal Niccolò Ardinghelli, an influential member of the Farnesefraction and intimate associate of Alessandro Farnese, future Pope Paul III.^[3]

After the death of his rival Agostino Chigi and the sack of Rome in 1527, only a few wealthy banks had the capital to prevent economic chaos. Competing with fierce Genoese bankers and the Germans Fugger and Welser; the Strozzi, Salviati and Altoviti became the leading Florentine and curial bankers, given the chance to participate in massive credit transactions, controlling an enlarging sphere of papal finance.^[4]Bindo was appointed as Depository General, the leading banker of the Papal States and chief commissioner for collecting taxes, mainly allocated for the reconstruction of the St. Peter's Basilica. He gradually expanded and diversified his financial activities, established dependences of the Altoviti Bank in foreign money markets as France, Netherlands and England. Among his clients were duke Charles III of Savoy and king Henry II of France and by shrewd political and financial acumen he amassed one of the largest private fortunes in Italy.^[5]His life and wealth was centered on the Eternal City rather than Florence but he still followed and often intervened directly in the political affairs of the Florentine homeland. Strong was the link between the Altoviti and Strozzi families, dictated not only by kinship but also by political affiliation. He and tycoon Filippo Strozzi the Younger financed the troops of Emperor Charles V and the siege of Florence in order restore the Medici rule. Victorious in the Battle of Gavinana, Alessandro de' Medici, the illegitimate son of duke Lorenzo II de' Medici (though others believe he was in fact the son of Clement VII) and brother of Caterine de' Medici, became Duke of Florence and named Bindo as ducal council to public office.^[6]

After the death of his cousin and rival Ippolito de' Medici, the duke had a fall out with Filippo Strozzi (who had been together with his wife Clarice de' Medici the guardians of Catherine de' Medici after her father's death), who had conspired with Ippolito to remove Alessandro from power. Alessandro was assassinated by Lorenzino de' Medici and now Bindo found himself in a dilemma torn between various family fractions, political and financial interests. On one hand he was the uncle of the assassin and gave Lorenzino money and advise how to escape but on the side he was affiliated to the senior branch of the Medici. He chose to sided with queen Catherine de' Medici (who was an enemy of her cousin Cosimo and had come to terms with Filippo Strozzi) and Paul III, whose grandson Ottavio Farnese, Duke of Parma married Margaret of Austria, the illegitimate daughter of Charles V and widow of Alessandro de' Medici. In the wake events Bindo became one of the leaders of the Florentine exiles in Rome. He provided major financial backing to the army of the Florentine exiles led by Filippo Strozzi. Defeated at the battle of Montemurlo, Filippo was captured, tortured and committed suicide in prison.^[7]Nonetheless, the new duke, Cosimo I de' Medici and the banker could not remain at odds for long. Cosimo's aunts, Cassandra Altoviti and Bindo's sister-in-law Maria de' Medici Soderini, helped them to reconcile and Cosimo turned to the Altoviti Bank for considerable sums of money. Cosimo also careful to consolidate the alliances of his young power, appointed Bindo Florentine consul in Rome, later senator, moves which in no way mitigated their once again rising mutual contempt.^[8]

Paul III and Bindo backed Giulio Cybo in Genoa and Filippo Strozzi's son Piero Strozzi, who was like his father no real champion of Florentine liberties rather having his own ambitions to secure more power for his family.^[9] During the war of Siena, Bindo outfitted five companies of three thousand infantry captained by his son Giambattista Altoviti to join the rebel army. After their defeat in the Battle of Marciano, Piero fled to France at the court of Catherine de' Medici. Many members of the Strozzi and Soderini got exiled, imprisoned or declared rebels. In retaliation, Cosimo declared Bindo a rebel and confiscated all his property in Tuscany, including Raphael's Madonna dell'Impannata for his private chapel in the Palazzo Pitti.

However, Bindo was still protected by his patrons Paul III and Julius III. In fact, he was the recipient of many favors and able to develop a complex financial empire, centered on various papal enterprises, ultimately raising to one of the most influential bankers of his generation.^[10]

He continued to support the exiles and the royal House of Valois of France. He gave a substantial loan to Catherine de 'Medici's husband king Henry II, hoping that he would move against Florence, which at the end did not happen, because of the military commitments of the king against England and Spain.

Bindo died in 1557, still confident of the liberation of Florence. With the hope of bringing him back to Florence, his family had erected a funeral monument in the church of Santi Apostoli, which remained vacant. Instead he was buried in the family chapel in the church of Santa Trinità dei Monte in Rome.^[11]

Patron of the arts

Like other Florentines who provided loans to the popes in exchange for the rights to papal revenues, Bindo prospected. He enjoyed the financial resources to undertake extensive renovations to the properties he inherited from his father and his suburban villa on the Tiber to indulge a growing passion for art. Known and endowed with a strong taste for art, he became a patron of the arts and friend to Vasari, Cellini, Raphael and Michelangelo.^[12]Immortalized by Raphael, he harbored Michelangelo when he fled from Florence to Rome.^[13] Michelangelo had such a high esteem for Bindo (while he despised his rival Agostino Chigi) that he gave him as a gift the cartoon of Noah's Blessing, used in the vault of the Sistine Chapel (lost) as well as a design of a Venus (lost) colored then by Vasari.^[14]

It was also Michelangelo who convinced Bindo, not to rebuild, but to preserve the church Santi Apostoli. Vasari painted the Allegory of the Immaculate Conception for the family chapel.^[15]

When in Rome, Vasari also used to stay at the Palazzo Altoviti where he frescoed the Triumph of Ceres. When the palazzo was demolished in order to create the Tiber's embankments, the frescos were removed and are now shown in the National Museum of Palazzo Venezia.^[16] For Bindo's suburban villa Vasari frescoed a vast loggia called the Vineyard decorated with statues and burial marbles from emperor Hadrian's Villa Adriana.^[17] Andrea Sansovino also gave Bindo as a gift a terra-cotta model of the statue of St. James he sculptured for the Duomo in Florence.^[18]

Descendants

His son Giovanni Battista Altoviti married Clarice Ridolfi, daughter of Lorenzo Ridolfi, grandson of Lorenzo il Magnifico di Mediciand Clarice Orsini, initiating a reconciliation between the houses Altoviti, Medici and Strozzi. This made it possible that Bindo's other son Archbishop of Florence Antonio Altoviti could finally reside his bishopric. Giovanni Battista himself remained a banker in Rome, was twice consul of the Nazione Fiorentina, and exercised, under Pius V, the offices of an apostolic general and the Depositario dell'Abbondanza.

Marietta Altoviti married Giambattista Strozzi also strengthening the union with the houses Strozzi and Medici. Their descendants became the Strozzi dukes of Bagnolo and princes of Forano, the Corsini princes of Sismano, dukes of Casigliano and Civitella, and most prominent Pope Clement XII.^[19]

Their granddaughter Lucrezia Maria Strozzi married Prince Aleksander Ludwik Radziwiłł, Voivode of Polock, Grand Marshal of Lithuania and member of the Radziwiłł family, magnates of Poland and Lithuania. Prince Anton Radziwiłł was the husband of Louise of Prussia. The couple were important patrons of the arts in Berlin during the 19th century. Their later heir Prince Stanisław Albrecht Radziwiłł was married to Caroline Lee Radziwill, sister of the late First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and sister-in-law of President John F. Kennedy.^[20]

References

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