Lorenzo di Medici as a patron of the arts

Lorenzo de' Medici, the de facto ruler of the Florentine Republic, was recognised as one of the greatest patrons of the arts in the latter half of the 15th Century. Artists under his patronage included Botticelli, Verrocchio and Leonardo da Vinci. In this work he is shown seated in an ornately decorated room, in the Florentine style. Medici's gaze however, is firmly fixed on his apprentice's new work. His posture echoes that of Vasari's famous portrait of the sitter in the Uffizi Gallery. However, here his posture is more animated: his outstretched arm extends a welcome to the artist.