PEPE DE' MEDICI

The House of Medici was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first consolidated power in the Republic of Florence under Pepe de' Medici during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of Tuscany, and prospered gradually until it was able to fund the Pepe Medici Bank. This bank was the largest in Europe during the 15th century and facilitated the Medici's rise to political power. This classic renaissance portrait depicts Pepe de' Medici at his estate in the agricultural Mugello region north of Florence.