Vincenzo Sorrentino’s book provides a compelling account of the social ascendance of the Del Riccio family, a merchant and banking dynasty that from humble beginnings in the Tuscan countryside rose to prominence in Florentine society during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Sorrentino’s narrative unfolds through seven meticulously crafted chapters, each offering a nuanced portrayal of individual family members and the strategies that propelled their success. Piecing together a rich array of published and unpublished documents, including those housed in the Naldini del Riccio Archive in Florence and the Archivio di Stato in both Florence and Rome, Sorrentino provides a comprehensive and illuminating depiction of the family’s history, economic activities, and cultural impact during the early modern period.
Central to Sorrentino’s analysis is the Del Riccio family’s adept navigation of Florentine politics, economic networks, and social hierarchies. The Del Riccios solidified their wealth, social standing, and political influence across three prominent cities: Florence, Rome, and Naples through astute matrimonial choices (parentadi, chapter 5), commercial ventures (34), and the patronage of the arts (chapters 6 and 7). The four generations analyzed by the author emerge as representative examples of the strategies and practices associated with art collecting and patronage commonly employed by affluent merchant families as a political tool between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries.
What heightens the interest of this study is the extension of Sorrentino’s examination beyond mere acknowledgment of this well-established and much-studied practice. Sorrentino’s meticulous research highlights the family’s innovative approaches to finance, culture, and politics, showcasing their adaptability and resilience in the face of a shifting political landscape. The author delves into changes in family structures and inheritance patterns, highlighting the Del Riccios’ adept use of modern economic methods to intertwine finance, culture, and politics in pursuit of enhancing the family’s cultural prestige and perpetuating their legacy. Of particular interest is Sorrentino’s exploration of the Del Riccios’ relationship with Michelangelo, a central theme woven throughout the narrative. Through a series of compelling examples, including Luigi Del Riccio’s commission for a drawing by Michelangelo for his nephew Cecchino Bracci’s tomb in the Aracoeli church in Rome, and Guglielmo Del Riccio’s commission of a replica of Michelangelo’s Christ for the family chapel in the Santo Spirito Basilica in Florence, Sorrentino reveals the family’s ideological shifts and their strategic use of cultural capital to secure their position within the world of Florentine politics.
The rich appendix, composed of inventories, correspondence, memoranda, notarial documents, receipts, and court petitions, proposes the transcription of published and unpublished ones, carefully reporting the relative notation of the document in previous literature when necessary. By moving away from the predominant narrative centered on ruling powers like the Medici family, Sorrentino offers a fresh perspective on middle-class Florentine families and their contributions within the rich tapestry of Renaissance Italian society.
In conclusion, Vincenzo Sorrentino’s study offers a riveting and comprehensive account of the Del Riccio family’s culturally significant journey of ambition and strategy, anchored to the cultural and political landscape of early modern Italy.
