The Game of Art: An Analysis of Venetian and Florentine Military and Economic Identity by Artwork from 1300AD to 1600AD

This paper will look at the Venetian Republic and the Florentine Republic were two of the most influential and powerful city-states on the Italian peninsula from 1300 A.D to 1600 A.D. At this point in time, Florence and Venice had established powerful and influential economic networks that reached beyond the Italian peninsula. Venice and Florence had diversified and fortified their business endeavors to take advantage of new opportunities throughout much of Europe. Venice special- ized in maritime technology and production, which they used to dominate trade throughout the Mediterranean. The importance of Venetian maritime trade is shown in The Lion of St. Mark, (1516), by Vittore Carpaccio (see fig. 1), which includes detailed depictions of merchant vessels. Meanwhile Florence mastered international banking and industrial pursuits such as textile pro- duction. Florentine bankers were found throughout Europe, and this is also documented in art. One notable example is the Portinari Altarpiece (see fig. 2), a painting by Flemish master Hugo van der Goes. The altarpiece was commissioned in Flanders by Tommaso Portinari, the manager of the Medici bank in the city of Bruges. The work was then shipped back to Florence and placed in the hospital of Santa Maria Nuova