17-11-1520

The End of M.’s ‘Idle’ Years and the Support of the Medici

The letter provides further evidence of how M.’s literary activities improved his relationship with the Medici, who were obviously eager to integrate him into their network of literary patronage. Nerli’s comments testify to the crucial role the Castruccio and the Libro dell’arte della guerra played in the context of M.’s “rehabilitation”. M.’s writings, being, at the same time, products and producers of otium, had obviously increased his popularity in Medici circles and the courtly ambiente in Rome.

 

Otium and Patronage

The Medici’s newfound interest in M. was probably a consequence of his decision to present himself (with the support of the circle of friends at the Orti Oricellari) as an author of literary texts and a historiographer, rather than as a political advisor. His newest writings, in particular the Mandragola and the Art of War, began to circulate (the latter in a manuscript version) and were increasingly appreciated.

Nerli’s comments on Lucrezia Salviati’s request bespeak the relevance of otium for systems of patronage. Thus, forms and practices of leisure and otium are obviously necessary in order to gain the favor of patrons, but, as his activities in the Orti Oricellari and the careful introduction of M.’s Libro dell’arte della guerra suggest, they might also be turned into a subtle ‘art of war’ on the strategical level (see also section “Otiose Leisure and Networking” and Notes).

 

Otiose Leisure and Networking

M.’s exchange of letters with the friends of the brigata, and especially the documentation of his involvement in the activities at the Orti Oricellari in his correspondence (e.g. see letters of 17-12-1517; 6-09-1520; and 1-08-1520), shed light on the importance of otiose practices and leisure activities for social, professional and political networking: whether it is the otium doctum and the intellectual discussions of the Orti Oricellari circle or the more popular or casual forms of leisure in the “bottega” alluded to in the last paragraph of this letter. The fact that personalities such as Nerli or Machiavelli were associated with both of these worlds are suggestive of the social mobility involved with otium and leisure and the mutual permeability of ‘higher’ and ‘lower’ forms of otiose practices. Moreover, it is important to note the social gap between M. as member of an ancient, but impoverished family and the young aristocrats of the Orti, some of whom were to become ‘radical’ republicans and strong opponents of the Medici regime. From this perspective, otiose leisure does not only provide occasions for the intermingling of different social groups and classes, but also seems to promote alternative political spaces and even conspiracies such as the one against cardinal de’ Giulio de’ Medici discovered in 1522 (see notes).