Marzia Banci, Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici
Brooch, 2023, steel, sterling silver, painted silver, Ø 7.5 cm
The brooch is dedicated to Lorenzo de' Medici, known as Lorenzino, Piero di Lorenzo and Alfonsina Orsini's son. He was lord of Florence and the first and only Duke of Urbino of the Medici dynasty. Although the circular shape of the brooch's steel surface alludes to the continuity of the Medici dynasty, the glossy, reflecting albeit hard material represents the Duke himself, a good-looking, unscrupulous man of mediocre military qualities, ambitious and always in search of glory.
Overlapping the steel base is a smaller silver circle scored by vertical and horizontal lines that form a sort of grid around the eyes of the Duke placed in the middle. The painting is taken from a work by Raphael in a private collection.
Marzia Banci, Francesco Maria I Della Rovere
Brooch, 2023, sterling silver, painted silver, 750 gold, w 7.2 cm × h 7.2 cm
The brooch is a homage to the first duke of the Della Rovere dynasty, Francesco Maria, Giovanni della Rovere's son and Giovanna, Federico da Montefeltro's daughter.
A silver circle partially covered by a gold plate contains the eyes of the Duke, taken from the well-known painting by Titian at the Uffizi. Over the circle is a silver square on the bottom side of which is a small, backward-facing silver horse: it represents Francesco Maria's destrier horse that turns around looking for his knight. Since a young age, the Duke had been a skilled warrior and a commander of the utmost integrity.
Marzia Banci, The Fortress of Senigallia
Brooch, 2023, sterling silver, chrysoprase, rock crystal, w 5.8 cm × h 8.5 cm.
The brooch pays homage to the fortresses that Federico da Montefeltro commissioned the court architect Francesco di Giorgio Martini to build. Brilliant examples of fortified architecture, the fortresses witness the Duke's ambition to create a state organisation and image that could withstand the pressure of neighbouring states.
The brooch is a silver full relief of the fortresses standing on a chrysoprase fragment. Each relief is attached to a rock crystal plate, whose transparency enables 3-D viewing.
The fortresses are gems set in the Marche territory.
Marzia Banci, Bas-reliefs of the Ducal Palaces
Brooch, 2023, sterling silver, aquamarine, w 7 cm × h 6 cm.
The brooch is a tribute to the places where the dukes lived during their rule. Its rectangular base is contained within a narrow open frame whose right corner is open. The frame is a ray of light that encloses and illuminates the façade of each Ducal Palace.
In the middle of the brooch a bas-relief stands on a stone or a mineral: Donà Giovannelli Palace on aquamarine.
The bas-reliefs were cast after careful reconstruction of their wax image.
