Medici giraffe

Cosimo's wooden giraffe When Lorenzo's grandfather Cosimo de' Medici received Pope Pius II and Galeazzo Maria Sforza in April 1459, he assembled animal combat spectacles, including "a wild boar, two horses, four bulls, two young buffalo, some goats, a cow, and a calf" plus "twenty-six lions". The lions were borrowed from the city of Florence while Cosimo was responsible for other expenses. However, the lions had been fed too well, got bored and lost interest in the other animals. Lions, which were fierce and proud symbols of Florence, were unwilling to demonstrate their power, placing Cosimo's stature at risk. In an attempt to spur the lions into action, Cosimo sent a "Trojan giraffe", a wooden giraffe containing armed warriors inside, to excite the lions and save his reputation. However, the lions remained bored. Caesar's giraffe In 46 BC, Caesar had staged a series of spectacular triumphs to celebrate his accomplishments in defeating Pompey, conquering Asia Minor and Egypt, and asserting his power back in Rome. A parade of lions, leopards, black panthers, baboons, green monkeys, Egyptian saluki dogs, parrots, flamingos, and ostriches marched through the streets. Among those animals was a unique creature – a giraffe that the Romans called the "cameleopard", as its characteristics seemed to be a combination of camel and leopard. Caesar's giraffe, which was promptly killed by lions, was the first to be brought to Europe. Although Lorenzo and Caesar had much in common—attaining success despite internal and external enemies, winning respect despite being accused of violating republican principles and becoming tyrants, and being an object of assassination conspiracies—he did not intend to emulate Caesar. It is unclear when Lorenzo first thought of obtaining a giraffe. He might have been greatly interested in Caesar's triumphs and his giraffe due to owning Dio Cassius's Roman History and Pliny the Elder's Natural History in his library, both of which described Caesar's animal parade. Lorenzo saw the giraffe as part of "his multilayered strategy of social ascent" while putting more focus and effort into art collections, and believed a live giraffe would enhance his reputation. == Historical context and diplomacy ==

Historical context In 1422, the Florentine government had concluded a commercial treaty with the Mamluks sultan of Egypt and Syria, initiating a marine line for goods transportation to and from the East; however, no significant achievements emerged from these efforts. In the mid-1480s, after the post-Pazzi conspiracy wars, the Florentines decided to try again to help develop the state. The Florentines preferred trading directly with Egypt instead of working through intermediaries like the Venetians. To create new trading relations between Florence and Egypt, Paolo da Colle, a Florentine ambassador, went to the court of Mamluk Sultan Qaitbay in Cairo in 1485. It is believed that, while there, da Colle found what Lorenzo was longing for: a giraffe. During this time, the Ottoman sultan Bayezid II threatened the Mamluk territories. Bayezid's political problem, a dynastic struggle between Bayezid and his half brother Cem, kept him from waging war on Egypt. If he returned to Egypt, Cem could have been a deterrent to Bayezid's aggression or could have even overthrown his brother with Qaitbay's aid. Cem moved to Europe and was held captive in France. Pope Innocent VIII intended to take custody of him, which was in the pope's interest since Bayezid had threatened to invade Europe. This could also assist Qaitbay's strategy, as Cem leading Christian armies against Bayezid would keep Beayezid from attacking Egypt, which was only possible if the French agreed to give up Cem. In return, the Medici would acquire a long-standing friendship with the French whilst forging a familial relationship with Pope Innocent VIII. Thus, Lorenzo could help resolve Qaitbay's dilemma, and Paolo da Colle was in an ideal position to negotiate with Egypt's sultan. by Giorgio Vasari and Marco da Faenza in Palazzo Vecchio, (1556–58). Lorenzo de Medici in a light blue gown receives homages from ambassadors of different kingdoms of Italy. Among those are believed to be envoys from Cairo, Egypt. Lorenzo's young son, Giovanni, kneels in front of him in the crimson cardinal's robe. The Medici giraffe is visible in the top right corner. Diplomatic use Given the intense relations between Egypt and the Ottoman Empire, it is unclear why Qaitbay stole presents that an ambassador from India had brought to Bayezid in 1485. Inevitably, Bayezid was "on the warpath against him". Lorenzo then offered Anne of France to forward a giraffe to her in exchange for her aid. The giraffe would help amplify "Lorenzo's stature as a prince wielding international authority" Regarding Cem's custody, he was brought from France to Rome in March 1489. Lorenzo enjoyed the fruits of his giraffe diplomacy. His daughter Maddalena married Franceschetto Cibo, the illegitimate son of Pope Innocent VIII, in January 1488. In March 1489, his thirteen-year-old son, Giovanni, was made a cardinal; he would go on to become Pope Leo X. Anne of France would never receive her giraffe. Still, the giraffe was one of Lorenzo's political tools that leveraged his prestige due to its contribution to his influence with the Pope. == Life and death ==

The contemporary poet Antonio Costanzo is said to have written about the giraffe: I have also seen it raise its head to those onlookers offering to it from their windows, because its head reaches as high as eleven feet, thus seeing it from afar the people think that they are looking at a tower rather than an animal. Ours appears to like the crowd, it is always peaceable and without fear, it even seems to watch with pleasure the people who come to look at it. The giraffe died in January 1488 after her head got stuck in the rafters of the barn she was held in. Panicked, she broke her neck when jerking her head too hard and died. == Other giraffes ==

It was reported that "giraffes were also kept at other Italian courts; for instance, by Alphonso II, Duke of Calabria, in his villa Poggio Reale, and by Duke Hercules I in the Barco Park at Ferrara". If they existed, they certainly were not as famous as Lorenzo's giraffe, which was immortalized in paintings and frescos by Botticini, Vasari, Ghirlandaio, and Bacchiacca. In East Asia, a giraffe had been brought to Beijing in 1414 from Bengal as a tributary gift. The second giraffe was later dispatched directly from the city of Melinda in 1421 to the Chinese emperor with much celebration and fanfare. . A living giraffe was not seen in Europe again until Muhammad Ali Pasha sent three Nubian giraffes as gifts in the 1820s: one to Charles X of France in 1826, one to George IV of the United Kingdom in 1827, and one to Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire. Each caused a stir in Paris, London, and Vienna respectively. Two of them died within two years, but the Parisian giraffe, the female known today as Zarafa, survived for about 18 years and was later put in the Jardin des Plantes. To this day, one of the seventeen urban wards of the nearby city of Siena is named after the giraffe (the Imperiale Contrada della Giraffa), and she is commemorated on its riding team and their racing silks in the Palio di Siena. == Gallery ==

Frescos and paintings Details == See also ==