The Pazzi Conspiracy

Power, Violence and Art in Renaissance-Era Florence

Sandro Botticelli, Gemälde des Giuliano de' Medici, 1478

On 26 April 1478, Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici were attacked in the chancel of the Duomo of Florence. Giuliano was killed in the attack, while Lorenzo survived and went on to take revenge on the people responsible for masterminding the conspiracy – most notably the Pazzi family. This exhibition seeks to trace the story with the help of items from the collections of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
The Münzkabinett houses a selection of medals that depict the key figures involved in the affair, many of whom have also been immortalised in portraits that are now held in the collections of the Skulpturensammlung and the Gemäldegalerie – beginning with Giuliano, whose likeness Sandro Botticelli painted with a downcast gaze after his untimely death. The Pazzi Conspiracy constitutes a tragic and defining episode of the Florentine Quattrocento that epitomises the significance of the Italian Renaissance as an age in which violent political and religious conflicts were translated into unforgettable works of art.

A special exhibition of the Münzkabinett and the Skulpturensammlung – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Runtime: Fri, 24/10/2025 to Sun, 20/09/2026

Takes place here:

• Bode-Museum