Benozzo Gozzoli’s fresco The Journey of the Magi to Bethlehem adorns three walls of a chapel in the Palazzo Medici. The palazzo was commissioned by Cosimo de’ Medici in 1445, and the painting of the fresco coincided with its completion in 1460. In the fresco, the three magi lead a long procession of dignitaries and their followers through a countryside that bears a striking resemblance to Tuscany. Gozzoli did not choose his models for the people shown in the fresco at random. The members of the procession were, for the most part, participants in the Council of Florence (1438–1445), an effort to achieve reconciliation between the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox Churches that the Medici supported. Thus, the fresco commemorated a key moment in Medici family history and transformed the chapel into a monument to the family’s fame and glory. As you examine the fresco, ask yourself what it tells you about how the Medici saw themselves. What values and beliefs are reflected in the fresco?

Questions to Consider