Leopoldo de 'Medici

Cardinal Leopoldo de 'Medici, portrait by Giovanni Battista Gaulli

Leopoldo de 'Medici (born November 6, 1617 in Florence , † November 10, 1675 there ) was an Italian cardinal and art patron.

Live and act

The youngest son of the Tuscan Grand Duke Cosimo II and Maria Magdalena of Austria was a member of the influential Medici family. He had inherited the Habsburg lower lip from his mother .

He was in 1667 by Clement IX. elevated to cardinal, in 1668 he was appointed cardinal deacon by Santi Cosma e Damiano . In 1670 he moved to Santa Maria in Cosmedin . De Medici was interested in the sciences and in 1638 brought about a re-establishment of the Platonic Academy , which was not uncommon at the time. Together with his brother, the ruling Grand Duke Ferdinando II , he initiated the Accademia del Cimento , which is dedicated to nature observation and scientific experimentation .

Leopoldo was also a passionate art collector, many of the pieces he collected can now be seen in the Uffizi .

Alfonso Mirto: MEDICI, Leopoldo de '. In: Mario Caravale (ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 73: Meda-Messadaglia. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 2009.

Commons : Leopoldo de 'Medici - collection of images, videos and audio files

personal data
SURNAME	Medici, Leopoldo de '
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Leopoldo
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Italian cardinal and patron of the arts
DATE OF BIRTH	November 6, 1617
PLACE OF BIRTH	Florence
DATE OF DEATH	November 10, 1675
Place of death	Florence