Biography
Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici was an Italian banker and politician who became the de facto first ruler of Florence during the Italian Renaissance, establishing the Medici family as its effective leaders for generations. His power derived from his wealth as a banker and intermarriage with other rich and powerful families. He was a patron of arts, learning, and architecture. He spent over 600,000 gold florins on art and culture, including Donatello's David, the first freestanding nude male sculpture since antiquity.