To better understand the purpose or meanings of the sculpture Andrea del Verrochio's Bust of Lorenzo de' Medici, look up the Medici family, including Lorenzo Medici, to find out who they were in fifteenth-century Renaissance Italy. (A casual search in an encyclopedia or an Internet search engine of "Lorenzo de Medici" will provide enough material very quickly.)

        Portrait art --- sculpture, painting, photography --- more than some other forms of art is collaborative between the artist and client, since the client has usually hired the artist for the portrait and has some say in whether the portrait meets with the client's or customer's approval. The client might not pay, after all, if not satisfied with the portrait. (Many examples exist today in various photography studios to be found in most towns and cities.)

1. A key question for this portrait sculpture is why Lorenzo de' Medici was satisfied with the portrait, why he was in agreement with what it suggested about him. His satisfaction would relate to the social and political context of the Medici family, including Lorenzo de Medici.

2a. In analyzing the portrait, we must consider several small details: (a) the posture (bearing of the head and neck); (b) direction of the glance, as related to the turn of the head; (c) features of the mouth (e.g., whether downturned, straight, or upturned; whether open, partly open, or closed); (d) features of the eyes (not only direction of their glance, but relative openness -- the three main positions being closed, partly open, or wide open); and (e) forehead or "brow," including eyebrows (e.g., whether eyebrows arched or raised, relaxed, or "furrowed").  2b. How does any one of these details suggest facets of Lorenzo de Medici's personality or temperament? How do they work in combination? 2c. What feelings or ideas might be suggested by any of the details of the garments or how the garments are being worn, as chosen for the portrait?  For example, what might the straight lines of several of the folds of the tunic or jacket suggest?  What about the draping of the cloth over the hat, or the draping of the cloth over the figure's right shoulder? 2c. What ideas about Lorenzo de Medici or his temperament are suggested overall through 2a-b? Given who the Medicis were, especially Lorenzo, why might Lorenzo have approved of being portrayed this way?