I love to see and talk about this painting of Pope Leo X by Raphael, found in the Uffizi in Florence – the detail on it is wonderful close up, so it is worth finding a good copy to enlarge – or better still go to the Uffizi to see the original.

In Raphael‘s Portrait of Leo X with cardinals Giulio de’ Medici and Luigi de’ Rossi he is shown as overweight and jowly but shrewd and determined. The huge eye glass he is holding reminds us that he was extremely short-sighted – almost blind – and needed such help to study the Illustrated Bible in front of him and the many other documents he would have been presented with.

The back of his Papal throne is a ball shape – to remind observers that he is a Medici – with their symbol of the Palle -the six balls on their crest – and also showing the light from a window as a symbol of the cross.

He was born in Florence  on 11 December 1475  – as Giovanni di Lorenzo de’ Medici and was  the second son of Lorenzo the Magnificent and Clarice Orsini.

His father always referred to him as his clever son – smarter than his elder brother Piero , who was a lot easier on the eye but less gifted intellectually – poor Piero became known as Piero the Unfortunate as he was a disaster as head of the Florentine Republic and ultimately drummed out of town in November 1494.

On the other hand Giovanni , who as second son was  always destined for an ecclesiastical career, was given the tonsure at the age of seven and through his father’s influence was soon showered with rich benefices and preferments. Already elected to the  cardinalate in 1489; (aged 14!)  without entering the priesthood he nonetheless progressed to the rank of cardinal-deacon. After the expulsion of the Medici from Florence Giovanni learnt tactics during his travels in Germany, in the Netherlands, and in France and through influence, and possibly financial inducement, he was elected as  Pope on 9 March 1513, and this was proclaimed two days later. On 15 March 1513, he was ordained priest, and consecrated as bishop on 17 March.   He was the last non-priest to be elected Pope

He was crowned Pope on 19 March 1513 at the extraordinarily young age of 37, – the Cardinals possibly having agreed to elect him on the basis of his continuous ill-health and the known short life expectancy of his family,  his father having died aged 42 and his elder brother Piero died in 1503.

They were thus expecting to be able to choose again in a relatively short period of time.  Although still relatively young when he died Pope Leo X surprised them by living another eight years.

Leo X is famous for announcing at his election, “Since God has given us the papacy, let us enjoy it!”  Unsurprisingly, like his father he fostered the arts – but to the surprise of the other clerics even as Pope he was unable to give up his love of hunting and his inordinate enjoyment of good food and partying . Even on his entry into Rome as Pope he arrived at the head of a lavish parade featuring panthers, jesters, and Hanno, a white elephant.

Not withstanding his not inconsiderable differences of opinion with Martin Luther over the sale of Indulgences and the need for reform of the Church plus an extremely costly war  to secure his nephew as duke of  Urbino, Leo X was generally considered a relatively popular and well meaning Pope – his cousin Giulio de’ Medici  was also seen as a good administrator , who got things done – and ultimately worthy of election himself, after his short lived  successor Pope Adrian VI (1522–23), he became the second Medici Pope – Pope Clement VII.

Shown in a painting here by Sebastiano del Piombo, Pope Clement VII proved to be less reliable at getting things done when not under instruction from his elder cousin.

 His dithering in the face of impossible disputes led to England’s break from Rome under Henry VIII whilst trying to break his marital tie with Emperor Charles V’s niece Catherine of Aragon and the terrible Sack of Rome on 26 May 1527   carried out by the mutinous troops of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor .

For an improbable but amusing tale of Clement’s behaviour during the insurrection of the invading army it is worth reading Benvenuto Cellini’s autobiography. 

Another Pope who was painted surrounded by members of his family is Pope Paul III who succeeded Clement VII to the Papacy. This painting byTiziano Vecellio , better known to us in the UK as  Titian. This painting below was evidently inspired by Raphael’s portrait of Pope Leo X

Born in 1468 as  Alessandro Farnese, he was created Pope on 13 October 1534 and died in 1549 – most of the many paintings of him depict a frail old man.

However in his youth he was quite a lad, being one of several Renaissance popes to have fathered children before his election. He had four illegitimate offspring. By Silvia Ruffini, he fathered Pier Luigi Farnese, whom he created Duke of Parma; others included Ranuccio Farnese and Costanza Farnese ,who was legitimised by the Papacy and married to Bosio II Sforza, count of Santa Fiora e Cotignola,  .

One of his first actions on becoming Pope was to ensure the Farnese succession and on 18 December 1534, he appointed his “Nephews” , in reality his grandsons, as cardinals.

At the time, Alessandro Farnese and Guido Ascanio Sforza were aged fourteen and sixteen years respectively but in the portrait above these “nephews” were 25 and 27 years old.

This painting is much less detailed than that of Raphael’s but somehow the grainy effect – and the piercing look between the Pope and his unctuous kneeling nephew helps to evoke an atmosphere of intrigue and nepotism.