Chapter 2 The Cellini Group is born at Careggi

Humanism comes to Europe

In the early fifteenth century, the city of Florence and other parts of central and northern Italy were caught up in a flurry of change. The writings of Petrarch in the late fourteenth century ignited a fire of intellectual fervor. With Petrarch's work, along with the writing of Dante Alighieri and the works of Giovanni Boccaccio, the novel secular idea of Humanism began to signal the final death throes of the thousand years of the Middle Ages. The renewed vision of a New Golden Age introduced by Petrarch in his writings had stimulated much interest and debate among scholars and those itching for a more meaningful and adaptable social-cultural landscape.

The seemingly unlimited wealth of the Medici banking family also proved to be a significant contributing factor in the stimulation of the debate. Due to the love of the Humanities and the Arts and Sciences by the highly educated and cultured members of the Medici family, the Medici Bank willingly and happily gave much in the way of financial support and patronage in the promotion of artists and other exceptionally talented and creative individuals who contributed to the revived spirit of the changing intellectual and cultural landscape.

Cosimo de Medici showed a strong interest in Hellenic philosophy and a particular interest in the teachings of the scholarly Greek emigres who were flocking to Florence from Constantinople after the Ottoman Turks took over that city. Their unique knowledge of ancient Greece and Rome, along with their grasp of philosophical subjects, inspired Cosimo to found the Accademia Platonica di Firenze (Platonic Academy of Florence) in 1463. Cosimo felt that the depth of thought the ancients had contributed to philosophy and the arts should not be lost. He believed their teachings should be made more widely available and taught more frequently.

The Academy did not refer to a physical place. It was simply the name given to the people who gathered and discussed topics related to Platonic writing.

Andrea Cellini and The Platonic Academy

Our story begins with the founding of the Platonic Academy in 1463. Cosimo de Medici, the primary decision maker and executor of the immense Medici banking family fortune, allowed the use of his retreat facilities at the northern edge of Florence near Careggi to serve as an informal meeting place for those who showed an interest in discussing the works of philosophers of ancient Greece, especially the works of Plato.

Cosimo appointed Marsilio Ficino as director of the Academy. Ficino was a brilliant student of philosophy and a Catholic priest. He was also a trained physician who served the Medici for many years. He had a scholarly interest in the philosophy of Plato and other thinkers of Plato’s time.

Ficino's role at Careggi was to translate the works of Plato from Greek into Latin. He also held discussion sessions that included other major thinkers in the Florence area, as well as intellectuals and scholars from outside Florence who came to Careggi to participate in the discussions, particularly on Plato's Republic, a monumental work on political theory and the concept of Justice.

Ficino also tutored the grandson of Cosimo, the young Lorenzo de Medici, son of Piero de Medici, who was the eldest son of Cosimo. Lorenzo was fourteen when the Academy opened, and he became its first student under Ficino's tutelage. Shortly after the Academy's establishment, Ficino realized he needed assistance and arranged with Cosimo to employ an assistant director. This director would help manage the translation workload and oversee the visitors participating in Ficino's discussions and lectures.

Cosimo permitted Ficino to employ an assistant and did not hesitate to recommend a brilliant young man working in the Planning Committee of the Medici Bank in Florence at that time. Andrea Cellini began working for Cosimo at the age of twenty-five as an Assistant Adviser of Planning, following his completion of studies at the prestigious Padua and Bologna schools of higher learning. He had served Cosimo in that capacity for almost nine years before being asked to take the assistant directorship of the Academy. He gladly accepted the assistant directorship under Ficino.

Andrea Cellini was thirty-three at the time the Academy was formed. When Ficino could not hold discussions for whatever reason, Andrea would substitute. Andrea Cellini was to become a significant intellectual influence at the Academy along with Ficino.

Andrea also showed a keen interest in the Hellenic Greeks, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. His Platonic philosophical leanings were well in tune with Ficino's interests, so they got along well together. Andrea's family had acquired a fortune in wealth as owners of several trading posts along the many trade routes connecting Genoa and Venice to the neighboring states of France, Switzerland, and Austria. Andrea's father was also an influential member of the Council of Signoria, the governing authority of Florence.

Thus, Andrea Cellini had experienced a fortunate life, which allowed him to appreciate the meaning of what his father had made him understand as a young man; the fortunate have an obligation to lead others who demonstrate high potential but have not been fortunate in their upbringing, to be a guide and an example to those who seek to learn and to be uplifted. Andrea developed a sense of moral duty and compassion at an early age.

Andrea displayed a genuine passion for learning. His sharp mind was always ready to venture into new intellectual territory to assimilate new knowledge. His disposition was affable. People liked being around him. They were comfortable with his demeanor and uncomplicated way of articulating his thoughts. He was a born communicator. He knew the art of rhetoric, which he had studied as part of the Humanities curriculum at Padua and Bologna.

Andrea had a special interest in The Republic of Plato, the work which analyzed the concept of Justice and its relevance to society. Andrea recognized the complexity of the idea of Justice and realized the importance of understanding the nature of what makes a great society.

As he studied The Republic, Andrea Cellini developed a fascination with Plato's notion that elites (philosopher-kings) should lead society while being guided by the concept of Justice. The idea of Leadership and Justice as being co-dependent, along with the necessity of a hierarchical social structure, appealed to him. Still, he wondered why the notion of democracy would not have impressed Plato more than the idea of non-democracy.

Andrea suspected that Plato was possibly proposing a hypothetical system in The Republic that would present a contrasting option to the Hellenic ideal of democracy for the sole purpose of making a political statement regarding the situation in democratic Athens at that time. Plato's mentor and teacher, Socrates, disliked democracy for various sound reasons, which made much sense to Plato.

Furthermore, Plato did not take kindly to the Athenian democracy, condemning Socrates to death for a wrongdoing that could have been punished with a penalty more proportionate to the severity of the wrongdoing. Andrea wondered - could Plato have been intellectually honest in his assertions regarding the superiority of a non-democratic, elite-led social structure? Or, had Plato simply attempted to paint an elaborate, imaginative picture of what could pass for a believable alternative system of political leadership that he hoped would function as a catalyst in creating a rebellion against the democracy of Athens?

Andrea pondered this and then concluded that two of the brightest thinkers in history could not be entirely wrong about the concept of democracy being intrinsically flawed. Andrea had his own doubts about democracy, stemming from his experience of human nature and behavior, considering the diverse range of intelligence and personality types. His instincts told him leaders must be selected according to merit and ability.

He recognized that the average person had little to no qualifications for selecting leaders intelligently; this task should be left to those who can evaluate a candidate's worthiness for a position, taking into account its demands. He began to understand the logical soundness and persuasive, intuitive aspects of Plato's idea of a hierarchical society led by an enlightened leadership that benevolently directs the machinery of society.

After giving it further focused thought, Andrea Cellini finally came to see the essential notion of enlightened leadership as being the most rational, logical, practical, and morally justifiable structure of an ideal society. He felt confident that it represented the closest thing to a naturally developed, thus a justifiably fair, social structure. The differentiation of social classes has been a persistent empirical fact throughout history; societies reflected this differentiation when social structures formed naturally. Andrea was reluctant to dispute the efficiency of a natural process. Seemingly, Plato had expressed the same reluctance, which would have fueled his antipathy toward democracy.

Over the first several weeks, after he had begun his duties as assistant director, Andrea had discussed his thoughts regarding The Republic with Marsilio Ficino during the moments when both men had time away from their duties. Ficino was impressed by Andrea's many insights and his analysis of the concepts presented in The Republic. Ficino suggested that Andrea conduct his own group discussions on the specific topic of The Republic with those guests who showed a particular interest in that area of Plato's writings. This would free Ficino to focus on discussions with those guests who came to discuss other topics of Plato and learn about different philosophers.

Andrea Cellini leads the group discussions

Andrea was delighted to accept this suggestion, and from that day forward, he and his group of scholars and intellectuals used a separate area of the facility to hold their group meetings. Andrea showed a flair for engaging the group, thereby eliciting animated discussion. He presented his perspective on The Republic, which gave the group food to stimulate debate. The membership of the group grew quickly to a number approaching well over one hundred.

Andrea's group discussed the great benevolent rulers of history, such as Marcus Aurelius, Augustus Caesar, Cyrus the Great, and others. The past unquestionably produced glorious non-democratic societies that generated many benefits for the members of every social class. These revered leaders offered empirical proof that an enlightened elite leadership could create and sustain a great society.

Could this intellectual awakening the group had experienced be a sign of the beginning of what Petrarch had referred to as the New Golden Age, which the emerging spirit of Humanism had foreseen? The group had begun to feel a palpable sense of unity and purpose. The egregore had been created. It was undeniable.

Plato's Republic had been brought to life again! The perennial question of a Just Society had been awakened in the meeting halls of Careggi. The spirit of the Golden Age had visited the Academy and had left its indelible influence on each member of the Cellini group.

On August 1, 1464, Cosimo de Medici passed from this life into the history of the ages. His son, Piero di Cosimo de Medici, assumed control of the vast Medici banking operation as well as the control over the dominance of the Medici political influence over Florence.

Piero had been following the doings of the Academy and had taken part in several discussions. He reassured Ficino and Andrea Cellini that his interest was to continue the work of the Academy and to give full support, as his father Cosimo had done. Piero's now sixteen-year-old son, Lorenzo de Medici, was eagerly looking forward to the rewards that would come to him through the teachings of Ficino and Andrea Cellini. His young mind showed an earnest desire to learn the new Humanism that seemed so intuitively appealing and so naturally sensible and reasonable. Lorenzo developed a deep respect for Ficino and Andrea. In turn, the two teachers saw the unmistakable signs of a high potential for greatness in Lorenzo.

Cellinara comes into being as a new experiment in social structure

In the meetings of the weeks following the passing of Cosimo de Medici, Andrea put forth a suggestion to the group, which was met with an encouraging response. He proposed that the group seriously consider the next step, which logically follows from the purpose of the discussions over the past months.

He pointed out that all actions are born from ideas and that all reasonable and purposeful ideas will, by their very nature, result in actions. He posed a question to the group: We have discussed ideas. Are we now at the point where those ideas are to fulfill their potential to instigate actions? Or are the ideas and energy we have put into the discussions to remain just words and sounds in the air?

The members then began to voice their assent with comments, displaying the general mood of consensus agreement that the ideas were meant to be enacted, not just talked about. Andrea appeared well pleased. The group's enthusiasm calmed after a short while, and then Andrea continued.

Andrea then talked about his vision of a prototypical society that would test the merits of the principles of social Justice, which the Republic had discussed. He suggested creating a community with a hierarchical leadership structure that would operate according to an agreed-upon set of rules and guiding principles.

He informed his group that he had already discussed this possibility with Marsilio Ficino and Piero de Medici at a meeting Ficino had arranged. He assured the group that Piero de Medici had expressed full support for any project that had as its goal the furtherance of the Humanistic cause and the enhancement of lives with the promise of prosperity for all.

Andrea informed the group that although Piero was sympathetic to the goals of creating such a prototypal society, Piero had asked for a plan which describes the intent and the administrative structure of such a project so that he may present it to the several officials of Florence who have the responsibility of officially authorizing the creation of a new commune within the boundaries of the Province of Florence.

It was a procedural formality, of course. Considering the benefits of additional economic growth in the area, Piero had assured Ficino and Andrea Cellini that he did not think there would be any serious objection to such an idea. They understood that the plan would likely be accepted and authorized if Piero were its sponsor.

The following meetings would focus on the particulars involved in preparing the documentation of a plan to present to Piero for submission to the Florence officials. Andrea proposed a three-part presentation. The first part would be a statement describing the motivational reasons that inspired the creation of a new commune. The second part would be a description of the proposed administrative structure that would govern the commune. The third part would describe the aspect of funding the initial expenses involved in establishing the commune at its selected site.

The group was in general agreement that this would be a reasonable way to make a public proclamation. The group agreed upon the name of Cellinara as the name of the new community in recognition of the energy and contributions Andrea Cellini had devoted to developing the idea. They devoted long hours to discussing each part of the Proclamation. After four meetings, a draft of each part was written, and the group reviewed each and made final revisions. Each member was then given a copy of the complete proclamation.

It is essential that the reader understand the Proclamation, as it is the basis for the formation of Cellinara and the basis of our story.