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on the far left of the painting, then look at this David, and the Hermetic archetype common
to both of them will become apparent.)
***
Now it's time to put it all together. Let's assume that Donatello's objective was once again
to create a heroic self-image for Florence which merged the Judeo-Christian and classical
traditions. This time around, the David figure is blended with two specific pagan deities,
Aphrodite and Hermes. The final question we are left with is this: Of all the Greek gods,
why these two?
If we posed this question to a Renaissance Humanist, here's how he might explain the
choice of Aphrodite and Hermes: Of all the deities in the Greek pantheon, these were the
two gods who nurtured the specific genius of Florence. Indeed, Florence's prestige among
its fellow city-states on the Italian peninsula derived in no small part from its Aphroditic
artistry,itscapacitytocreateastonishingandunprecedentedworksofartthatweretheenvy
of its neighbors. Its monuments, palaces and public piazzas created a world of extraordin-
arybeauty that millions todaystill travel aroundtheworldeveryyeartoenjoy.“InFlorence
the goddess loves in stone.” That was how the English Romantic poet, Lord Byron, ex-
pressed it.
The financial strength of Florence, meanwhile, was based on commercial banking imple-
mented through a remarkable network of international offices. There was hardly a city in
Europe where the major banking houses of Florence hadn't set up shop. Letters of cred-
it and other financial instruments were developed to speed and secure the flow of capital.
Commerce, travel, communication—these were some of the gifts that Hermes brought to
Florentine endeavors.
Now in addition to these horizontal, earthbound gifts there were also certain mystical, Her-
metic gifts that Florence received that were no less vital. Please humor me for a moment as
we take a historical digression, but I believe it's one that leads us right to the heart of the
matter.
In 1437 a delegation from Byzantium arrived in Florence hoping to resolve doctrinal dis-
putes with the Roman Church. More germanely, they were also desperately seeking help
from the Christian West to resist the ever more ferocious assaults of their Muslim neigh-
bors. For reasons about which one can only speculate, the Pope decided to withhold as-
sistance. Perhaps he assured them that Islam was a religion of peace. In any case, within
fifteen years, the walls of Byzantium were breached by the Turkish Sultan, Mohammed II.
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