University of Pennsylvania Finding Aids

Collection concerning Florentine families, organizations, trades, and industries covering the years 1437-1804. The documents that compose the collection are divided into two broad sections, one dedicated to families and organizations, and the other to subjects. The former, arranged alphabetically by name, then chronologically for each family or organization, features documents pertaining to about 130 among the most important Florentine families, as well as institutions such as the Monte di pietà and the hospital of Santa Maria Novella (referred to as Spedale). The families that are best-known in the collection include the Acciaiuoli, Altoviti, Antinori, Corsi, Corsini, Guadagni, Rucellai, Salviati, and Strozzi; the best-represented families in the collection are the Amadori, Capponi, Cassi, Lapini, and Ricciardi. A small number of documents containing information on 3 ships is also present. The latter, arranged alphabetically by subject, and chronologically within each subject, is comprised, for the most part, of numerous kinds financial documents (including accounts, receipts, orders, payments, etc.), and documents related to different aspects of rural life and farm management (such as the purchase of cattle and grains). Other subjects include the guilds of Florence, especially the one of the lanaoioli, wool workers, and that of the setaioli, silk weavers; iron trade; and business relations between Florence and England and Florence and the Netherlands.