This is a comprehensive history of the art patronage of the Medici family during the 15th century. It establishes for the first time ever, the origin of the Medici name and their coats of arms. Through the use of their individual arms, patronage is redistributed to the rightful patron in disagreement with many writers of Renaissance art history, from Vasari to the present. The various branches of the Medici bank are traced from their beginnings to their culmination in the historical international bank of the 15th century. Illustrations include nine Medici coats of arms, four hundred and ninety-five Florentine coats of arms in color, and sixty-five plates of the Medici with their arms and personal emblems in conjunction with their art patronage.