Florence In the Days of Lorenzo the Magnificent

Lorenzo dei Medici is ten years old when his grandfather Cosimo entrusts him with a very special job. We are in 1459, and Florence is preparing for a very important visit. There will be tournaments, parades and celebrations in the squares for the arrival of the Pope and of the young Duke of Milan, and everybody is busy decorating the city. Lorenzo, for the first time in his life, has the chance to show what stuff he is made of.


About the Author - Irene Stellingwerff

All the children's books of the series 'Educative Look at Art Books' are written and illustrated by me, Irene Stellingwerff. I was born in the Netherlands, but by now I have spent half my lifetime in Italy, where I arrived in 1983, immediately after graduation in a Dutch Academy of Art. My studies made me a sculptor, and that art still exists in one of my dream boxes for future development. After a year spent in an artist's village in the mountains near Tivoli (Rome) and various small jobs, I found my way as a graphic designer. During 12 years I've been busy making travel brochures, flyers, papers and many useful and useless publications. In 1990 I also became an official tour guide for Rome, so I often have a nice time showing the beauties of Rome to visitors. It was this work of telling stories on history and art that made me decide to use my profession of graphic designer to produce my own children's books on art and historical places.

The pages of my books are made up of reproductions and photos, mixed up, cut out and overpainted with figures, just until they form the right stage for telling the tale. A real pastiche.

I tell unusual and playful stories to make it easier for the reader to assimilate the subject of the book. I couldn't do all of this without the help and collaboration of Saverio Capo, the other half of Comosavona.


About the Editor - COMOSAVONA


We make books for children where the images have an important function in creating the stage for the story. Stories in which time is often a flexible idea through which the characters (artists or historical sites) are actual.
The images that illustrate these books are often reproductions of more or less well known artworks, modified, integrated with particulars of other sources, colored, redesigned and changed according to the story. Their function is to make the story more alive and also to make the children familiar with paintings, sculptures and monuments that they might get to know later on in their life. In the cover there is additional information on the city or museum where they can find the original artwork.
Besides the story there is a lot of useful information on the life of the artist, the construction, the art of painting or sculpturing, or the historical period. The books have a glossary to explain difficult or strange words. This verified and accurately researched information can be a helpful instrument.