Inaug.-Diss. - Bern. / "Literatur": p. 12-14.

My dissertation “Bronzino in Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici’s Court: Manufacturing Propaganda in Sixteenth-Century Italy” challenges entrenched scholarly approaches on the artist which developed during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Bronzino (1503-1572) is best known for his autograph portraits and the painting Allegory with Venus and Cupid; yet the scholarship on the artist has suffered due to the inordinate focus on this very select portion of his artwork. The portraits and allegory have been scrutinized so intensely because they have been deemed masterpieces of the Western canon. However, almost three-quarters of his oeuvre, in particular the copies of the ducal portraits made by Bronzino and his workshop, as well as the religious paintings, have been neglected due to their non-masterpiece status. To bring a fresh approach to Bronzino scholarship, my research hinges on the matter of how the painter’s artistic practices changed when he began to manufacture propaganda for the court of the second duke of Florence, Cosimo I de’ Medici (1519-1574). This topic elicits questions such as how an artist transformed their workshop to a salaried court studio as well as the complicated realities of manufacturing propaganda for a principality. By focusing my dissertation on this topic, my study offers a different way of understanding Bronzino and a way to think with the painter on broader questions related to the life of an early modern court artist. / Art History

The objective of my research is to explore Medici extravagance, power, and wealth through the multifaceted artistic form of tapestries vis-à-vis two particular tapestry cycles; the Acts of the Apostles and the Valois Fêtes. The cycles were commissioned by Pope Leo X (1475-1521), the first Medici pope, and Catherine de' Medici (1519-1589), queen, queen regent, and queen mother of France. The motivation for such a project lies in analyzing what is traditionally considered as two independent tapestry cycles by revealing their social, religious, political, and artistic significance through the powerful dynastic influence of the Medici. As Leo and Catherine were both aware of the contemporary social environment, their commission of the Acts of the Apostles and the Valois Fêtes exemplify the Medici streak for ambition, familial dependence, and triumphalism. As Leo X (r. 1513-1521) governed from Rome, Catherine de' Medici (r. 1547-1559) presided over the French throne for nearly fifty years in some capacity. Both Medici enjoyed access to the wealth associated with the Papal Curia and Valois royal household accounts, respectively, investing an enormous sum on the tapestry cycles, only one of the numerous artistic commissions procured during the sixteenth century. Heedless of their iconography and embellishment, the Acts of the Apostles and Valois Fêtestestify to the wealth and power wielded through their patron's accessibility and resourcefulness to procure an estimable and luxurious commission.

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The high-voltage SiC power semiconductor devices have been developed in recent years. They cause an urgent in the need for the power semiconductor packaging to have not only low interconnect resistance, less noise, less parasitic oscillations, improved reliability, and better thermal management, but also High-Voltage (HV) blocking capability. The existing power semiconductor packaging technologies includes wire-bonding interconnect, press pack, flip-chip technology, metal posts interconnected parallel plates structure (MIPPS), dimple array interconnection (DAI), power overlay (POL) technology, and embedded power (EP) technology. None of them meets the requirements of low profile and high voltage rating. The objective of the work in this dissertation is to propose and design a high-voltage power semiconductor device packaging method with low electric field stress and low profile to meet the requirments of high-voltage blocking capability. The main contributions of the work presented in this dissertation are: 1. Understanding the electric field distribution in the package. The power semiconductor packaging is simulated by using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software. The electric field distribution is known and the locations of high electric field concentration are identified. 2. Development of planar high-voltage power semiconductor device packaging method With the proposed structure in the dissertation, the electric field distribution of a planar device package is improved and the high electric field intensity is relieved. 3. Development of design guidelines for the propsed planar high-voltage device packaging method. The influence of the structure dimensions and the material properties is studied. An optimal design is identified. The design guideline is given. 4. Fabrication and experimental verification of the proposed high-voltage device packaging method A detailed fabrication procedure which follows the design guideline is presented. The fabricated modules are tested by using a high power curve tracer. Test results verify the proposed method. 5. Simplification of the structure model of the proposed device package The package structure model is simplified through the elimination of power semiconductor device internal structure model. The simplified model can be simulated by a non-power device simulator. The simulation results of the simplified model match the simulation results of the complete model very well. / Ph. D.

Sous l’égide de Cosme l’Ancien puis de Pierre le Goutteux et de Laurent le Magnifique, la Florence médicéenne entretient avec l’Orient, et l’empire ottoman en particulier, une relation toujours plus étroite et plus ambiguë au fil du XVème siècle : c’est tout ensemble le séduisant ennemi et le modèle redoutable, fascinant par son exotisme et sa puissance. Le sultan et son Orient attirent les Florentins, subjugués par la différence de culture et l’ampleur des possibilités commerciales que propose le monde ottoman. Où se situe donc Florence, entre volonté de se poser en gardienne de la chrétienté, donc fermement opposée à l’onde déferlante des janissaires, et attirance naturelle pour un pays riche et raffiné ? Quellesconséquences a la relation de la ville du lys avec le Grand Turc sur l’Europe du XVème siècle ? Ce travail se propose de donner un éclairage des liens qu’entretient Florence avec le monde oriental, chrétien ou mulsulman, tout au long du XVème siècle, de l’avènement de Cosme en 1434 jusqu’à la mort de son petit-fils Laurent en 1492 : suivant une parabole chronologique et suivant les aléas des relations culturelles et diplomatiques, selon une connaissance qui se fait plus directe, Florence se présente tour à tour comme le rempart des chrétiens orientaux menacés par l’expansion de l’empire de Mehmet II, puis comme leur patrie d’accueil ouverte à la leçon grecque et enfin comme l’alliée de ce puissant seigneur, dont toute l’Europe reconnaît de fait la puissance redoutable. / Under the rule of Cosimo the Elder then Piero the Gouty and Lorenzo the Magnificent, the Florence of the Medici throughout the fifteenth century maintained increasingly tighter and more ambiguous relationships with the Eastern Ottoman empire which appeared both an attractive enemy and a formidable model with its fascinating exoticism and power. The Turkish civilisation attracted the Florentines dazzled by the different culture and the huge commercial possibilities it offered. What was then the real position of Florence caught between its wish to stand as the bulwark of Christendom (and therefore staunchly opposed to the Eastern invasion) and its natural inclination for a rich, refined country? What was the impact of the links between Florence and the Oriental Empire on fifteenth century Europe? This study aims at explaining the relationships between Florence and the Oriental world from the coming into power of Cosimo in 1434 until the death of his grandson Lorenzo in 1492: according to the ups and downs of cultural and diplomatic relashionships, Florence appeared one moment as the protection of the Oriental Christians threatened by the expansion of Mehmet II’s empire and the next as an alternative to their mother country by integrating Greek elements and compromising with the Sultan’s power, to eventually become the unofficial ally of the powerful emperor feared by all European states. / Sotto il dominio di Cosimo il Vecchio, di Piero il Gottoso e di Lorenzo il Magnifico, la Firenze medicea mantiene con l’Oriente, e più particolarmente con l’impero ottomano, una relazione sempre più stretta e più ambigua lungo il XV secolo : è, nello stesso tempo, il nemico seducente e il modello terrificante, affascinante col suo esotismo e la sua potenza. Il Sultano e la sua civiltà attraggono i Fiorentini, soggiogati dalla differenza di cultura e dalle immense possibilità commerciali che il mondo ottomano propone. Come si situa dunque Firenze, tra la volontà di proporsi quale baluardo della cristianità, quindi saldamente opposta all’invasione dei gianizzeri, e il fascino naturale nei confronti di un paese ricco e raffinato ? Quali conseguenze avrà la relazione della città del giglio e del Gran Turco sull’Europa del Quattrocento ? Questo studio propone una messa in luce dei legami che Firenze mantenne con l’Oriente lungo tutto il XV secolo, ovvero dall’avento di Cosimo nel 1434 fino alla morte del nipote Lorenzo nel 1492 : seguendo una parabola cronologica e a seconda degli eventi culturali e diplomatici, con una conoscenza che diventa sempre più diretta, Firenze si atteggia prima come baluardo dei cristiani orientali minacciati dall’espansione dell’impero di Maometto II, quindi come un’alternativa alla loro patria d’origine con l’integrazione della lezione greca da una parte e dall’altra con l’affermazione della potenza del sultano, e infine come l’alleata inconfessabile di questo signore, la cui potenza è riverita in tutta Europa.

À partir d’une lecture d’écrits publiés et inédits de Vincenzo Borghini (1515-1580), cette thèse s’interroge sur le rôle que ce moine bénédictin florentin joua dans la politique culturelle des Médicis, et plus particulièrement sur la manière dont il concilia érudition et conscience politique, passion pour l'art et respect des nouvelles prescriptions de l’Église, élitisme culturel et diffusion des savoirs. La pratique historiographique avait un rôle d’importance alors que le duc Côme Ier ambitionnait de consolider le rôle politique de la Toscane en Italie et parmi les grandes puissances européennes par l’obtention du titre de grand-duc. Après avoir espéré que l’Empereur lui en accorderait la couronne, il se tourna vers la papauté. Pris entre de tels enjeux, Borghini, conseiller du prince aux fonctions multiples, oeuvra de manière aussi efficace que complexe. Sa pratique de l’histoire, familiarisée avec la tradition, mais fondée sur des méthodes d’approches nouvelles, évolua en adéquation avec ce qu’il nommait les «circustanze de’ tempi di parte». Les jeunes années de Borghini permettent de comprendre le rôle de premier plan qu’il tint auprès de la cour ducale. Ses études sur l’histoire s’enracinent dans ses années de formation et sa rencontre avec des personnalités comme Vettori et Vasari. Il donnera à ce dernier des conseils fondamentaux pour la conception des Vite. Les années 1560 sont celles d’une nouvelle pratique : Borghini fut l’un des principaux responsables des traités descriptifs des grands apparats dont il avait au préalable été le concepteur en tant qu’auteur des programmes iconographiques. Pour leur rôle dans la construction d’une mémoire collective de la Toscane, ces textes peuvent être considérés comme une forme de micro-histoire. Les années 1570 sont celles du passage de la micro-histoire des descriptions d’apparats à la rédaction et à la correction de traités d’histoire universelle. L’enjeu politique n’est alors plus l’obtention du titre de grand-duc mais sa légitimation. Les recherches historiques de Borghini permettent de synthétiser toutes ses activités au service des Médicis : il n’eut de cesse de se servir de l’Histoire du passé pour célébrer la Toscane du présent, qui, au-delà des Médicis, était son ultime objectif. / Stemming from published and unbublished writings of Vincenzo Borghini (1515-1580), this Dissertation questions the role Florentine Benedictine friar Vincenzo Borghini (1515-1580) played in the cultural policies of the Medici, particularly the way he reconciled erudition and political consciousness, his passion for art and his respect for the new Church prescriptions. The use of History was important at a time when Cosimo was trying to strengthen the political clout of Tuscany, in Italy and among great European powers, by obtaining the grand-duke crown. Having hoped, in vain, that the Emperor would grant him this title, he turned to the papacy. In the face of such stakes, the role of Borghini, a man with multiple hats, was a complex one. The way he made use of history evolved in conjunction with what he called the «circustanze de’ tempi di parte». Borghini's young years help us understand the essential position he occupied within the ducal court. His approach to history finds its roots in his formative years and his acquaintance with prominent people like Vettori and Vasari. He provided the latter with fundamental advice for the theoretical conception of the Vite. The 60s were testament to a new approach: Borghini was, with a few others, in charge of writing up the treaty describing the great pageants he himself had originally devised. Given their role in the elaboration of an oriented memory, those texts can be considered to be a kind of kind of micro-history. The 70s showed the transition from the micro-history of descriptions of the pageants to writing and correcting treaty dealing with universal history. Obtaining the the title of Grand duke is not any more politically at stake; what matters now is making sure it is legitimized. Borghini's historical research synthesizes all the activities he carried out while serving the Medici family. He endeavored to use past history to celebrate Tuscany's present, which, above and beyond the Medici, was his ultimate aim.