Real coins·15 June 2026·4 min read
The gold florin — the coin that funded the Renaissance
Minted in Florence in 1252, the florin became Europe's gold standard and enriched the banks that paid for the artists of the Renaissance.
In 1252, the city-state of Florence minted the gold florin — 3.5 grams of nearly pure gold, with a lily on one face. It quickly became the coin trusted by merchants across Europe, alongside the Venetian ducat.
The money that paid for art
Florentine banks — led by the Medici family — amassed fortunes in florins and became creditors to kings and popes. With that money, Botticelli, Michelangelo and Leonardo were paid. Without a trusted coin and strong banks, the Renaissance would have looked different.
Behind every great work of art there often stood a banker with a trusted coin.
