Portal of the Medici Bank

The spectacular portal of the Medici Bank served as an imposing
entrance to the Milan branch of the bank of Cosimo de' Medici, a gift from
Francesco Sforza to the Florentine banker. The busts in profile of Duke Francesco and
his wife Bianca Maria Visconti are placed inside the medallions in the arches
of the portal, as an evident tribute to the illustrious donor. The design of the building may be
attributed to Filarete, whose main merit lies in his ability to merge elements
of classical central-Italian culture with the decorative exuberance typical of
Lombard taste. In fact, here we see how the classical scheme of the triumphal
arch supported by Corinthian lesenes is decorated, on the portal’s pillars,
with ornamental motifs typical of Northern taste.