Filippo Lippi - The Scandalous Monk who painted Florence’s soul

In a city famed for saints and sinners, Filippo Lippi managed to be both. Born in 1406 and raised in Florence, this painter-monk defied the rules of religious life and artistic convention alike. His story is one of talent, temptation and triumph, a life so extraordinary that even the Medici couldn’t help but protect him.

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Lippi began his career as a monk at the Carmelite monastery of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence. While others in the order were focused on saving souls, Lippi was busy sketching them. His early years as a friar fed his imagination, but it was the natural world around him that truly lit the spark.

Unlike the artists before him who painted idealised heavens, Lippi turned his gaze to the living, breathing world of Florence. He brought biblical scenes down to earth, literally, with characters who looked real, moved naturally, and expressed genuine emotion.

His use of perspective, delicate brushwork and vibrant colour was revolutionary. His figures didn’t float in golden realms; they had weight, presence, and drama. He was a master of narrative painting, bringing stories to life with symbolism, movement and flair. In fact, one of his greatest admirers, the young Sandro Botticelli, would later credit Lippi with teaching him how to tell stories through colour and form.

Filippo Lippi - A life less holy

Lippi’s talent brought him fame, wealth, and plenty of commissions, but little inclination to live a life of chastity. One legend tells of the Medici locking him in a room so he would finish a painting. Lippi, ever resourceful (and clearly not keen on deadlines), tied his bedsheets into a rope and escaped out the window to pursue his earthly pleasures.

Then came Lucrezia Buti. A beautiful novice at the convent of Santa Margherita, she turned Lippi’s head. Commissioned to paint frescoes at Prato Cathedral, Lippi also had to hold a service for the local nuns. He convinced the Mother Superior to let him use Buti as a inspiration for the Virgin Mary. She never returned to convent life. Instead, she became the mother of his two children, including Filippino Lippi, who would go on to become a celebrated artist in his own right.

Madonna with the Child and Two Angels (1465)

Protected by the Medicis

Not surprisingly, Lippi’s escapades caught the attention of the Church. The Pope himself wanted him excommunicated for the affair with Buti. But the Medici family, who were both his patrons and protectors, intervened. They recognised his genius as too important to be silenced.

Filippo Lippi continued to paint, travelling and working across Italy. His final commission took him to the Cathedral of Spoleto in Umbria. He died before completing the work. Rumour has it he was poisoned by the angry relatives of yet another woman he was involved with. True or not, the tale fits his legend.

A Florentine Renaissance trailblazer

Filippo Lippi was buried beside his unfinished masterpiece in Spoleto, in a tomb financed by the Medici.

His legacy, however, was anything but incomplete. He helped lay the foundations of the Florentine Renaissance, pushing art toward greater realism, emotion and humanity. His theatrical compositions, glowing colours and storytelling flair inspired a new generation of artists.