Edmund Purdom: Marco del Monte

Quotes 

• [first lines] 

  Machiavelli : A handsome piece of work, Marco. Who's it for?

  Marco del Monte : Baglione.

  Machiavelli : So now you work for the Captain-General of de Medici's guard, hmm? I thought such people were your sworn enemies.

  Marco del Monte : Art knows no enemies, my friend - particularly amongst those can afford to pay as well as Baglione.

  Machiavelli : Bravo! I never expected you to be such a realist.

  Marco del Monte : Well, I haven't sat at the foot of Master Machiavelli for nothing.

• Baglione : I see you can still find *some* good work in Florence.

  Marco del Monte : Oh, better than anywhere in Italy, your excellency. Better than Rome, Sienna, Venice - anywhere.

  Baglione : And should I disagree with you? What do you say to that?

  Marco del Monte : The critical opinion most important to any artist is the customer's, your excellency.

  Baglione : You talk like a diplomat.

  Marco del Monte : Not I, my lord, but Master Niccolo Machiavelli says, "No diplomat can ever afford to speak frankly unless he holds all the cards."