Palazzo Pitti
The Palazzo Pitti (Italian:
The palace was bought by the Medici family in 1549 and became the chief residence of the ruling families of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. It grew as a great treasure house as later generations amassed paintings, plates, jewelry and luxurious possessions.
In the late 18th century, the palazzo was used as a power base by
The palazzo is now the largest museum complex in Florence. The principal palazzo block, often in a building of this design known as the corps de logis, is 32,000 square metres.[2] It is divided into several principal galleries or museums detailed below.
History
Early history
The construction of this severe and forbidding
Though impressive, the original palazzo would have been no rival to the Florentine Medici residences in terms of either size or content. Whoever the architect of the Palazzo Pitti was, he was moving against the contemporary flow of fashion. The rusticated stonework gives the palazzo a severe and powerful atmosphere, reinforced by the three-times-repeated series of seven arch-headed apertures, reminiscent of a Roman aqueduct. The Roman-style architecture appealed to the Florentine love of the new style all'antica. This original design has withstood the test of time: the repetitive formula of the façade was continued during the subsequent additions to the palazzo, and its influence can be seen in numerous 16th-century imitations and 19th-century revivals.[5] Work stopped after Pitti suffered financial losses following the death of Cosimo de' Medici in 1464. Luca Pitti died in 1472 with the building unfinished.[6]
The Medici
The building was sold in 1549 to
Land on the Boboli hill at the rear of the palazzo was acquired in order to create a large formal park and gardens, today known as the
The cortile and extensions
With the garden project well in hand, Ammanati turned his attentions to creating a large courtyard immediately behind the principal façade, to link the palazzo to its new garden. This courtyard has heavy-banded channelled rustication that has been widely copied, notably for the Parisian palais of
In 1616, a competition was held to design extensions to the principal urban façade by three bays at either end.
To one side of the Gardens is the bizarre grotto designed by Bernardo Buontalenti. The lower façade was begun by Vasari but the architecture of the upper storey is subverted by "dripping" pumice stalactites with the Medici coat of arms at the centre. The interior is similarly poised between architecture and nature; the first chamber has copies of Michelangelo's four unfinished slaves emerging from the corners which seem to carry the vault with an open oculus at its centre and painted as a rustic bower with animals, figures and vegetation. Figures, animals and trees made of stucco and rough pumice adorn the lower walls. A short passage leads to a small second chamber and to a third which has a central fountain with Giambologna's Venus in the centre of the basin, peering fearfully over her shoulder at the four satyrs spitting jets of water at her from the edge.[12]
Houses of Lorraine and Savoy
The palazzo remained the principal Medici residence until the
When Tuscany passed from the House of Habsburg-Lorraine to the
Palatine Gallery
The Palatine Gallery, the main gallery of Palazzo Pitti, contains a large ensemble of
The character of the gallery is still that of a private collection, and the works of art are displayed and hung much as they would have been in the grand rooms for which they were intended rather than following a chronological sequence, or arranged according to school of art.The finest rooms were decorated by Pietro da Cortona in the high baroque style. Initially Cortona frescoed a small room on the piano nobile called the Sala della Stufa with a series depicting the Four Ages of Man which were very well received; the Age of Gold and Age of Silver were painted in 1637, followed in 1641 by the Age of Bronze and Age of Iron. They are regarded among his masterpieces. The artist was subsequently asked to fresco the grand ducal reception rooms; a suite of five rooms at the front of the palazzo. In these five Planetary Rooms, the hierarchical sequence of the deities is based on Ptolomeic cosmology; Venus, Apollo, Mars, Jupiter (the Medici Throne room) and Saturn, but minus Mercury and the Moon which should have come before Venus. These highly ornate ceilings with frescoes and elaborate stucco work essentially celebrate the Medici lineage and the bestowal of virtuous leadership.[17] Cortona left Florence in 1647, and his pupil and collaborator, Ciro Ferri, completed the cycle by the 1660s. They were to inspire the later Planet Rooms at Louis XIV's Palace of Versailles, designed by Charles Le Brun.
The collection was first opened to the public in the late 18th century, albeit rather reluctantly, by Grand Duke Leopold I, Tuscany's first enlightened ruler, keen to obtain popularity after the demise of the Medici.[10]
Rooms of Palatine Gallery
The Palatine Gallery has 28 rooms, among them:[18]
- Room of Opificio delle Pietre Durebetween 1837 and 1851.
- Room of the Ark: contains a painting by Giovan Battista Caracciolo (17th century). In 1816, the ceiling was frescoed by Luigi Ademollowith Transportation of the Ark of the Covenant Containing the Tablets of the Law.
- Room of Psyche: was named after ceiling frescoes by Giuseppe Collignon; it contains paintings by Salvator Rosa from 1640–1650.
- Hall of Poccetti: The frescoes on the vault were once ascribed to Bernardino Poccetti, but now attributed to Matteo Rosselli. In the center of the hall is a table (1716) commissioned by Cosimo III. In the hall are also some works by Rubens and Pontormo.
- Room of Prometheus: was named after the subject of the frescoes by Botticelli and paintings by Pontormo and Domenico Beccafumi.
- Room of Justice: has a ceiling frescoed by Antonio Fedi (1771–1843), and displays portraits (16th century) by Titian, Tintoretto and Paolo Veronese.
- Room of Ulysses: was frescoed in 1815 by Gaspare Martellini, it contains early works by Filippino Lippi and Raphael.
- Room of Iliad: contains the Madonna Passerini (c. 1522–1523 and 1526 respectively) by Andrea del Sarto, and paintings by Artemisia Gentileschi(17th century).
- Room of Saturn: contains a Portrait of Raphael; it also contains an Annunciation (1528) by Andrea del Sarto, and Jesus and the Evangelists (1516) by Fra Bartolomeo.
- Room of Jupiter: contains the Veiled Lady, the famous portrait by Raphael (1516) that, according to Vasari, represents the woman loved by the artist. Among the other works in the room, Paintings by Rubens, Andrea del Sarto and Perugino
- Room of Mars: is characterized by works by Rubens: the allegories representing the Consequences of War (hence the name of the room) and the Four Philosophers (among them Rubens portrayed himself, on the left). On the vault is a fresco by Pietro da Cortona, Triumph of the Medici.
- Room of Apollo: contains a Madonna with Saints (1522) by Il Rosso, originally from the Church of Santo Spirito, and two paintings by Titian: a Magdalen and Portrait of an English Nobleman (between 1530 and 1540).
- Room of Venus: contains the Venus Italica (1810) by Canova commissioned by Napoleon. On the walls are landscapes (1640–1650) by Salvator Rosa and four paintings by Titian, 1510–1545. Among the Titian paintings is a Portrait of Pope Julius II (1545) and La Bella (1535).
- White Hall: once the ball room of the palace, is characterized by the white decorations and is often used for temporary exhibitions.
The Royal Apartments include 14 rooms. Their decoration was changed to Empire style by the Savoy monarchs, but there are still some rooms maintaining decorations and furniture from the age of the Medici.
The Green Room, was frescoed by Castagnoli in early 19th Century. It exhibits an intarsia cabinet from the 17th century and a collection of gilded bronzes; the throne room was decorated for King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy and is characterized by the red brocade on the walls and by the Japanese and Chinese vases (17th–18th century).
The Blue Room contains collected furniture (17th–18th century) and the portraits of members of the Medici family painted by Sustermans (1597–1681).
Principal works of art
-
Raphael
Madonna del Granduca. 84 × 55 cm. -
Raphael
Madonna of the Canopy. 276 × 224 cm. -
Raphael
Portrait of Agnolo Doni. 63 × 45 cm. -
Raphael
Woman with a Veil. 82 × 60 cm. -
RaphaelMadonna della Seggiola. Diameter 71 cm.
-
Raphael
Vision of Ezekiel. 41 × 30 cm. -
Raphael
Portrait of Tommaso Inghirami. 90 × 62 cm. -
Raphael and Assistants
Madonna dell'Impannata. 158 × 125 cm. -
Raphael
La Donna Gravida. 66 × 52 cm. -
Titian
Christ the Redeemer. 78 × 55 cm. -
Titian
The Concert. 87 × 124 cm. -
Titian
La Bella. 100 × 75 cm. -
Titian
Portrait of Vincenzo Mosti. 85 × 67 cm. -
Titian
Portrait of Pope Julius II. 99 × 82 cm. -
Titian
Penitent Magdalene. 84 × 69 cm. -
Peter Paul Rubens
The Four Philosophers. 167 × 143 cm. -
Peter Paul Rubens
Consequences of War. 206 × 342 cm. -
Peter Paul Rubens
Madonna of the Basket. 114 × 80 cm. -
Anthony van Dyck
Portrait of Cardinal Guido Bentivoglio. 195 × 147 cm. -
Filippo Lippi
Bartolini Tondo. Diameter 135 cm -
Caravaggio
Portrait of Fra Antonio Martelli. 118 × 95 cm. -
Giorgione
The Three Ages of Man. 62 × 77 cm. -
Verrocchio
St. Jerome. 41 × 27 cm. -
Caravaggio
Sleeping Cupid. 72 × 105 cm. -
Paolo Veronese
Portrait of a Gentleman in a Fur. 140 × 107 cm. -
Fra Bartolomeo
Lamentation. 158 × 199 cm. -
Andrea del Sarto
Pietà with Saints. 239 × 199 cm.
Other galleries
Royal Apartments
This is a suite of 14 rooms, formerly used by the Medici family, and lived in by their successors.
Gallery of Modern Art
This gallery originates from the remodeling of the Florentine academy in 1748, when a gallery of Modern Art was established.
Following the
Today, further enlarged and spread over 30 rooms, this large collection includes works by artists of the Macchiaioli movement and other modern Italian schools of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[23] The pictures by the Macchiaioli artists are of particular note, as this school of 19th-century Tuscan painters led by Giovanni Fattori were early pioneers and the founders of the impressionist movement.[24] The title "gallery of modern art" to some may sound incorrect, as the art in the gallery covers the period from the 18th to the early 20th century. No examples of later art are included in the collection since in Italy, "modern art" refers to the period before World War II; what has followed is generally known as "contemporary art" (arte contemporanea). In Tuscany this art can be found at the Centro per l'arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci at Prato, a city about 15 km (9 mi) from Florence.
Treasury of the Grand Dukes
The Treasury of the Grand Dukes (Tesoro dei Granduchi), formerly called the Silver Museum (Museo degli Argenti), contains a collection of priceless silver, cameos, and works in semi-precious gemstones, many of the latter from the collection of Lorenzo de' Medici, including his collection of ancient vases, many with delicate silver gilt mounts added for display purposes in the 15th century. These rooms, formerly part of the private royal apartments, are decorated with 17th-century frescoes, the most splendid being by Giovanni da San Giovanni, from 1635 to 1636. The Silver Museum also contains a fine collection of German gold and silver artefacts purchased by Grand Duke Ferdinand III after his return from exile in 1815, following the French occupation.[25]
Porcelain Museum
First opened in 1973, this museum is housed in the Casino del Cavaliere in the Boboli Gardens.
Costume Gallery
Situated in a wing known as the "Palazzina della Meridiana ", this gallery contains a collection of theatrical costumes dating from the 16th century until the present. It is also the only museum in Italy detailing the history of Italian fashions.[27] One of the newer collections to the palazzo, it was founded in 1983 by Kirsten Aschengreen Piacenti; a suite of fourteen rooms, the Meridiana apartments, were completed in 1858.[28]
In addition to theatrical costumes, the gallery displays garments worn between the 18th century and the present day. Some of the exhibits are unique to the Palazzo Pitti; these include the 16th-century funeral clothes of Grand Duke Cosimo I de' Medici, and his wife Eleonora of Toledo and their son Garzia, both of whom died of
Carriages Museum
This ground floor museum exhibits carriages and other conveyances used by the Grand Ducal court mainly in the late 18th and 19th century. The extent of the exhibition prompted one visitor in the 19th century to wonder, "In the name of all that is extraordinary, how can they find room for all these carriages and horses".[29] Some of the carriages are highly decorative, being adorned not only by gilt but by painted landscapes on their panels. Those used on the grandest occasions, such as the "Carrozza d'Oro" (golden carriage), are surmounted by gilt crowns which would have indicated the rank and station of the carriage's occupants. Other carriages on view are those used by the King of the Two Sicilies, and Archbishops and other Florentine dignitaries.
The Palazzo today
Today, transformed from royal palace to museum, the Palazzo is in the hands of the Italian state. Once under the "Polo Museale Fiorentino", an institution which administers twenty museums, from 2015 it is a department of the Uffizi, as a separate and independent structure within the Ministry of Cultural Properties and Activities, and has ultimate responsibility for 250,000 catalogued works of art.[30] In spite of its metamorphosis from royal residence to a state-owned public building, the palazzo, sitting on its elevated site overlooking Florence, still retains the air and atmosphere of a private collection in a grand house. This is to a great extent due to the "Amici di Palazzo Pitti" (Friends of the Palazzo Pitti), an organisation of volunteers and patrons founded in 1996, which raises funds and makes suggestions for the ongoing maintenance of the palazzo and the collections, and for the continuing improvement of their visual display.[31]
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A modern view of the Palazzo Pitti
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Southern façade of Palazzo Pitti facing the Boboli amphitheatre and obelisk
Pastiche
The Königsbau wing ('King's building / den') of the Munich Residenz, the former royal palace in the capital of Bavaria, was modelled after the Palazzo Pitti.
Citations
- ^ ISBN 9788894869699.
- ^ Chiarini, Gloria. "Pitti Palace". The Florence Art Guide. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
- ^ The Iconographic Encyclopedia of the Arts and Sciences. Iconographic Pub. Co., 1888. p. 239.
- ^ a b c d Masson, p. 172
- ^ a b c Dynes, p. 67
- ISBN 0-471-76384-5
- ^ Chiarini, p. 12
- ^ Chiarini, p. 20
- ^ Dynes, p. 70–71, 74
- ^ a b Dynes p. 69
- ^ Chiarini, pp. 13–14
- ^ L.H. Heydenreich, Luwig & Lotz Wolfgang (1974), Architecture in Italy 1400–1600, Pelican History of Art
- ^ Masson, p. 144
- ^ Levey, p. 451.
- ^ Chiarini, pp. 11–19
- ^ a b Polo Museale Fiorentino (2007). "The Palatine Gallery and Royal Apartments". Polo Museale Fiorentino. Ministero per i Beni e le Attivit Culturali. Archived from the original on 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ^ Campbell, Malcolm (1977). Pietro da Cortona at the Pitti Palace. A Study of the Planetary Rooms and Related Projects. Princeton University Press. p. 78.
- ^ Palatine Gallery Rooms
- ^ Perlove, Shelley. "An Unpublished Medici Gamepiece by Justus Sustermans". The Burlington Magazine; 131, 1035, 1989. pp. 411–414
- ^ Levey, p. 416.
- ^ a b Chiarini, p. 77
- ^ Chiarini, p. 78
- ^ Polo Museale Fiorentino (2007). "The Gallery of Modern Art". Polo Museale Fiorentino. Ministero per i Beni e le Attivit Culturali. Archived from the original on 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ISBN 0-300-03547-0
- ^ Polo Museale Fiorentino (2007). "The "museo degli Argenti" (The Medici Treasury)". Polo Museale Fiorentino. Ministero per i Beni e le Attivit Culturali. Archived from the original on 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ^ Polo Museale Fiorentino (2007). "The Porcelain museum". Polo Museale Fiorentino. Ministero per i Beni e le Attivit Culturali. Archived from the original on 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ^ Polo Museale Fiorentino (2007). "The Costume Gallery". Polo Museale Fiorentino. Ministero per i Beni e le Attivit Culturali. Archived from the original on 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- JSTOR 881642.
- ^ "The Parterre of fiction, poetry, history [&c.]". Oxford University, 1836. p. 144.
- ^ Polo Museale Fiorentino (2007). "Welcome". Polo Museale Fiorentino. Ministero per i Beni e le Attivit Culturali. Archived from the original on 2007-10-30. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ^ "About us". Amici di Palazzo Pitti. Archived from the original on 2007-07-31. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
General references
- Chiarini, Marco (2001). Pitti Palace. Livorno: Sillabe s.r.l. ISBN 88-8347-047-8.
- Chierici, Gino (1964). Il Palazzo Italiano. Milan.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Dynes, Wayne (1968). Palaces of Europe. London: Hamlyn.
- Levey, Michael. Florence: A Portrait. Harvard University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-674-30658-9
- Masson, Georgina (1959). Italian Villas and Palaces. London: Harry N. Abrams Ltd.
- Pitti Palace and Museums – see sub-pages for individual museums
Further reading
- Gurrieri, Francesco; Patrizia Fabbri (1996). Palaces of Florence. Stefano Giraldi, photography. Rizzoli. pp. 66–77.
- Marinazzo, Adriano (2014). Palazzo Pitti: dalla 'casa vecchia' alla reggia granducale, in Bollettino della Società di Studi Storici Fiorentini, vol. 22, Firenze, Emmebi Edizioni Firenze, pp. 299–306.