1 Archaeological Collection
2 Giotto and the 13th century
3 Sienese Painting
of the 14th century
4 Florentine Painting
of the 14th century
5-6 International Gothic
7 Early Renaissance
8 Lippi
9 Pollaioio
10-14 Botticellí
15 Leonardo
16 Geographicai Maps
17 Hermaphrodíte Room
18 Tribuno
19 Perugino and SignoreMi
20 Dürer
21 Giambeilino and Giorgione
22 Flemísh and Germán Renaissance
23 Mantegna and Correggio
24 Cabinet of Miniatures
25 Michelangelo
The
26 Raphaeí and Andrea det Sarto
0%
ál. Uffizi
ENGLISH ■
Cafetería
Telephone
27 Pontormo and Rosso Florentino
28 Titian and Sebastiano'del Piombo
29 Dosso and Parmigianino
30 Cabinet of Emilian Painting
of the 16th century
31 Veronese
32 Bassano and Tintoretto
33 Corridor of the 16th century
34 Lombard Painting
of the 16th century
35 Barocci and the tuscan
Counter-reformatlon
36-37 Atrium Exít
38 Archaeological Collection
41 Rubens
42 Niobe Room
43 Caravaggio
44 Flemish Painting
of the 17th century
45 Painting of the 18th century
A Lorraine Atrium and ticket check
B Belvedere
C Loggia del Lanzl Terrace
THE O F F I C I A L G U I D E
(J) Toilets

Disabled Toilets

Qi Lifts

Exit

Vasari Corridor
Entrance

Second Floor. Galiery

FIRENZE
MVSEI

The Uffizi
Gloria Fossi
 GlUNTI

This book is dedicatedJirst of all to the victims of the bomb of2 7 May 1993.
l would like to thank all the staffofthe Uffizi Gallery and the FineArts and His¬
torie Works Commission ofFlorence, Pístoia and Pratofor their collaboration in
thepreparation ofthisguide. fnparticular.for their trust, advice and helpfulness,
I would like to thank thefollowing: Head ofthe FineArts and Historie Works Com¬
mission Antonio Paolucci and his deputy Cristina Acidini Luchinat; Head of the
EnvironmentalandArchitectural Works Commission Mario A. Lolli Ghetti; the
Director ofthe IJffizi Gallery, Annamaria Petrioli Tofani; the Director of the De¬
partment of Paintingsfrom the Medieval to the Rarly Renaissance, Alessandro
Cecchi; the Director ofthe Department ofPaintingsfrom the Renaissance, Man-
nerism and ContemporaryArt, Antonio Natali; the Director ofthe Department of
Paintingsfrom the Seventeenth to the Nineteenth Centuryand ofTapestries, Cate-
rina Caneva; the Curator oftheArchaeological Collections, GiovanniAgosti; and
the Director ofArchitecture at the Uffizi Gallery, Antonio Godoli. From the Fine
Arts and Historie Works Commission: theAdministrative Director Giovanni Lenza
and the SecretaryPasquale Sassu together withMarco Fossi. Also, Roberto Zanieri
from the Secretariat of the Uffizi and all the technical staffofthe Gallery. In ad-
dition,fo r their help, Sara BettinelU and Morgana Clinto.
 Graphics: Franco Bulletti
Coverdesign: Laura Belforte and Fabio Filippi

Managing editor: Claudio Fescio

Editing: Augusta Tosone
Translation: Harriet Palerson, Marina Pugliano

Photographs: Giunli Archive / Foto Rabatti-Domingie, Florence

© 1998 Ministry of Arlistic and Environmenlal Heritage - Superintendence for

Arlistic and Historical Patrimony for Ihe districls of Florence, Pistola and Prato
No part of this publication may be reproduced in anyform or by any means

Editorial production ofGiunti Gruppo Edltoriale, Florence

Sixth edition: April 2000
1SBN88-09-21447-J
CONTENTS

The Uffizí: ils Origins and Collections 7

The Hall of San Pier Scheraggio 14
Archaeological Collections 16
Cabinet of Prints and Drawlngs 18
First Corridor 20
Room 1 (see Archeological Collections)
Room 2, Giotto and the 15�� century 22
Room 5, Sienese Painting of thel4'�' century 27
Room 4, Florentine Painting of thel4'� century 31
Room 5-6, International Gothic 35
Room 7, The Early Renaissance 38
Room 8, Lippi 48
Room 9, Pollaiolo 54
Room 10-14, Rotticelli 59
Room 15, Leonardo 76
Room 16, Geographical Maps 84
Room 17, Hermaphrodite Room 85
Room 18, Tribune 86
Room 19, Perugino and Signorelli 94
Room 20, Dürer 97
Room 21, Giambellino and Giorgione 100
Room 22, Flemish and Germán Renaissance 104
Room 25, Mantegna and Correggio 107
Room 24, Cabinet ofMiniatures 111
Second and Third Corridor 112
Room 25, Michelangelo and the Florentine Painting 114
Room 26, Raphael and Andrea del Sarto 119
Room 27, Pontormo and Rosso Florentino 122
Room 28, Titian and Sebastiano del Piombo 125
Room 29, Dosso and Parmigianino 129
Room 30, Cabinet of Emilian 16"� century Painting 132
Room 51, Veronese 133
Room 52, Bassano and Tintoretto 134
Room 55, Corridor of the 16'*' century 135
Room 54, Lombard Painting of the 16"� century 137
Room 55, Rarocci and the Tuscan Counter-reformation 139
Room 41, Kubens 140
Room 42, Niobe Room 142
Collections of Ihe 17"' and 18"' century 143
Vasari Corridor 151
Contini Bonacossi Collection 154
Index 156
 MlC HE LA NG EL O, Z )on / Tondo (detail)

EnoüghBOOKS have been written about thepublic rnuseums in Florence run

bytheFineArts and Historie Works Commission toJiíl a large library. This is
hardly surprising when one considers that the artistic heritage preserved in
our rnuseums has beenfamous throughout the worldfor centuries. For hun-
dreds ofyears writers, scholars andtravellers ofeverynationalityand coun-
tryhave been attempting to describe all that the Fiorentine rnuseums contain.
They have made great efforts to explain why these museums are sofascinat-
ing, and to lead a path through paintings and sculpturesforboth the unin-
formed but willing visitor and the refined and jaded intellectual.
Over time, however, the museums have altered their aspect and their lay-
out, the exhibitions have been arranged in new ways, the collections have
been enriched (orimpoverished). Attributions ofworks in the museums have
also changed, restorations have trans/ormed the appearance ofmanypieces,
the rise andfall o/aesthetic tendencies have led to reorganisation and the
exhibition ofdiffering works. All these things are constantly taking place
within the public collections because museology and the history of art, like
any intellectual endeavour, are in a constant state ofprogress and transfor-
mation. This explains why the literature surrounding the Fiorentine mu¬
seums (like that ofany ofthe world's great art collections) is so immense,
and in a process of continual updating and change.
Theperfect, definitiveguide toamuseum, anymuseum, doesnotandcan-
not exist
The premise seems obvious, but is nonetheless necessary in order to un-
derstand thepoint ofthepublication introduced by these Unes. From the mo-
ment when, in accordance with the application of the Ronchey law 4/93, the
Giuntipublishinghousegroup took over the running ofthe supportservices
within the Fiorentine museum system, it was decided to start at once on a
standardisedseries ofillustratedguides. Theseguides, displayingthecuneiform
Jlower o/'Tirenze Musei" on the cover, guarantee that at theyear ofpubli¬
cation the State ofeach museum is exactly that described in the guide.
Certain things are obviously necessary if a museum guide is to aspire to
reliability, offlcial standing and at the same time enjoy a wide distribution:
accuraqyofinformation, high qualityreproductions, an easily manageable
format, a reasonable cost and not least - a clearly written text (without,
naturally, being banal orlackinginprecisión). Readers willjudgeforthem-
selves if the guide which follows this introduction reaches these standards,
Ihave no doubt that this will be a serious and committed judgement, just as
myself and the Publisher of this guide have been serious and committed in
attempting to meet the cultural needs of whoever visits our museums in the
best wayand with everypossible care.

Ilead of the Fine Á vis

and Historie I Vorks Commission
o fFlorence, Pistola and Prato
(Antonio Paolucci)
 S a n d ro Botticelli, Pallas and the Centaur

The Uffizi: its Origins and Collections

One ofthe woRi.D�smostimportanl museums, the Uffizi Gallery was one ofthe
first in Europe to emerge in accordance wlth the modern idea of a museum, thal
is to say as a systematically organised exhibition space designed for public view-
ing. Two cenluries before itwasofficiallyopenedin 1765, the Gallerywasinfact
open to visitors on request: in 1591, a guide to Florence written by Francesco
Bocchi describes it as: "amongst the most supremely beautiful sights... in the
World... filled with ancient statues, with noble paintings and extremely pre-
cious objects". It is worth remembering that it was created in a city which had
long since been the first to revisit the disused term museuruy which for the an¬
cient Greeks signified a space dedicated lo the Muses: in Florence it was used
to describe the collection of antique sculptures which Lorenzo the Magnificent
(1449-1492) established in the garden at San Marco. Artisls such as Leonardo
and Michelangelo gathered here "for beauty, for work and for recreation", as
Giorgio Vasari relates. This latter was not only the architect of the Uffizi but al-
so the author of the Lives o f theArtists published in 1550 and in 1568, a work
which will frequently be referred to in this guide.
The origins ofthe Uffizi date back to 1560, when at the request ofthe Medici
duke Cosimo i (1519-1574), Vasari designed a grand palazzo with two wings,
"along the river, almost fioating in the air", which housed the Magistrature, or
the administrative and judicial offices - Uffizi - of the duchy of Tuscany, Five
years later Vasari oversaw in a few short months the building of the elevated
gallery which, connecting the Uffizi to the new Medici residence at Palazzo Pit-
ti, runs to this day over the Ponte Vecchio and the church of Santa Felicita, lead-
ing out into the Boboli gardens. In a unique urban relationship, the Vasari Cor-
ridor unites the nerve centres of city: the river, the oldest bridge and the seats
of power, along a spectacular elevated walkway.
But it is lo Cosimo's son, Francesco I (1541-1587) Ihat we owe the first real
nucleus of the Gallery. The introverled Grand Duke had already established a
Studiolo filled with paintings and precious objects in his residence in the Palaz¬
zo Vecchio, which was later also joined to the Uffizi by an elevated passageway.
Around 1581 he transformed the top fioor ofthe Uffizi inlo a gallery, a place for
"walking, with paintings, statues and other precious things", and in 1586 gave
the eclectic Bernardo Buontalenti the task of creating the Medici Theatre. This
provided a space for memorable performances, and corresponded in height to
the present first and second fioors ofthe museum, where we now find the col-
7
THE UFFIZI: ITS ORíGINS AND COLLECTIOXS

The Medid Theatre on the fírst floor

lections of graphic works and other exhibition rooms. The Gallery was illumi-
naled by large mndows, decorated by antique sculptures and by frescoes on the
ceiUng. But the most creative idea was the Tribune: a symbohc, unusual, wel-
coming space, its octagonal cupola encrusted \\ith shells, ñlled with works of
art and furnishings, all ht from above. Near the Tribune is a terrace which was
closed in by the Grand Duke Ferdinand, brother of Francesco, in 1589, to cre-
ate the Loggiaof GeographicalMaps (Room 16). At theend ofthe otherwlnga
hanging garden was created over Orcagna's Loggia, beyond the Foundry and
other workshops.
Nowadays the Uffizi Gallerj' boasts an incomparable artistic heritage: thou-
sands of pictures from the medieval to the modern age, ancient sculptures,
miniatures, tapestries; it holds an unrivalled position for its series of self-por-
traits which is constantly gro��ing through acquisitions and through donations
by contemporar\" artists, equalled oniy by its collection in the Cabinet of Draw-
ings and Prints, outstanding even for this city which traditionally prides itself
on being "pre-eminent in dra�%1ng".
If the Ufíizi Galler\' can rightly be called a museum par excellence, this is not
just because of its superb buildings and its works of art. Its unique quahty also
comes from the origins of its collections, from its history which goes back more
than four centuries and which is so closely entmned with the events of Florentine
ci\1lisation. That the Ufíizi is a bj�vord for Florence and vice-versa is explained
 above all by the inbom vocation for collecting of its govemors, Avlth the Medicis
8
THE UFFIZI: ITS ORIGÍNS AND COLLECTIONS

View of the Loggia of the Ufflzi over the Arno

leading the way: the lords ofFlorence for three centuries, they were also passionate
patrons and collectors of antiquities from the time of Cosimo the Eider (1389-1464)
who was the patrón of artists such as the transgressive Fra Fihppo Lippi (Room 8),
yet also responsible for commissionlng works wlth such strict moral and polltical
meanlngs as XheBattle ofSanRomano of Paolo Uccello (Room 7).
The first Medicean collections form, as mentioned earlier, the original nu-
cleus of the Gallery. However it is also true, as the reader of this guide wlll re-
alise from the provenances catalogued here, that many works of art destined
for other locations which eventually found their way to this great U-shaped build-
ing in the heart of the city reflect the tastes and choices of public figures and prí¬
vate citizens, of merchants, bankers and literati as well as of civic and religious
institutions. One need only mention, in connection wlth the early fífteenth cen-
tury, the cultured and vastly wealthy Palla Strozzi, who approached Gentile da
Fabriano, a stranger in Florence, for mAdoration for his chapel in Santa Trini-
ta: a work which in its exotic magic is a long way from the simple, essential world
being evoked in those years by the Tuscan artist Masaccio. This latter worked
wlth Masolino for the powerful Felice Brancacci, and before that for the reli¬
gious sisters of Sant'Ambrogio (Room 7). In the sixteenth century one should at
least mention Agnolo Doni, patrón ofMichelangelo (Room 25) and also of Raphael,
to whom he was as important a patrón as Lorenzo Nasi (Room 26); and Bar-
tolomeo Panciatichi, painted together wlth his extremely beautiful wlfe by Bronzi-
no (Tribune). The Florentine guilds were also important patrons during the
 9
THE LFFIZI: ITS ORIGINS A.ND COLLECTIONS

A �vlndow of the Vasari Corridor over the Arno

fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; amongst these were the Bankers Guild, who
commissioned a triplych from Orcagna for the pillar on its property in Orsan-
michele, the seat of the Arts (Room 4), and the Merchants' Guild, who asked
Piero Pollaiolo and then Botticelli for a series of Virtues for its Tribunal (Room
9). Lastly, many works now in the Galler}' exist thanks to the patronage of the
churches, confraternities and monasteries in and around Florence, from which,
furthermore, various artist-monks emerged such as Fra Angélico, Lorenzo
Monaco and Fra Bartolomeo (Rooms 5-6, 7,25).
There are other historical considerations which add to the unique nature of
the UfTizi's collections; since the fourteenth centurj' Florence has had a close-
ly-woven international network which has led, oñen through indirect routes,
to fruitful exchange \viih foreign artistic influences: the Portinari, agents of the
Medici in Bruges, sent the imposing Van der Goes triptych to the church of
Sant'Egidio (Rooms 10-14), and had themselves painted by the Flemish Mem-
ling (Room 22). In addition, ofTiciahisits by dignitaries and high-rankingprelates
almost always brought some artistic novelty or other to the banks of the Arno: a
chapel in San Miniato was dedicated to the Cardinal of Portugal who died in Flo¬
rence in 1459, and it was from this chapel that the magnificent altarpiece of Pol¬
laiolo (Room 9) carne. For the marriage of María de* Medici to Henri IV (1600),
the Vicenzan Filippo Pigafetta (1555-1604) published a description ofthe Gallery
forstrangers to the cityandplannedaroom of militar}'architecture (Room 17).
Diplomatic gifts, do\ATies and inheritances from international marriages en-
10
 TIIE UFFÍZI; ITS OKIGINS ANI) COLLECTTONS

Wrestlersy copy frorn a Greek original in bronze, Tribune

largeci the coUections of the grand dukes, wbo were developing more and more
of a tasle for works from other llalian and foreign schools and conlemporary,
non-Florenline arlists. A few examples: Ferdinand T (1549-1609), wbo had al-
ready acquired in Rome in 1583 Ihe famous and only recenlly discovered an-
tique sculpUiral group of Ihe Wrestlers (in Ihe Tribmie since 1677), received as
a gifl from Cardinal del Monte Ihe Medusa by Caravaggio (Room 45) and in-
heriled minialures and olher works from his wife Chrisline of T jorraine, grand-
daughter of Calerina de' Medid. Ferdinand 11 (1610-1670) inherited through
his wife Vittoria delia Rovere Ihe Fiero della Francesca Diptych (Room 7) and
Tilian's Venus ofUrblno (Room 28), amongsl olher Ihings, and acquired Nordic
painlings Ihrough Ihe arlist Agostino Tassi, the Medici's firsl arlislic inlerme-
diary. Cosimo 11 (1590-1621) was an admirer of Ihe Emilian Guercino as vvas his
son, Ihe erudile Cardinal Leopoldo (1617-1675), who founded Ihe Accademia
della Crusca, and formed Ihe fírsl collections of self-porlrails and drawings.
Cosimo 111 (1642-1725) boughl foreign painlings, parlicularly Flemish ones,
such as Ihe two greal canvases of Rubens damaged by Ihe 1993 bomb, nowre-
slored. And finally Ihe Grand Prince Ferdinand (1663-1713) inviled arlislslike
Giuseppe Maria Crespi, Magnasco and Ihe lwo Ricéis lo Florence. \Vhen Ihe
Medici dynasly died oul, Ihe lasl hcir Anna Maria Luisa (1667-1743) sanclioned
Ihe Gallery as "public and inalienable properly", granling the IJffizi a new
lease ofiifc during Ihe Grand Duchy of Lorraine, cspecially under Ihe en-
lighlened figure ofPielro Leopoldo (Grand Duke ofl\iscany from 1765 lo 1790),
11
THE UF FIZ I : ITS O R I G I N S AND COLLECTIONS
WoRKSHOPOFFRANgois Clouet, i/enn/T, Caterinade'Mediciandrelatives.c. 1570

to whom we owe the entrance stainvays, the veslibule and the Niobe Room. A
renewed taste for primitives led to the acquisition of earlier works, which often
carne from suppressed convents and monasteries; the nucleus of French paint-
ing was formed at that time and the ñrst "scientifíc" guides were published (Ben-
civenni Pelhj 1779; Luigi Lanzi, 1782).
From the nineteenth century onwards, the growth of the picture gallery has
brought about new displays and new rooms, a process �yhich, despite changing
circumstances, has been almost uninterrupted to this day, notwithstanding the
bomb of 1995. During the postwar period, various rearrangements and restora-
tions have been carried out by Roberto Salvini, Luisa Becherucci and Luciano
Berti. Many other high-proflle interv�entions have taken place since 1987 under
the current director AnnamariaPetrioliTofani,who alongside the conservators
Giovanni Agosti, Caterina Caneva, Alessandro Cecchi, Antonio Natali, Piera
Bocci Pacini and the architect Antonio Godoh, has carried out the restoration of
the Royal Postroom on the ground floor, of various exhibition rooms and of the
Loggia on the first floor; the philological restoration of the Gallery's three cor-
ridors and the reorganisation follomng new criteria of many of the rooms (8
and 15 in the eastern \\lng and most of the rooms in the west mng). Finally, the
extensión of the museum into thevastareasbeneath the Gallery isnowathand,
which váW include the creation of service areas. G�\dng to an improved layout
of tapestries, paintings and other works from the museum's deposits - wlth con-
sequent changes and altered posltions for works already on display, particularly
12
THE UF F IZ I : ITS O R IG I N S AND C O L L E C T I O N S
G. Nasini, Virtues ofthe Medid Grand Dukes, c. 1698. Ceiling of the Second Corridor

for the sevenleenlh and eighleenlh cenlury paintings which until now were
cramped in the last room of the third corridor - it will be possible to trace an
ever-more meaningful art-historical journey through schools and eras. The re-
markable Contini Bonacossi coliection, previously in the Meridiana pavilhon
at Palazzo Pitti, has also finally been given a deíinitive display; Ihere is a tem-
porary entrance from Via Lambertesca but the coliection will soon be linked di-
rectly to the resl ofthe museum. In addition, the spectacular Loggia on the Arno
(corresponding lo the Gallery's Southern Corridor), which opened in Decem-
ber 1998, will become an integral parí of any visit lo the new Uffizi.

Note
The Uffizi Gallery is undergoirig a phase of large-scale enlargement and reorganisa-
tion. The extensión ofthe exhibition space on the two lowerfíoors ofthe buildingmay
cause the temporaiy closure of some rooms, and the repositioning of certain works, at
times which it is not presently possible to predicl. The collections of paintings from the
seventeenth and eighteenth centurj, currently in Hooms 43-45 ofthe Third Corridor will
be subject to extensive reorganisation;for this reason we have referred to these works
without a room number reference.
Measurements are given in cenlimetres unless otherwise indicated. The inventorynum-
bers, unless otherwisespecified, referto thosetakenfrom //ie Inventario generala delle
Gallería fiorentine, known to scholars as Inventario 1890.

13
The Hall of S a x Pier Scheraggio
Erected overthefoundation o/a 9�� centuty church andconsecrated ¿n 1068, the
church ofSan Pier Scheraggio ivas until 1313 the seat of the town councils and
:he site of memorable public speeches by Dante and Boccaccio. Some of the arch-
es ofthe left nave, which ivas destroyed in 1410 to enlarge Via della Ninna, are
still visible from the exterior. Among the rernaining medieval structures, incor-
porated into theground fíoor ofthe Uffizi in 1360, the central nave still stands,
which since 1971 has been restored and converted into an impressive two-roomed
exhibition space. Ofnote amongst the works on display here, which include dec-
orative fragments from the Román and Medieval ages, is Andrea del Castagno's
cycle of humanisticfr�escoes. This work was recovered in 1847ft�om Villa Car-
ducci, later to become Villa Pandolfini. In it the social status of chai�acters from
recent Florentine histor}' is reflected by depicting them together with heroicfig¬
uresfrom the Bible and antiquity.

A n d r e a del Castagno
Queen Tomyris
c. 1449-1450
Detached fresco trans-
ferred to canvas
245x155
Inv, San Marco e Cenacoli
no. 168
In Ihe UÍTizi since 1969

\n\úsMemorialeQÍ\5\0,
Francesco Albertlni
records that Andrea del
Castagno painted a "most
beautifuF' loggia, with
"Sibyls and famous Flo¬
rentine men", for Con¬
falonier Carducci's \111a
in Legnaia, on the out-
skiits of Florence. The cy-
cle's decorative fragments
include the C uma e a n
Sibyl, the ancient hero-
ines Queens Esther and
Tom>TÍs, and six famous
Florentines. The figures
are almost sculptural in
form - standing out against
feigned panels they cre-
ate an efi�ect of three-di-
mensional space around
>�t";U"-M-vj}jDicAvrr SE DEntió etpatwa/v
them.
14
T H E H A LL O F SAN P I E R S C H E R A G G 1 O
Andrea del Ca st a g no
Pippo Spano
c. 1449-1450
üetached fresco
transferred lo canvas,
250x154
Inv. San Marco e Cenacoli
no. 173
ín the UfRzi since 1969
Archaeological Collections
Pippo Spano (so-called af-
ler ihe lili e ispán ofTeme-
svár Ihal lie received in
1407), otherwise known
as Filippo Scolari, was a
llungarian with Floren-
line origins, a brave army
1 ead er who fou ght against
the Bosnians, and a capa-
ble diploma! under Sieg-
niund ofBohemiawhona-
med him goveriior of Bos¬
nia. This fresco portrays
Spano wilh an appearance
closetolhe descriplion leíl
to US by Jacopo di Poggio
Bracciolini: "Black-eyed,
white-h aired, m erry offa¬
ce, Ihin in body. He wore
alongbeai-d andbairdown
to bis sboulders".
Andrea del C a st a gn o
Francesco Petrarca
c. 1449-1450
Detached fresco
transferred to canvas,
247x153
ínv. San Marco e Cenacoli
no. 166
In the tJffizi since 1969
Tn tbe cycle offamous Flo-
rentines at Villa Carduc-
ci, the portrait of the po-
et Petrarch together wilh
those of Dante and Boc¬
caccio re pr e s e nts tbe
virtues of literature.
15

The exhibition ofthe prestigious Medicean collection of antiquities originally carne

from the Sculpture Gallery of Francesco Un the First Corridor, along which each
statue altemated symmetrically with two busts of Román emperors. This gallery
also includedseveral works now in othermuseums: ''modern*'sculptures such as
Michelangelo's Bacchus, Etruscanpieces such as the Chimera and OrdXoYprevU
ously acquired byCosimol, and in addition theWWá Boar (now in the Third Cor-
rídor) and the Djing Alexander (now in the Second Corridor). The collection in-
creased between the 17�� and the 18�� centuries, mainly due to the arríval of works
from the Villa Medid in Rome such as the Medici Venus, the Knife-Grinder and
the Wrestlers (Tribune), cindfinally the Niobe Group. Dozens ofpieces are now
redistributed between Room 1 (1981 arrangement), the Tribuney the three Corri-
dors (1996 arrangement), the Niobe Room, the Vestibules, and the Loggia on the
Arno, allfollowing the original displayas closelyaspossible. Ofthe various works
found in Room 1, ofparticular note is the Román copy in green basalt of the Do-
rj'phorus torso ofPolykleitos.Also originally from the Filia Medici, ithas been in
the Uffizi since 1783.
 Bust ofAntinous
Román art
from the time of Hadrian
Greek marble
h. 80
Inv. no. 327

Discovered in Rome in
1671, thls bust comes from
the collection of Cardinal
Leopoldo de' Medici. Con-
sidered to be the lastmyth-
icalinterpretatlon ofGreek
Art, it represents an ide-
alised portralt ofthe young
Bithynian, favourite ofthe
Emperor Hadrian.
16
ARCHAEOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS
 ñiques, ivho at in the begmmng ofthe IJ�n centurycon-

Boy Removing a
Thornfrom his Foot
Román copy, Augustan pe-
riod, from the Greek origi¬
nal (modern head and oth-
er additions)
Pentelic marble, h. 84
Inv. no. 177
Cabinet of Prints and Drawings
Origínally from the Villa
Medid in Rome, this an-
cient marble seulpture
was transferred from the
Villa di Poggio Imperiale
to the Uffizi in 1772. The
boy removing a thom from
his foot is an image which,
known and copied sever-
al times in Rome from the
12*�� century, beganfrom
the fifteenth century on-
wards to interest Renais-
sance Florentine artists
who copied and adapted
itforreligious scenes.
17

The traditional gift of Florentíne artistsfor di�awing Leo.\ardo da Vinci

dates back to at least the time of Cennino Cennini, a Landscape
painteras wellas theauthorofa treatise on artistictech-
, .. , . X-., � rth . Dated on the top left córner:
sidered drawing "thefoundation ofart''. Afurther sig- addi 5 d'aghossto 1473"
nificant claim was then made in the 16�� century br the pen on yellowed while paper
gj'eat draftsrnan Pontormo, who considered drawing mm 196x287
to be the noblestfomi ofexpression. One oftheJirstpeo- G.D.S.U. no. 8 P r.
Fondo Mediceo
pie to valué drawing as a separate art was Giorgio
f�asarijerventcollector, capable draftsrnan, and an ex-
peHon technique. Since the time of Lorenzo the Medid Thisisthefirstknowndat-
had also collected drawings, but itwas under Cardinal ed work ofLeonardo's and
Leopoldo (161 7-1675) thatthetruebeginningsoftheUf- the first drawing of puré
fizi collection, then in thePitti, were laid down. Today landscape inwestern art.
this is the most outstanding collection ofgraphic work It dates back, as indlcated
in Italy, and one of the most important in the world: it byLeonardo'smirrorwrit-
boasts works offundamentalimportancefrom the 14��- ing, to the day ofthe mlrac-
15�� centuries to the present day, and contains works ulous summer snowfall
bygreat masters such as Leonardo, Michelangelo, on the Esquihne Hill in
Raphael, Andrea del Sarto, Pontormo and many oth~ Rome. Possibly showing
ers. The rooms it currently occupies while waitingfor the Arno valley as vlewed
future enlargements are on thefirstfloor; in areas ere- from the mountainside of
atedfrom the 16�� century Medid Theatre. The works Montalbano, the drawing
are onlyon viewforthepurposes ofstudy, butthemed witnesses to Leonardo's
exhibitions are periodically open to thepublic. interest in nature.
CABINET OF PRINTS AND DRAWINGS
 W; i)' .

ja-v

Raphael This was the preparalo- Ihis almost scuiptural

Nude Study ry drawing for the figure nude show that he had
of Adam in the fresco of studied the work of
c. 1509
the Disputation over the Michelangelo as well as
Charcoal and white chalk
on yellowed white paper
Sacrament in Raphael's antique sculpture; it comes
iTiiti 357x210 Stanza della Segnatura as httle surprise that in
Inv. G.D.S.U. no. 541 E r. (1509) in the Vatican. 1515 Raphael was named
An outstanding drafts- Head of of Román Anti-
man, the vigorous hnes quities by the Medici pope,
\vlth which he sketches LeoX.
19
First Corridor

After a restoration in 1996, the East Corridor (illustrated below) has largely re-
 covered its late 16�� century appearance, conceived byFrancesco I�founderofthe
Callery. The restoration ofthe corridor and its display of statues andpaintings is
based amongst other things upon the drawings of the Gallery carried out byFra
Benedetto de Greyss between 1748 and í 765. Following the categories dejlned in
1397 byFilippoPigafetta, the olderportraítsfrom the Giovio Series, partlyrestored,
have been placed under the ceiling, which is decorated with grotesque motifs. The
series depictsfamous men from everyage and country, and ivas begunfor Cosimo
Iby Cristo/ano delVAltissimo, who in Como (ÍJJ2-1J89) copiedtherenownedcol-
lection byPaolo Giovio, They thenpassedfrom thePittiPalace to the Uffizi inl58 7.
4fter more than two centuries, the large three-quarter-length portraits oftheAulic
series are now set back in regular spaces beneath the Giovio Series. Francesco 1
and his successors commissioned these to extol theirfamily, beginning with the
founder, GiovannidiBiccL Theywereinspiredbyolderprototypes, someof which
are still in the Tribune. Ancient busts and sculp turesfrom the Medid collection al¬
térnate along the walls. The ceilings with grotesque decoration were executed by
a group ofpainters led by Alessandro Allori (Antonio Tempesta, Ludovico Buti,
Giovan Maria Butteri and Ludovico Cigoli, some ofwhom were already active in
the Studiolo ofPalazzo Vecchio). The pavement in large white and grey marble
squares dates back to the Lorraine period (í8 century).

20
FIRST CORRIDOR
A l e s s a n d ro Allori The grotesque� a typlcal
Grotesque Decorations decoration insplred by the
with Medicean Devices friezes in imperial Román
1581
residences, takes its ñame
from the so-called "grot-
Fresco with tempera
retouches
toes" in Kero'&DomusAu-
385x585 rea in Rome. Whilst by the
end of the fifteenth cen-
XuTYgrotesque decorations
began to appear in the
paintings of artists such
as Filippino Lippi, Pin-
turicchio and Signorelli,
they were most fully de-
veloped in the second half
of the sixteenth century,
no accident considering
howwell the style adapt-
ed to the bizarre late-Man-
nerist taste of the age of
Francesco I.
Amongst the subjects of
the First Corrídor are land-
scapes, real and fabulous
animals, monsters,masks
and satyrs, weapons and
Room 2 ♦ Giotto axd the 1 5 t h Century
Medicean devices. In the
frescoes of the vault il-
lustrated here, situated
halfway down the First
Corrídor, we find various
emblems of Francesco I
de' Medici (the weasel
with a branch ofrue and
the motto a m a t victoria
CURAM, "Victory loves
care") and of Blanca Cap-
pello, his lover and later
his second wlfe (the oys-
ter opening in the sun and
the motto mar [i] coeloque
PROCREATA MERITO CARISSl-
MA, "Deservedly precious,
she came forth from the
sky and the sea").
21

Rooms 2 to9 are dedicated to medieval art, the early Renaissance, and the art of
Pollaiolo. Room 8 is an exception, havingbeen restructuredin 1997 togetherwith
Room 15. The re-ordeñng of the rooms ivas carried out during the Fiftws (archi-
tects Gardella,MichelucciandScarpa, directorSalvini). Thewideopeninginthe
entering wall allowedfor the entry oflarge-scale works (Cimabue's Crucifixión
ivas previously hung here, and later returned to Santa Croce where it ivas dam-
aged by the 1966jlood).
Alongside sorne ofthe earliest examples of Tascan painting, thisfirst room with
its truss-framed ceiling reminiscent of a medieval church houses three imposing
Maestas by Cimabue, Duccio and Giotto. Their recent restorations haveprovid-
ed neWy important readings and confirm the great skill ofFlorentine carpenters
in carrying out the complex carpentiy of these three huge panels.

ClMABUE
Maestá
o f Santa Ttinita
Datable belween 1280
and 1290
Tempera on wood, 425x243
Inv. no. 8345
In the UfRzi since 1919
Restored: 1993

This large panel painting,

"vvhose original frame is
lost, was meant to stand
465 centimetres high on
the main altar of the
church of Santa Trinita,
striking the vie�v of all the
faithfu] at once. Eight fore-
shortened angels flank
the Madonna with Child.
Below, betweenthe arch-
es, Jeremiah and Isaiah
look upwards to conñrm
the prophecies inscribed
on the scrolls, concern-
ing the virginal birth of
Jesús; in the middle are
Abraham and Da\id, from
whose offspringthe Sav-
iourwould rise.
22
ROOM 2 t ÜIOTTO AND THE 13TH GEN TUR Y

DUCCIO DI Bomnsegna Reslored: 1989

Tempera on wood
Maestá 450x293
Inv. unnumbered
c. 1285 In the Uffizi since 1948
Paintedbyüuccioforlhe
Laudesl Confralernily
Chapel in Sania María
Novella, this Is the first
knoim large work of the
Sienese painter. The out-
standlngframe, integrat-
ROOM 2 ♦ GIOTTO AND THE
ROOM 2 ♦ G IOT TO AND THE 13TII CENTURY
Giotto
ed into the altarplece, sur- rounds the Madonna en-
throned between six
kneeling angels wlth thir-
ty medallions showlng
saints and half-length
Blblical figures, portrayed
\vith intensity desplte the
small dimensions.
25
13TH CENTURY
The Ognissanti
Madonna
(whole and details)
c. 1310
Tempera on wood
525x204
Inv. no. 8544
In the UíTizi since 1919
Restored: 1991

Painted for the Umiliati

Altar, as recently proven,
to the right hand side of
the door ofthe screen wall
In the church ofOgnissan¬
ti, the gaze of the Madon¬
na and the position of the
throne in fact suggest il
should be viewed from
the right side, as with Duc-
cio'sMaestám Santa Ma¬
ría Novella. This large, de-
volional work is a homa-
ge to the virginity, mater-
nity, and royalty of Mary.
An ángel offers her a pre-
cious crown, while an-
other is giving the Child
the eucharistic pyx, rep-
resenting the Passion of
Christ. Two angels atthe
Virgin's feet offer an am-
pulla with roses and lilies,
both Marian symbols. No¬
te the extraordinary per-
spective effect, with the
figures solidly arranged
in a space rendered lifeli-
ke by the three-dimensio-
nal throne. Note also the
realism ofthe faces, of
the variegated marble, of
the flowers painted from
nature and even of the
wood of the platform at
the feet ofthe Madonna.
25
Ro o M 2 * G I O T T O AND THE 1 5 T H C E N T L R Y
 Giotto
Badia Poliptych
(whole and detail)
c. 1300
Tempera on wood, 91x334
Inv. Dep. S. Croce no. 7
In the Ufíizi since 1957

Formerly on the maln al¬

tar of the Badia Florenti¬
na, this panel painting
shows the Madonna \vith
Child, flanked on the left
by St John the Evangelist
and St Xicholas and on the
right by St Peter and St Be-
nedict. On each pinnacle
stands a small tondo (God
the Father in the middle
and angels on each side).
Because ofits articulated,
architectural structure \vith
pointed divisions and tre-
foil franies from which the
saints appear to lean out,
and because of its sensi-
tive use ofchiaroscuro and
ñne detail, the poliptych is
considered to be the work
of Giotto, completed afler
his travels to Rome and Ri-
mini, and before his resi-
• '
-
.1— . dence in Padua.
26
ROOM 5 ♦ SiENESE PAINTING OF THE 1 4 TH CENTURY
SiMONE MaRTIM
AND LiPPO MeMMI
Annunciation
Signed and daled 1335
below on the franie: "Symon
Marlini et Lippus Mcmmi de
Senis me pinxerunt anno do-
miniMCCCXXXIII"
Tempera on wood
184x210
Inv. nos. 451-453
In Ihe Uffizi since 1799
Waiting lo be restorcd
ROO.M 5 ♦ SIEN ESE PAINTING OF THE 14TH CENTURY
This Annunciation was
painted for the altar of
Sant'Ansano in the Siena
Cathedral and brought to
the Uflizi by the Grand Duke
Ferdinand III. The origi¬
nal frame is lost, bul writ-
ten beneath is an autograph
documenting the date and
the ñames ofthe painters,
Simona Martini and his
brother-in-law Lippo Mem-
mi, who worked together
in Siena in an extremely
prohfic workshop. On ei-
ther side of the Annuncia¬
tion are St Ansano and St
Judith (orStMargarel).In
the medallions above are
the prophets Jeremiah,
Ezechiel, Isaiah, andDaniel,
caíTjing scrolls which rep-
resentthelncarnation (the
central tondo, now lost,
was to overhang the dove
of the Holy Spirit and rep-
resent God the Father).
Typically Sienese in its fine
use of gold and its linear-
ity accentuated by the sin -
uous, tlmid\�1thdra\val of
the Virgin, the work also
contains precious realis-
tic detail such as the var-
iegated marble pa\1ng, the
chequered cloak ofthe án¬
gel, the suniptuous vase of
lilies, and ñnally the fore-
shortened,half-open book.
The writing across the
painting produces an al-
most theatrical effect, in-
dicating the greeting by
the ángel to the Virgin.
27
 Am b rog io Lorenzetti Nicholas and St Procu- Giotto-esque narrative
Four Stories from the lous, also in this room, stjie, but also an artist at-
Life of Saint Nicho las inv.nos. 9411,8751-8732). tentive to proble ms of
(Miracle of the possessed He also painted "stories space.
child, ofthegrain, qfthe ofSt Nicholas in smaU fig¬ A surprising vertical "fish-
pooryouth; Saint Nicholas ures" in one ofthe church's bone" perspective is seen
consecrated as Bishop chapéis, a work which in the picture of the saint
ofMyra) "enormously increased freeing the city of Myra
his ñame and reputation" from famine: in this in-
c.1330-1332
(\�asari, 1568). novative ma rine land-
Tempera on wood
96x35 each panel
On the two panels �vith scape, the eye ofthe view-
Inv. nos. 8348, 8349 stories of St Nicholas of er is lifted up to the open
In the Uííizi slnce 1919 Bari, part of a lost dossal sails along the horizon;
or tabernacle, the Sienese note also the devices of
In the church of San Pro- painter proves himself portraylngthe saint from
colo in Florence, Loren¬ not only a detailed sto- behind, and of the show-
zetti completed a panel ry-teller, which would ing the clerks emerging
painting (this was perhaps have been a strUdng qual- from behind columns in
the Triptych with the ity for Florentines used the scene of the Bishop's
Madonna and Child, St to the simplicity of the consecration.
28
ROOM 3 S I E N E S E PA I N T I N G OF TIÍE 14 TH GEN TUR Y

Ambrogio Lorenzetti 1542: "Ambrosius Laurenlii In the Ufíizi since 1913

Presentation ofthe de Senis fecithos opus anno Restored: 1986
dominiMCCCXLir
Virgin ín the Temple
Tempera on wood, 257x168
Signed and dated on frame Inv. no. 8346
Painted for the altar ofSan
Crescenzio in Siena Cathe-
draL The scene, with ils
complex setting which
plays a ro un d the per-
spective lines ofthe paving,
is much more attractive
than the usual static fig¬
ures of saints character-
istic of altarpieces of the
ROOM 3 * SIEN ESE PA I N T I N G OF THE 14TH CE NTURY
time. Its minute detail and later by Sienese painters.
the many descriptive and
symbolic inscriptions in¬
vite our curiosit}�. The use
of lacquer and costiy lapis
lazuli for the hlue tones
confirms the importance
of the work, which was
copied up until a century
29
 PlETRO LoRE-\ZETTI
Altarpiece ofthe
Blessed Humility
(\vhole and detail)
c. 1340
Tempera on wood
51x21 (each pinnacle)
128x57 (central)
45x32 (each panel)
diam. 18 (tondoes)
Inv. nos. 8347, 6120-6126,
6129-6131
In the Ufllzi since 1919
Painted for the altar ofthe
Blessed Humility in the
church ofSaint John Evan-
gelist in Florence, dis-
mantled into various parts
(located in Berlin and else-
where), the paintingwas
reassembled in 1954 on
the basis of an eighteenth-
centun' dra%Alng. A bench-
30
RoOxM 4 ♦ F l o re n t i n e Painting of the 14th Century
mark ofthe mature work by her and painted añer
of Pietro Lorenzetti, here her death). On the three
influenced by the quin- surviving pinnacles are
tessential solidity of the the evangelists Mark,
school of Giotto, the work John, and Luke; on the
represents eleven charm- predellais dipieta ofChrist
wiih the Virgin, and five
ing scenes from the mirac-
ulous life of the Blessed saints wlthin tondoes.
Humility, as she profess-
es her humility (former-
ly kno\vn as Rosanese dei
Negusanti, she was
founder of the Vallom-
brosan convent ofSan Gio-
vanni delle Donne di Faen-
za; she died in 1310). At
he r feet, in the central
panel, is perhaps St Mar-
garet, second abbess of
the monastery,\vho died
in 1330 (this work was
probably commissioned
Master Thefirewhlch deslroyed
OF S a n t a C e c i l i a Ihe church of Sania Ce¬
St Cecilia and Stories cilia in 1504 was record-
ofHerLife ed by the fourleenlh-cen-
lury chronicler Giovanni
Añer 1304
Villani; the church was
Tempera on wood rebullí immediately af-
85x181
Inv. no. 449 lerwards and Ihere is a
Tn the Ufílzi since 1844 convincing school of
thoughl which holds Ihal
lilis altarpiece, among the
mosl remarkable exam-
ples ofthe early fourteenlh
cenltiry Florentine school,
was painled for Ihis church
jusl aíler the fire. It por-
Irays Saint Cecilia en-
lhroned,ílanked byeight
stories of herlife, ending
with hermartyrdom.The
scenes, characlerised by
a minulely delailed real-
ism, echo Giotlo's fres-
coes in the upper church
al Assisi.
In Ihis early evocalion
of Ihe experiments of
the young Giotto, how-
ever, the Ihree-dimen-
sional effeclis still clear-
iy in an experimental
ROOM 4 ♦ FL O R ENTINE PAINTINGS OF THE 14TH CENTURY
phase (note for exam-
pie, top left, the care-
fully-prepared table for
the wedding hanquet of
Ceciha and Valerian).
Other works have aiso
been attributed lo ihis
conlemporary of Giol-
to, this masler whose
ñame comes from the
allarpiece in the Ufílzi:
scenes from Ihe life of
Saint tYancis in the fres-
coes of the lower church
in Assisi and several oil
panel paintings from
the churches of San Gior-
gio alia Costa, San Simo-
ne and Santa Marghe-
rita a Montici in Fio-
rence.
31
 Bernardo D a d d i In 1568 Vasarl attrlbuted
Poliptrch this poliptych, formerly
of San Pancrazio on the main altar of the
church of San Pancrazio,
c. 1340
to another member of the
Tempera on �vood Fiorentine school, Agno-
165x85 (central)
127x42 (sides) lo Gaddi. The central pan¬
31x17 (pinnacles) el of the poliptych shows
diam. 20 (tondoes) the tradilional Madonna
45x32 (predellas)
and Child enthroned wiih
luv.nos. 8458,6127-6128.
8345 angels; to the sides are six
ín the Uffizi since 1919 panels with full-figure
saints; above are fourteen
small pinnacled panels
with prophets and half-
length portraits of saints
and four tondoes ��1th an¬
gels. On the predella are
seven small panels wiih
stories of the Virgin. Ac-
cording to a likely recon-
struction, at least six oth-
erpieces are missingand
possibly also another pre¬
32
ROOM 4 ♦ FLORENTINE PAINTINGS OF THE 14TH CENTURY
Giottino
Pietá
della, mentioned by Vasari,
váih stories of St Repara¬
ta, the Fiorentine pa-
troness, This is therefore
one of the most spectac-
ular pohptj�chs ofits time,
although \'asari preferred
only the smaller parts:
"the only part of it which
is really good, is the pre¬
della, fiUed with small fig¬
ures." Bernardo Daddi,
amongst the most de-
lightful of those repre-
sentatives of the Giotto
school who displayed
miniaturistic tendencies,
was in fact most at ease
when narratingintimate,
everj'day scenes, peopled
by graceful andlivelyfig-
ures.
(whole and detail)
c. 1360-1365
Tempera on wood
195x134
Inv. no. 454
In Ihe Ufílzi since 1851

This panel paintlng, orig-

inaUy in Ihe church of San
Remigio, is considered
one of Ihe masterpieces
ofFlorentine painting from
the secondhalfofthe 14��
century, for Ihe rare psy-
chological insight of the
faces and for its luminous
pictorial quality.
Along with the tradition-
al characters mourning
at the Deposition ofChrist
are two female figures
dressedin contemporary
14th century clothing. One
of them is a Benedectine
nun, the other is a young,
sumptuously dressed
woman; both kneel to par-
ticipate in the sorrowful
event, protected by the
hands of the patrón saints
Remigius and Nicholas.
The artist, whose critical
reputation is still hotly de-
bated, was praised by
Vasari for his "gentleness
and sweetness", his abil-
ity to vary facial expres-
sions and emotions, and
lo display the highest
imaginative qualities
through his brushwork.

33
ROOM 4 ♦ FLORE-NTINE PAINTINGS OF T»E 14TH CENTLRY
 Andrea di Cione, samnichele. tlie seat oftlie T h e ce n tr a l fignre of St
KNOWN AS OrCAGNA Florentine Guiids. Con¬ MatÜiewis flanked by foiu'
AND Jacopo di Cione siderad to be aniong the small scenes (Miracle of
Saint Mattheic besl painters of his time tlie Dragons. Calling oftlie
Triptych and ah'eady a consultant Saint. ResiuTection of King
for the Avorks at ihe Catlie- Egippus' son, Mait>Tdom
c. 1367-1368
dral, the artist becam e ill of the Saint). Each scene
Tempera on ood and tile painting was coni- is given an inscription.
291x265
Iiiv. no. 5165 pleted by his brother Ja- Above, the tondoes show
In the L fTizi since 1899 copo di Cione the follow- the golden coins w hich
ing year. The unusual s ymbolis e the B a n k e r s
In 1567 the Bankers Guild trapezoidal s tn ic t ur e of Guild. A Avork ofgi'cat sub-
coniniissioned Orcagna the p a n e l w as created tlety. it is enriched by de-
to paint a paiiel for Üie est speeifically for the pillar tails such as the rich bro-
pillar of its propertv in Or- on which it was lo hang. cade at tlie feet of the saint.
54

Room 5-6 ♦ International Gothic

L o re n z o M o n a c o
AND COSIMO RoSSELLI
Adoration o f the Magi
c.1420-1422
Tempera onwood, 115x166
Inv. no. 466
In the Academy since 1810,
iii the Ufílzi since 1844
Reslored: 1995
The provenance of Ihis
panel palnling is uncer-
tain, bul It is probably the
altarpiece painted for the
church of Sant'Egidio by
Don Lorenzo, a Camal-
dolese monk from Santa
María degli Angeli. It is
also probable that the oc-
casion for this was the re-
consecration ofÜie church
R o o M 5 -6 ♦ INTERNATIONAL G O T H I C
Gen TILE DA F a b r i a n o
Adoration of the Magi
by Pope Martin V. There
niay well have been a pre-
della, now lost, such as in
the coniemporary Ado¬
ration of the Magi paint¬
ed by Gentile da Fabri-
ano (see catalogue be-
lovv). Lorenzo Monaco,
also a fine miniaturist,
represented the liveliest
and mostnp-to-date style
of the age, and was the
founder of a stylistic re-
formation which, start-
ingfrom the experiences
of the Giotto school, cre-
ated lively figures dis-
playing movemetit in
every part of the body. Ex-
otic devices stand out from
(whole and detall)
Signed and dated 1423
the painting, such as the
inscriptions in pseudo-
Kufic (ancient Arabic)
characters on the cloak
ofthe standing Magus and
the nearby figure. In or-
der to adapt this pinna-
cled panel in late Gothic
taste to the Kenalssance,
in the late 15"' century
Cosimo Rosselli painted
newpinnacles with God
the Fathersurrotmded by
prophets and dinAnnun-
ciation.
The great altarpiece by
Tjorenzo Monaco show-
ing the Coronation re-
turned to this room after
alongrestoration.
35
Right partition not from
the original predella
Tempera on wood Palla Strozzi, a man ofleam-
halo and friezes stamped Ing and greatwealth, a ri¬
ulth iron val ofthe Medid who was
500x283 (total)
173x220 (panel)
once exiled to Padua, com-
Inv. no. 8364 mlssionedthis sumpluous
In the UfRzi since 1919 work for his family chapel
(Right predella panel in in the church ofSanta TVini-
the LomTe since 1812)
ta, where he planned the
building ofa publiclibrar>�
A\1th Greek and Latín vol-
umes. llis hiunanist edu-
cation wlth Byzantine in-
fluences is reflected in this
work by Gentile da Fabri¬
ano, who, originally from
the Marches, was by 1420
li\1ng in Florence as a ten-
ant of Palla Strozzi.
36
ROOM 5-6 ♦ INTERNATIONAL GOTHIC
With its rich use of gold,
applied to the panel in re-
lief at certain points, the
painting was to represent
publicly the afíluence and
culture of the client, and
to echo the words of
Leonardo Bruni, Chan-
cellor ofthe Republlc: "The
possession of external
wealth affords the occa-
sion to exercise virtue."
The Adoration in the cen¬
tre of the panel is simply
the culminatingmoment
ofthe fabulous procession
of the Magi, which �-vlnds
its way doA\Ti from the top
of the panel, beneath a nature, to the smallpillars, literary style typical of
nighl sky illuminated by to the fabrics woven with Greekhumanism, the so-
the star ofBethlehem. The gold, and the harnesses of called ekphrasis, which
eye is drawn to many de- the horses. This analyti- allows the minute, elabó¬
tails: from the numerous cal intensity ofdetail would rate description of múlti¬
flowers, all drawn from seem to correspond to the ple elements.

i?*'

37

Room 7 ♦ The Early Renaissaxce

M a s a c c i o E Masollno This work, formerly in Ihe tryman Masaccio (they
Saint Anne Metterza church of Sant'Ambrogio, laterworkedtogetheron
(�vhole and detail) was fundamental to the the Brancaeci Chapel in
c. 1424 evolution of early Re- the Carmine church). St
Tempera on wood nalssance painting, and Anne and the angels are
175x103 was the frult of a collab- generally attributed to
Inv. no. 8586 oration between Masoli- Masolino, with the ex-
In Ihe UíHzi since 1919 no and his younger coun- ception of that on the top

58

ROOM 7 ♦ THE EARLY RExXAlSSANCE

right ofthe painting, prob-
ably done by Masaccio,
who was also responsible
for the Virgin with Child.
The symbolic meaning of
this allarpiece is, despite
the simphcity of its com-
position, quite complex.
Tt is notluiown under what
circumstances the work
was comrnissioned. The
three main figures, St
Anne, the Virgin, and the
Child, placed along the
same axis, have the stat-
ic quality of Byzantine
Madonnas (but the plas-
ticity of the figures is en-
tirely 15*�� century, and
the ángel swinging the
censer introduces a sense
ofmovement).
According to new theo-
ries, the panel may have
been placed wlthin a great mally used in art history in the open arms of the
devotional ciborium in to refer to representations saint, as they lean upon
the church of Sant'Ani- of the mother of the Vir¬ Mary's shoulders in a ges-
brogio. In similar vein to gin with her daughter and ture ofprotection. For the
the later Coronation by the Child sitting between cupola itself, "climbing
Filippo Lippi, originally her knees. In this paint¬ steeply to the skies", 'Svide
situated in the same ing St Anne acquires a key enough to coverthe whole
church and no w in the Uf- ofthe TYiscan people with
symbolicvalue, andprob-
fizi (Room 8), this work, its shadow", as the great
ably also alindes to the
inspired by the cults of historical figure of the architect León Battista
Corpus Domini and the abbess of the convent. To Alberti wrole in the 15*��
Immaculate Conception the faithful she represents century, clasps the city of
ve ne ra ted in Sant'Am- a mother who protects a Florence in an ideal em¬
brogio, represents the con- daughterwho isAvithout brace.
cept of a benevolent au- sin and who is the prog-
thority exercised by the enitress of the body of
Church wlthinChristian Christ. It is no mere fan-
society. The title of the cy thatthe scholar Rober¬
work, "Saint Anne Met- to Longhi should have
terza" (from the medieval
recognised the silhouette
Lalin "met", the same, and of Brunelleschfs cupola
"terlius", the third), is nor- 59

R o o M 7 ♦ THE E A R L Y R E N A I S S A > C E
Paolo Uccello D ocume nts from 1492 would date the work,
The Battle of placed thls panel in the which was probably in-
San Romano (1432) room ofLorenzo the Mag- spired by the interest that
nificent on the ground Cosimo the Eider took in
�'ariously dated between floor ofthe Medid Palace, the moralism of Seneca,
c. 1435-1458
and c. 1456-1460 together wíih three lost to around 1460, añer the
Tempera on wood paintings and two other Medid moved from their
182x325 panels shonlng phases of first dweliing in Via Larga
Inv. no. 479 the battle (London, Na¬ (today Via Cavour) to the
In ihe Uffizi since the second
tional Galler>'; París, Lou- new palace designed by
half ofthe 18th centun'
vre). This information Michelozzo on the same
40

ROOM 7 ♦ THE EARLY RENAISSANCE

Street. Other scholars,
however, consider that
the series was commis-
sioned around 1435 by
Cosimo the Eider tocom-
memórate the 1432 bat-
tleshortlyafteritoccurred.
The Florentine victory at
the towerof San Romano
in Valdelsa against the
Duke of Milán, an ally of
R o o M 7 ♦ THE E A R L Y R E N A I S S A N C E
theSienese,owedmuch
toCosimoandhiscousin
Averardo,whowereboth
financial backers of the
two captains Nlcoló da
Tolentino and Michelet-
to da Cotignola.
The palntlngs by Paolo
Uccellowoiildinthiscase
alreadyhavehunginthe
family'sfirst/7a/azso,hint-
ing, vvith the discretion
typical of Cosimo, at the
Medici's place in pubhc
hfe. The scene shown in
theUf[lzi,markedasthe
others are by a sophisti-
cateduseofperspective,
shows the unsaddling of
BernardinodellaCiarda,
leader ofthe enemyarmy.
41
Beato Angélico va, " w h e r e Par ad ise is whole wiih two predellas
Coronation painted". It had been men- now in the JVIuseum of San
o ft h e íl rg in tioned before by the bi- Marco (Wedding aná Fu¬
ographer Antonio Manet- neral ofthe Virgin), is in-
c. 1435
ti and identified by Vasari tensely illuminated by a
Tempera on wood as being on the s cr e en p r o f u s i o n of gold an d
112x114
wall ofthe same church. clever use oflight; its per-
Inv. no. 1612
In Ihe Uffízi since 1948 Fra Angélico painted an- spective is created by a
other Coronation ��ilh a s er i es of small cl ouds
Al the beglnning of the di ff er en t c o m p o s i t i o n which drifl into the back-
16*�� centun', a descrip- (nowin the Lou\Te) pos- ground. Surrounding the
tion by the AnonLmo Gad- sibly just before this, for Coronation, emphasised
diano places this panel the church ofthe convent by the "fírework" effect
by Giovanni da Fiesole, of San Domenico below of a burst of golden rays,
othen>1se known as Fra Fiesole, where he lived is a great circle of saints
Angélico, in the church for a long time. and angels (note the im-
of Sant'Egidio in the Hos¬ The work in the üffizi, pact ofthe trumpets cross-
pital of Santa Maria Xuo- which probablyformed a ing over each other).
42

ROOM 7 ♦ THE EARLY R E N A I S S A N C E

Domenico Veneziano
Santa Lucia dei
Magnoli Altarpiece
c. 1445
Signed on the step
of the throne
Tempera on wood
209x216
Inv, no. 884
In the Uffizi since 1862
Formerlyinthe church of
Santa Lucia dei Magnoli,
the altarpiece is today with-
out its extraordinary pre-
della, which has been dis-
mantled and divided
amongst the museums of
Washington, Cambridge
ROOM 7 ♦ THE EARLY RENAISSANCE
and Berlin. Its innovative
use oflightmakes it one of
the masterpieces ofits time.
Instead ofthe traditional
medieval triptych, the sa-
cred conversation takes
place within a harmonious
architectural structure of
three arches with inlaid
marble on the fagade,ren-
dered still more delicate
by the pastel Iones of rose
and green, and enriched
by a multicoloured pave-
mentin receding squares.
The morning light is em-
phasised by the shadow
falling on the Virgin and
Child. The branches of a
citrus orchard stand out
against an inlensely real-
istic sky. In Ihe foreground
are St Francis, SlJohn the
Baptist, St Zanobius (pa¬
trón of Florence, wearing
rich costume with fabric
and jewels ofthe era) and
St Lucia, to whom the
chtirch was dedicated.
The Venetian painter, with
whom the young Piero
della Francesca had col-
laborated on the church
of Sant'Egidio, died in
poverty in Florence, his
chosen city.
45
PlERO DELLA FR.ANCESCA
Diptych ofthe Duke
andDuchess ofUrbino
Front panels with the por-
Iraits of Baltista Sforza and
Federigo II da Montefeltro
c. 1467-1470
Tempera on wood
47x35 each
Inv. nos. 3342,1615
In the Unizi since 1773
Restored: 1986
44
In the 15�� centur>�, as in
antiquity, the diptj'ch was
considered a partlcular-
lypreciouswork and was
originally joined by a
hinge, to be opened like
a book or on occasion to
be presented as a gifl.
Painted on both sides (on
the outer were the two
Triumphs shown in the
following pages), the fa-
mous diptych ofUrbino,
formerly in the Sala delle
ROOM 7 THE EARLY RENAISSANCE
Udienze in the Ducal
Palace, arrived in Flo-
rence in 1631 wlth the in-
heritance of Vittoria Del-
la Rovere, wife of the
Grand Duke Ferdinand
11. It shows the Duke and
Duchess ofUrbino fac-
ing one another in solemn
profile, in the classical
medallion style which
was very much in vogue
during the humanistic
period.
 l ....
(TtnrnTmTitrjíTmi��
The precisión of the fea-
tures, focusing even on
the less attractive details
such as Federigo's nose,
broken during a touma-
ment, is a typical charac-
teristic of Flemish art and
confirms that Fiero della
Francesca (active in the
court of Urbino) was one
of the most sensitive in-
terpreters of Nordic art,
which was at that time
well-known and popular
R o o M 7 ♦ THE E A R L Y R E N A I S S A > C E
ijiíiiti
from Ferrara to Florence
and Urbino, right down
to the south ofltaly. Even
the tidy landscape in the
background, fading to-
wards the distanthills and
Ihe horizon, possibly evok-
ing the territory of Mon-
tefeltro, the Duke's land,
is treated with an almost
miniaturistic technique.
Without using the tradi-
tional expedient of a cur-
tain or window, the mag-
...
nificent bird's-eye view
unites the perspective of
the two panels. The great
painter from Sansepolcro
vv�as also in fact the author
of important theoretical
treatises on perspective,
such as the De Prospecti¬
va pingendL
45
 QVEA\ PAREM SVM/AiS DVCiBVS PERHENNíS �
FAMA V I RT V T VA X CELEBRAT DECENTER �
SCEPTRA TENENTEAX
�
CLARVS INSiqNI VeHlTVR TRIVMPHO

PlERO DELL.\ FraNCESCA The two scenes of alle- (Faith, Charít�, Hope, and
Diptych o f t h e D u k e gorical carriages, whose Modesty) and the cardi¬
and Duchess ofUrbino fígurative meanings dur- nal virtues for Federigo
Rear panels m t h
ing this age of humanlsm (Prudence, Temperance,
Ihe Triumphs of Ballisla
Sforza and Federigo
were derived from the Fortitude, and Justice),
da Montefeltro
14�� eentunpoetical Tri¬ Battista, reading intent-
c. 1467-1472 umphs of Pelrarch, ser\ e ly, rides a carriage pulled
to indícate the moral val¬ hy two unicorns, a sym-
Tempera on wood
47x33 each úes ofthe two subjects. bol of purity and chastit},
Inv. nos. 1615, 3342 Each spouse is solemnly the reins held by a small
In ihe Uffizi since 1773 accompanied on the tri- ángel. The landscape in
Reslored: 1986
umphal carriage b}' four the background is prob-
Virtues: the theological ably that of Valdichiana.
\lrlues for Battlsta Sforza Standing behind Federi-
46
ROOM 7 ♦ THE EARLY RENAISSANCE
 �
QVEA-XODVM J<EBVS TENVÍT S É C V N D i S
CONIVGÍS MAGN! DECORATA ♦ -
LAVÜE GESTARVM VÜLiTAT PER ORA •
CVNCTA Vi R O RVA \ -

go, Victory, symbolised as the long-awalted heir. mouth, adorning wilh

an ángel, is crowning him;
the lake in Ihe background
can be idenlified as Lake
Trasimeno. Recent hy-
potheses suggest Ihat tw�o
paintings on Ihe reverse
were painted on a subse-
quent occasion to the por-
Iraits on the front, that is
lo say after the dealh in
childbirth of Batlista
Sforza, who in July 1472
gave birth to Guidu baldo,
That the Duchess was al- praise the exploits of her
ready dead when Piero great husband." Under
della Francesca depicted the triumphal carriage of
her on the back ofthe pan¬ her husband is a further
el would be confirmed by inscription: "A man pro-
the tone of the Latin in- claimed worthy to hold
scription inscribed on the the sceptre by the imper-
classical-style marble be- ishable fame ofhis virtues,
neath her image: "The a renowned man equal to
ñame of the woman who the most celebrated con-
knew how to be modér¬ dottieri, is carried in great
ate during favourable triumph."
limes flies from mouth lo
47

Room 8 ♦ LiPPi The NovitiateAltarpiece

c. 1445
Filip po Lippi Tempera on wood
196x196
Predeila of the Pesellino
wíih stories of saints,
not illustrated, and divided
between the Louvre and
the Ufíízi
(two of the five stories are
copies, inv. no. 8355)
Inv. no. 8354
In the Ufíizi since 1919
48
In 1445 Michelozzo, ar- Michelozzo's taste. The
chitect of Cosimo the El- red Medicean emblems
der,completedtheNovi- on the top of the frieze
tiate Chapel in the Fran- and the marbl e of the
ciscan church of Santa
pavement enliven the
Croce.Forornamenting composition with chro-
the altar, Cosimo called matic highlights, in an
on Filippo Lippi whose almostFlemishmanner.
patrón he was (he may ItrepresentstheMadon-
have Avritten this apolo- na enthroned with Child
gy for the transgressive and saints, also seated:
friar/painter: "Great from leñ to right, Fran-
minds are heavenlyforms cis (patrón of Santa Cro-
and not dray horses for ce), Cosmas and Dami-
hire"). The architectur- an(Medici patrón saints),
al background of the al- and Anthony of Padua.
tarpiece has a classical
structure, in tune with
ROOM 8 ♦ L I P P I
Filíppo Lippi This painting is today
Madonna with Child among the mosl admired
and TwoAngels in the Gallery. The Madon¬
na, her hair entwined with
c. 1465
precious pearls, has an
Tempera on wood
95x65.5 enchanting profile, be-
Inv.no. 1598 lieved to be that ofLucrezla
In the Uffizi since 1796 Buti, a nun with whom the
friar/painter was scan-
dalously in love. The sa-
cred group, which also in-
splred Botticelli, Lippi's
assistant in Prato, stands
ROOM 8 ♦ LIPPI
Filippo Lippi
out from its frame with a
delicacy slmüar to the clas-
slcal-style reliefs ofDona-
lello and Luca della Rob-
bia (the pose ofthe ángel
in the foreground is prob-
ably derived from a putto
on a classical sarcopha-
gus). The background, a
magnificentpainting-wlth-
In-a-painting, seems to
anticípate the expansive
landscapes of Leonardo.
49
AND ASSISTANCE
Coronation
of the Virgin
To the right, nvo details:
Sel/'portrait and St
Theophista with Sons
1439-1447
Signed by "Frater Filippus"
below, centre,
on the platform
Tempera on wood, 200x287
Tvvo tondoes %\ith \heAn-
nunciation, remounted at an
unspecified lime, diam. 21
hiv. no. 8352
In the Lffizi since 1919
Restored: 1978
■f tj
50
This was previously in The original composition
Sanl'Ambrogio, on the of the frame is lost and
main altar which was re¬ part of the predella is in a
stored by the prior Fran¬ Berlín museum, ín 1446
cesco Maringhi in 1441, the altarpiece was trans-
Lippi's payments for the ferred to the painter's
workbeganin 1439. Var- home in the convent of
ious painters collaborat- Sant'Apollonia where the
ed in the prestigious un- blue pigment used to fin-
dertaking: Piero di Loren¬ ish the painting was avail-
zo, Bartolomeo di Gio- able, and one year later
vanni, Corradini da Ur- the work was finally in
bino, Fra Diamante, a Sant'Ambrogio. Consid¬
young disciple of Lippi, erable amazement must
and at least iwo able car- have been provoked by
penters, Manno de' Cori the crowded scene of the
and Domenico del Brilla. Coronation ofthe Fírginy
I/, i
ROOM 8 ♦ LIPPI
whose arrival in Heaven
is perhaps suggested by
the intense, diagonal strips
in blue and azure. Among
the characters, at the ex¬
treme leñ stands St Am-
brose; kneeling below is
the presumed self-por-
trait of the Mar who looks
out at the spectator with
a bored air; in the centre
�
is St Eustace with his two S
small sons and wife Ü
Theophista; to the right
is the donor next to the in-
scription, "Is perfecit opus"
(He finished the work),

hW'Iju r~
-W-i

■ //■¡r

51
Room 15 ♦ Leonardo

This room was restructured and the display reorganised in 1991. The works, lit
from above by a wide skylight, bear witness above all to the early phases of
Leonardo's Florentine activity, from his beginnings in Verrocchio's studio to his
departurefor Milan in 1482. Also exhibited here are some recently restored pan¬
el paintings by the graceful Perugino, an Umbrian artist who was active in Flo¬
rence at the end o f the century, as well some works by the ''eccentric'' Piero di
Cosimo, whose compositions were unusually inventive. The works of these two
ai�tists form an ideal link with other paintings carried out in Florence between
the 13�� and 16�� centuries now on display in Room 19 (beyond the Tribune) and
Room 25 (west wing).

76
ROOM 15 1. E O N A R D O
Verrocchio and
Leonardo da Vinci
Baptism of Christ
(whole and detail)
Variously dated c. 1473-1478
Tempera and oil on wood
180x152
Inv. no. 8358
In Ihe Uffizi since 1914
Restored: 1998

This newly restored pan¬

el painting came from the
church of San Michele in
San Salvi and confirms
the vitality ofVerrocchio *s
workshop which was
amongst the most famous
in Renaissance Florence.
According to Vasari, Ver¬
rocchio gave up painting
because his pupil Leonar¬
do had surpassed him, but
although Leonardo's hand
has now been identified
in the angel on the left and
the background landscape,
interventions by other
artists are visible in this
painting, which shows dis-
crepancies of style and
technique. The dry style
ofthe palm tree and rocky
outcrop behind John the
Baptist's shoulders isvery other important artist figure of Christ which in¬
different from the moun¬ worked on this painting dicates the direct applica¬
tains fading softly into the tion offingertips to the paint
(the angel on the right has
watery landscape beyond even been attributed by The final touches in oil on
the heads ofthe angels. some to Botticelli), assist¬ some parts ofthe painting
Christ and John the Bap¬ are typical of Leonardo,
ed, perhaps at different
tist are also treated in dif¬ whose participation in this
times, by apprentices. Some
ferent styles, the former details which were previ¬ work may not be as early
smoothly finished, the lat¬ ously undetected are now in his career as has been
ter harsher and more visible, such as the fen birds thought until now, although
strained. Although no in the far landscape and this theory still needs ver¬
names have yet been put some fingerprints on the ifying.
forward,itis clear that an- 77

ROOM 15 ♦ LEONARDO

Leonardo da Vinci (whole and detail) C.1475 and 1480

Annunciation \'ariously dated between
Oil tempera on wood
 98x217
Inv. no. 1618
In the Ufilzi since 1867
In restoration (1999)
This work, for some time
now considered to be by
the hand of Leonardo af¬
ter an eariy attribution to
Domenico Ghirlandaio,
came from the church of
San Bartolomeo in Olive-
to. Its dating is, how�ever,
78
ever needs to be proper¬
ly restored in order to ar¬
rive at any new inter¬
controversial, wavering renzo, was possibly in¬
from the early 1470's, spired in its turn by the
when the artist was lit- decoration of an ancient
tle m o r e than twenty bas-relief. The perspec¬
years old, almost up to tive viewpoint ofthe scene
the beginning of the fol¬ also appears rather tradi¬
lowing decade. Some de¬ tional, even showing signs
tail still shows the clear of some uncertainty and
influence of his master, unevenness. The Virgin's
Verrocchio, especially in arm is unnaturally elon¬
the richly carved base of gated to reach the book
the reading desk, simi¬ on the reading desk, and
lar to that on the tomb of the angel's shadow seems
Giovanni and Piero de' to be exaggerated con¬
Medici. This tomb which sidering the early morn¬
was completed by Ver¬ ing or sunset light which
rocchio in 1472 for the one feels present in the
Old Sacresty in San Lo¬ painting. This work how-
0-
-T-
- 1
ROOM 15 # LEONARDO
pretations, In the mean¬
time, the innovations
which are Leonardo's
own are more visible in
the sculptural drapery,
for which some prepara¬
tory drawings remain,
and in the landscape,
which from the typical
Tuscan cypresses in the
foreground blends back
into the distant rocky
mountains, with a lake¬
side city painted in minute
detail.

■-i'U-. I
-ii�

79
ROOM 15 ♦ LEONARDO
Leonardo da Vinci
Adoration of the Magi
1481
Mixed oil tempera on wood
243x246
Inv. no. 1594
In the Ufflzi since 1670
This was transferred from
the collection of Antonio
and Giulio de' Medici to
the Gallery in 1670 and
later to Castello, to re¬
turn to the Uffizi in 1794.
The work was commis¬
sioned from Leonardo by
the Augustinian monks
of San Donato a Scopeto
in 1481, but remained un-
80
finished at the time ofthe
artist's departure to Mi¬
lan, one year later. To
substitute it, several years
later the monks asked
Filippino Lippi to make
a panel painting of a sim¬
ilar subject (Room 8).
Because of the varnish¬
es added during the cen¬
turies, the panel paint¬
ing by Leonardo, which
has remained in a mono¬
chrome state, is almost
illegible. From recent re¬
search done on aprepara-
tor}' drawing which once
hung in the Gallerj� as a
painting, a complex per¬
ROOM 15 ♦
spective system can be
worked out. The mag¬
nificent setting is made
up of several narrative
episodes brought together
by a kind of continuous
motion; the scene filled
�'\1th people and animals
absorbs the spectator and
was meant to give the il¬
lusion of a figurative meta¬
morphosis from one group
to another. The painting
is rich in symbolic mean¬
ings; the ruins in the back-
ground allude, for in¬
stance, to the fall of pa¬
ganism at the advent of
Christ.
LEONARDO
PlETRO PeRUGINO er museums), underwent
Pietd many transfers of loca¬
tion after the destruction
c. 1493-1494
of the conventin 1529. In
Oil tempera on wood
an atmosphere of deep
168x176
Inv. no. 8365 spirituality, perhaps al¬
In the Uffizi since 1919 ready influenced by the
Restored: 1984 sermons of Savonarola,
the Madonna supports
This work, like \he Agony across her knees the rigid
in the Garden, also at the and ashen body of Christ.
Uffizi, was painted by Pe- He is also supported by
rugino for the screen wall the kneeling John the E-
in the Ingesuati church vangelist, who holds his
outside the Pinti Gate. face close to that of Christ,
The panel painting (which and by Mary Magdalen
once had a predella by who is seated in prayer.
Bartolomeo di Giovanni, Standing like statues,
now divided between oth¬ Nicodemus and Joseph
ROOM 15 ♦ LEONARDO
of Arimathea serve as a
link between the holy
scene and the airy ar¬
chitectural structure.
The Umbrian artist was,
from 1472, a member of
the Painters Guild in Flo¬
rence, and in those years
he quickly became
renowned in the Tuscan
city, where he carried out
many works including
some preparatory car¬
toons for stained glass
windows also in the con¬
vent of the Ingesuati,
where there was a work¬
shop producing glass and
costly pigments.
81
PlETRO PeRLGINO throned between St John painting, the streaks down
Madonna and Child the Evangelist and St Se¬ the right-hand pilaster
with Saints bastian. The date is wTit- behind St Sebastian are
ten on the scroll painted also more visible, and may
Signed and dated 1493
onto the base carved with evoke the idea of the col¬
Oil tempera on wood
178x164
classical motifs. This was umn to which the saint
Inv. no. 1435 the year when Perugino was tied at his marlyTdom
In the Uflizi since 1784 married the beautiful according to tradition.
Restored: 1995 Chiara Fancelli, daugh¬ The figure ofthe mart�Ted
ter of the architect Luca saint was repeatedly por¬
This painting, carried out (who was also to work at trayed by the painter, who,
for the chapel of Corneha the court ofMantua). Since as Vasari says, often re¬
Martini in the church of its restoration, �vhich has turned to those "same
San Domenico di Fiesole, restored the correct bal¬ things" with which he had
shows a Madonna en¬ ance of colours to the most success.
82
ROOM 15 ♦ L E O NA RD O
PlERO DI COSIMO Annunciation, an episode (the Adoration of Child,
Incarnation of Christ prefiguring the moment the Proclamation to the
when Christ became in¬ Shepherds, the Flight in¬
c. 1498-1505
carna te of the Virgin, to Egypt).
Oil on wood
206x172 through the dove of the Above to the right is Monte
Inv. no. 506 Holy Spirit, Saints Cather¬ Senario, home of the
In Ihe UfUzi since 1804 ine, John the Evangelist, founders of the Order of
Restored: 1980 the Servants of Mary. Re¬
Filippo Benizzi, Antoni-
no, Peter, and Margaret cent studies which deny
This was painted for the attend the scene. At the the traditional view of
Tedaldi Chapel in the highest point of the al¬ Piero as an "eccentric
church of Santissima An- most anthropomorphic late-comer", have brought
nunziata (the predella is landscape, typical of this the date of the painting
now lost). The pedestal imaginative artist, are the forward to before the end
has a reUef showing the events which followed of the 15*�� century.
83
R oom 16 ♦ Geographical Maps

At the time of Francesco /, this room was a terrace open towards the East, with
two windows on another wall (later closed up) beside afresco showing the island
of Elba. Around 1589 the new Grand Duke Ferdinand ordered a glass window
to close the loggia, which was thenfrescoed byLudovico Buti with geographical
maps of Tuscany, following scientific surveys of the territory, drawn by the car¬
tographer Stefano Bonsignori.
In the enthusiasm f or scientific progress, which had already been shown by the
Duke'sfather Cosimofor reasons which included political prestige, the room was
set aside to house outstanding scientific instruments, such as the large wooden
armillary sphere made by Antonio Santucci delle Pomarance (1393), the globe
attributed to Ignazio DantU and Galileo's telescope and astrolabe.
Still undergoing reorganisation, the room today includes some copies of these in¬
struments which were transferred some time ago to the Museum of Science. The
ceiling is decorated with mythological canvases byJacopo Zucchi, who painted
them in Rome for Ferdinand de'Medici, who was then a Cardinal (c. 15 72). They
were later inserted between the beams which were decorated with garlands offhiit
and flowers byLudovico Buti.
 84

Room 17 ♦ H e r m a p h ro d i t e Room

This delightful little room, joined to the TYibune, dates back to the time of Ferdi¬
nand I, when it was called ""TheMathematics Room"". Today it takes the name of
the Sleeping Hermaphrodite, a sculpturefrom antiquityfamousfor its ambigu¬
ous sensuality, which has been on display here since 1669, The work, many vari¬
ations of which exist in other museums, is a copy in Parian marble from the
bronze original ofPolykles and was acquired by Ferdinand IIfrom theLudovisi
Collection in Rome.
The inspirationfor the room and its decorations camefrom FilippoPigafetta,fol¬
lowing his passion for geometry and mechanics. Around the year 1598, he sug¬
gested building a room devoted to ''the study of military architecture", with a dis¬
play of mechanical instruments, weight-lifting machines, ''books, geographical
maps and plans, and models offortresses''. Certain frescoes on the first ceiling
(painted by Giulio Parigi, a painter, architect, and Medicean engineer), hint at
the ambitions of the Grand Duke for expansion intoforeign territories and nau¬
tical exploits. Others attest to the hydraulic skills of Tuscan technicians and the
mathematical competence of his men-at-arms, with a celebration of the greatest
historicalfigures in thisfield: Pythagorus, Ptolemy and Archimedes, this last por¬
trayed during the siege of Syracuse.
 85
Room 18 ♦ Tribune

The octagonal Tribune was planned byBuontalenti in 1584, and with its cupola
encrusted with mother-of-pearl shells set into a background of scarlet lacquer, it
was f o r Francesco I the jewel in the Gallery's crown. Through windows made
from Oriental crystal, natural lightfalls softly upon the paintings, on the walls
covered in red velvet, on the sculptures and precious objects. The skirting board,
now lost, painted byJacopo Ligozzi, had a frieze with fish, birds, streams and
plants. The room symbolises the cosmos and its elements: the lantern with its wind
rose represents air; the shells, water; the red walls, fire; the marble and the semi¬
precious stones of the pavement, earth. In the centre, the octagonal jewel case (lost)
encrusted with gold, gems, and rare stones, and with boxes decorated by Giam-
bologna, echoed the shape of the room. Over the centuries the layout of the room
has been rearranged many times, but the ancient sculptures are still here, pride
of the Tribune since the 17�� century, as is the table with its mosaic of semi-pre¬
cious stones from the Opificio of the Grand Duke (1633-1649), and finally many
paintingsfrom 16�� century Florence. The date 1601 recentlyfound on the cupo¬
la indicates the year when the room was completed.

Medici Venus

Copy from an original

Greek of the 2nd
century BC.
Greek marble, h. 1.53 m.
Inv. no. 224
In the Uffizi since 1677
 Medici Venus y one of
the most celebrated clas¬
sical sculptures of the
granducal collection, was
acquired at the beginning
of the 17� century for the
family's Roman villa on
the Pincio in Rome, and
was then transferred in
1677 from Villa Medici to
the Uffizi by the Grand
Duke Cosimo III, Despite
the reputation ofthe Grand
Duke as a bigot, this sculp¬
ture with its disturbing
beauty (a type already
known in Rome since at
least the 12�� century)
took place of honour in
the Tribune and soon be¬
came the focus of unre¬
strained admiration.
86
ROOM 18 ♦ TRIBUNE

ROOM 18 ♦ TRIBUNE
POXTORMO
Portrait ofCosimo
the Elder
c. 1519-1520
Inscription on the scroll:
uno a\Tilso non deficit alter
("one broken branch does
not weaken another")
Inscription behind the
sitter's shoulders:
COSM. MEDICES P.P.P.
[Pater Patriae Parens]
Oil on wood, 86x65
Inv. no. 3574
In the UfTizi since 1914
This posthumous portrait
ofCosimo the Elder (1389-
1464) was commissioned
by Goro Gheri, secretary
of Lorenzo de' Medici,
Duke ofUrbino, most prob¬
ably for the Medici Pope
Leo X, at the suggestion
of Ottaviano de' Medici.
Portrayed in profile, as in
a humanist medallion, the
"Pater Patriae" has next to
him the Medici emblem of
87
a "broncone", a broken
branch with a new shoot
hinting at the continuity of
his descendants: the shoot
is the future Duke Cosimo
I, bom from a cadet branch
ofthe family in 1519, when
after the Duke ofUrbino's
death the family lineage
risked extinction. The paint¬
ing, placed in the Tribune
in 1658, was transferred
to San Marco in 1869.
 88
ROOM 18 ♦ TRIBUNE

Rosso Fiorentino gests that it is probably

Musical Cherub This work was long be¬ the fragment of an altar-
Signed and dated 1521 lieved to be a complete piece with the Virgin and
Oil on wood panel painting in itself, Saints, of which, howev¬
47x39 but recent research done er, there remains no oth¬
Inv. no. 1505 with reflectography sug¬ er trace. The cherub prob¬
In the Tribune since 1605
ably sat on steps, indi¬
cated by parallel incisions on the surface of the paint¬
ing. Down towards the
right the signature (par¬
tially rubbed off) became
legible, as did the date,
perhaps painted by Rosso
himself on the already
separate fragment of the
panel.
Only the much-needed
restoration of this charm¬
ing little cherub, so ad¬
mired by visitors to the
IVibune, will resolve any
remaining doubts over
stylistic questions. It is,
however, possible that it
was painted far from Flo¬
rence, as the artist men¬
tions his origin alongside
his signature, declaring
himself to be "florent
[inus]". The development
of this great artist, whose
mode of expression was
so unique in the art world
of his time, often crossed
over with that of artists
who were strangers or
"eccentrics", thanks his
many journeys to other
Italian cities, and his fi¬
nal destination at the
Fontainebleau court of
King Frangois I in France.
89

ROOM 18 ♦ TRIBUNE

This young woman is smil¬ ably Maria del Berrettaio,

A n d re a del Sarto
ing mysteriously, perhaps
JVoman with the to her beloved, pointing
Tetrarchino' in her book to the verses
c. 1528
oftwo love sonnets by Pe¬
Oil on wood trarch: "Ite caldi sospiri
87x69 al freddo core" ("Go, warm
Inv. no. 783 sighs, to the cold heart";
In the Tribune since 1589
CLlll), and "Le stelle, il
Restored: 1986
cielo et gli elementi a pro-
va" ("The stars, the sky
and the elements com¬
pete" CL1\�. She is prob¬
bom in 1515 from del Sar-
to's first marriage to his
adored wife Lucrezia. The
chosen subj ect ofa woman
with this book confirms
the great reputation in the
sixteenth century of this
fourteenth century poet,
w hose book of rhymes
(the so called "Petrarchi-
no") appears in many oth¬
er portraits of the time.
 90

ROOM 18 ♦ T R I B U N E

Lying against Lucrezia's

Bronzing sumptuous dress, the gold ci, wife ofBartolomeo Pan-
Lucrezia Panciatichi and enamel plaques of ciatichi, who was a Flo¬
her necklace carry Ihe rentine academician from
C.154I
words, "amour d u r e sans 1541. Panciatichi himself
Tempera on wood had his portrait done by
104x84 fin", which attracted the
Tnv. no. 736 fantasy of both Vernon Lee Bronzino, who also paint¬
In the Uffizi since 1704 and Henry James. The ed a Holy Family for him
In the IVibune since 1765
book in her right hand is (Room 27). Both the por¬
a Book of Daily Offices, traits, now in the TYibune,
with prayers dedicated to were in 1584 still to be
Mary. This intense por¬ found in the house of his
trait shows Lucrezia Puc- son Carlo, a servant of
Francesco L

ROOM 18 ♦ T R I B U N E
Eleonora di Toledo, wife
Bronzing of Cosimo I de' Medici
Eleonora di Toledo from 1539, is sho\\Ti here
with her son Giovanni with her second son. Her
c. 1545 highly-valued role as a
Oil on wood mother is marked by the
115x96 pomegranate on her cloth¬
Inv. no. 748 ing. This symbol of fer¬
In the Ufllzi since 1798
tility is also present on
the vault of her chapel in
Palazzo Vecchio, also fres¬
coed by Bronzino, pro¬
lific portraitist to the
91
Medici court. The bro¬
cade dress with Spanish
embroidery is identical
to that found in 1857 in¬
side the tomb of the
Duchess in the Medici
Chapel.
The background land¬
scape may show the Grand
Duke's dominions.
 92
There are two Chanties by
C e c c h i n o Sal vi at i Salviati recorded in Flo¬
Charity rence. This gifted master
worked above all in Rome,
c. 1543-1545
where he was the godson
Oil on wood
156x122 of Cardinal Giovanni Sal¬
Inv. no. 2157 viati. It is unsure whether
In the Uffizi since 1778
this allegory, with its rich
sculptural references found
in the Michelangelesque
pose and the j ewels adom-
ing the figures, was the
painting executed for the
ROOM 18
TRIBUNE
gem merchant Ridolfo Lan-
di, or that documented in
the Ufficio della Decima.
Cecchino, who wasmuch
praised during his own
time but who fell out of
favour in the centuries
which followed, is now be¬
ing revalued as one of the
most important members
of the ��bella maniera�%
which started with Miche¬
langelo.
 93

R oom 19 ♦ Perugino and Signorelli

Lorenzo di Cre di
Annunciation
c. 1480-1485
S.'-' Oil on wood
M' 88x71
Inv. no. 1597
In the Ufiizi since 1798

From the collection of

Cardinal Leopoldo, this
little masterpiece made
by one of Verrocchio's
pupils is a graceful com¬
position, whose balance
is helped by the false
low-rehef in the style of a
predella, showing sto¬

w • •<■ <• � -r
Is r>
ries of Adam and Eve.

-St", i -.

Luca Signorelli
Holy Family
c. 1484-1490
Oil on wood
diam. 124
Inv. no. 1605
In the Uffizi since 1802

94
ROO M 19 ❖ PERUGINO A N D SIGNORELLI
PlETRO PERUGINO This wonderful portrait
Francesco delle Opere is probably of Francesco
delle Opere, as indicated
1494
on the rear of the paint¬
Inscription on the scroll:
TiMETE DEUM (Fear God) ing. This Florentine arti¬
Oil on wood san, who died in Venice
52x44 in 1516, was the brother
Inv.no. 1700 of a friend of Ihe painler,
In the Uffizi since 1833
Giovanni delle Corniole,
a master gem cutter.
The "photographic" pre¬
Signorelli was bom in Cor-
tona and was active in Flo¬
rence, Rome, and other
Italian cities. Soon after
this tondo, he painted an¬
other which was still more
complex (inv. no, 502) and
rich with classical refer¬
ences. This latter was
probably commissioned
by a member ofthe Medici
family.
cision of Ihe features, the
position of the figure
with its hand leaning on
the balustrade, and the
landscape in the back¬
ground, are clearly in¬
spired by Flemish art,
particularly by Mem-
ling's portraits which
were already known in
Florence (Room 22).
'•
I
f*7-

R O O M 19 ♦PERUGINO AND SIGNORELLI
PlERO DI COSIMO
Perseus Liberating
Andromeda
c. 1510-1513
Oil on wood
70x123
Inv. no. 1536
In the Tribune since 1589
Initially exhibited in the
Tribune as a work in 96
which Piero di Cosimo
was followng a drawing
by Leonardo, this is now
the artist's most famous
95
painting precisely for its
completely original com¬
position. It narrates in
great detail the mjth of
Perseus liberating An¬
dromeda by killing the
sea monster. The central
scene is dominated by
the dragon in its death-
throes, but the eye is al¬
so drawTi to the fascinat¬
ing, almost grotesque
landscape, and to the de¬
tail in the painting - from
the exotic turbaned fig-
 ures at the far edges of
the painting to the nordic
wood and straw huts on
*■
the unlikely-looking hill¬
tops in the background.
The musical instrxmients
are equally unlikely: they
could never be played as
they are all missing a
sound box or strings. It
has been suggested that
the scene in this paint¬
ing was inspired by the
Florentine carnival of
1515 when the Medicis
returned to the city - sym-
bolised by the dried
branch with its new shoot,
the Medici "broncone"
emblem.
A recent study suggests
that the work, which ac¬
cording to Vasari was
painted for one of the
Strozzi family, belonged
to Filippo the Younger,
who in 1510 paid Piero
for a "work" for his bed¬
chamber.

R oom 20 ♦ Durer

As in the previous room and the four that follow, the originalfresco decoration
was carried out in 1588 byLudovico Buti. The four views of Florentine specta¬
cles on the vault were however repainted during the middle of the 19�� century.
Under the current layout, the room houses masterpiecesfrom the great German
painters, DUrerand Cranach, and the Flemish painter Bruegel the Elder. Amongst
the works ofDUrer (who made two key trips to Italy in 1494 and 1505), the Por¬
trait of the Artist's Father (1490) and the Madonna with Pear (1526) stand out,
along with the Adoration discussed below.

Albrecht Durer Painted just before Diir- nordic-style landscape

Adoration of the Magi er's second trip to Italy,
the intense colors and
Monogrammed use of perspective are
and dated 1504
Oil on wood both reminiscent ofVenet¬
99x113,5 ian painting, particular¬
Inv. no. 1434 ly that of Mantegna and
In the Ufflzi since 1793 Giovanni Bellini.
(side panels in Frankfurt, The classical ruins, typ¬
Colonie, Munich)
ical of Italian painting,
combine well with the
with small figures in the
distance. The careful
study of plants and ani¬
mals, so rich in symbol¬
ism, confirms Diirer's
practise of studying na¬
ture, characteristic of
most of this German mas¬
ter's work.
 97

Lukas C r a n a c h
THE Elder
Adam and Eve

Signed and dated 1528

Oil on wood
172x63; 167x61
Inv. nos. 1459,1458
In the Uffizi before 1794
Restored; 1998

This representation of Adam

and Eve before their sin dates
back to a famous etching
made byDiirer in 1504. Three
years later, this same Ger¬
man master repeated the
subject on two panel paint¬
ings now in Prado (209x81),
two contemporary copies of
which (212x85, inv. nos. 8432-
8435) attributed to Baldung
Grien, a pupil of Dtirer's in
Nurenberg, are on show in
this room of the Uffizi. In
these two paintings, Adam
and Eve have not yet bitten
the apple and appear as nude
and beautiful as classical di-
\inities.
More than twenty years lat¬
er, Lukas Cranach, who had
worked with this theme since
at least 1510 (Adam and Eve
now in the Warsaw Museum,
59x44), painted the parents
ofhumankind on the two pan¬
els shown here, which were
 part of the granducal Flo¬
rentine collections in 1688.
Here also the couple are por¬
trayed before their sin, their
nudity scantly covered by
small branches from the ap¬
ple tree. Cranach, however
influenced by Diirer's art, de¬
veloped an original style fol-

lowing his Protestant ideas

which ignored the classical
influences of his master. A
friend of Luther, whom he
portrayed on various occa¬
sions, including with his wife
(two small panel paintings
from his workshop dated 1529
are in this room, nos. 1160
and 1159), Cranach was al¬
so a painter at the Court of
Saxony and today is consid¬
ered the "official" artist of the
Reformation. Also from his
workshop come the Portraits
of Martin Luther and Philip
Melanchton (1545, inv. nos.
512 and 472) and the Portraits
oftheElectors of Saxon (1555,
inv. nos. 1149 and 1150), al¬
so in this room.

Room 21 ♦ Giambellino and Giorgione

As in the previous two rooms adjoining the Tribune and the two to follow, this
room was part of the space that Ferdinand Medicated to his collection ofarmoury
in 1588. Ferdinand, who succeeded his brother Francesco as Grand Duke, took
great interest in the Gallery and in increasing his collections, amongst which that
of weapons and armour is particularly valuable. Thefrescoes on the ceiling, f o r
Ludovico Buti is principally responsible, represent battles and grotesque motifs
showing Indians and tropicalfauna and flora, displaying the expansionist ten¬
dencies of the Medici towards the New World, and particularly Mexico, f ro m
whence many pieces in their collection came,formerly kept in what is now Room
24. Today, Room 21 contains various masterpieces by artists active in the second
half of the 13�� century and the early 16�� century: Venetians such as Giovanni
Bellini and Giorgione, and artists fromFerrara such as Cosme Tura.
 Ludomco Buti
Grotesque-style Ceiling
with Battles and
"
""Mexican Subjects

1588
Fresco u1lh retouches
in tempera

100
ROOM 21 ♦ GIAMBELLINO AND GIORGIO NE

Giovanni Bellini Oil on wood Giovanni Bellini, one of

KNOWN AS GIAMBELLINO
Allegory
Variously dated between
1487 and 1501
73x119 the most important Venet-
Inv. no. 903 ianmastersofthelate 15�
In the Uffizi since 1795
century, produced in this
work one of the most fas¬
cinating enigmas in all of
western painting. Many
possible theories have
been advanced concern¬
ing the symbolic mean¬
ing of this unusuaM//e-
gory. The painting is full
of saints and animals in¬
cluding a centaur, set in
a peaceful, acquatic land¬
scape, rich in interesting
detail to be noted and ex¬
plored.
Defined as "unique and
ROOM 21 ♦ G I A M B E L L I \ O AND G I O R G I O N E
Giorgione
AND Assistance
Moses Undergoing
Trial by Fire
c. 1502-1505
Oil on wood
89x72
Inv. no. 945
In the Uffizi since 1795
disturbingly inexplica¬
ble", it is difficult to date
precisely over the long
development of Bellini's
career. On the terrace is
a kind ofhortus conclusus,
or sacred enclosure, where
the Virgin is flanked by
two women. She is the on¬
ly one seated with the ex¬
ception of the Infant Je¬
sus to whom a child (per¬
haps the infant St John)
offers a fallen apple from
a small tree (perhaps the
Tree of Life) being shak¬
en by another child in the
centre ofthe composition,
which is dominated by a
chequered pavement in
a design which may al¬
lude to the Cross. To the
right are two saints,
Jerome (or Job) and Se¬
bastian. At the balustrade
is St Paul driving away an
Asian man (a heretic?)
with his sword, and St Pe¬
ter (or St Joseph). On the
Like its companion paint¬
ing beside it, this small
panel painting, was list¬
ed in 1692 as part of the
patrimony of the Grand
Duchess of Tuscany at
Poggio Imperiale. Moses
is represented here as a
newborn babj*, whom
Pharaoh, sitting on his
throne, is subjecting to
opposite side ofthe bank,
to the right, is St Antho¬
ny's hermitage marked
with a cross.
The mostlikelyinterpre-
tations are that it was ei¬
ther an allegory of Re¬
demption orthe life ofman,
which may identify the
painting as one request¬
ed by Isabella d'Este for
her studiolo in Mantua.
r
101
trial by burning coals in
order to verify why the
baby had taken the crown
from his head. This rare
episode is narrated in
Jewish medieval texts
such as the Shemot Rab~
ba which recount leg¬
ends and moral teach¬
ings on biblical figures
and events.
 M'
I
102
ROOM 21 ♦ GIAMBELLINO AND GIORGIONE
Giorgione This scene comes from
AND Assistance the Bible {IKings): in the
The Judgement place of the Pharaoh
of Solomon from the other painting,
here Solomon sits on the
c. 1502-1508
throne; various charac¬
Oil on wood
89x72
ters are awaiting his sen¬
Inv. no. 947 tence, including a war¬
In the Uffizi since 1795 rior holding a still-hving
child by the arm, con¬
tested by the two women
V
who disown the other
newborn child, already
dead and lying on the
ground. Here, as in the
panel next to it, the gen¬
eral layout and land¬
scape are certainly by
Giorgione, while certain
weaker figures can prob¬
ably be attributed to his
helpers.
 103

R o om 22 ♦ F l e m i s h and G e rm a n R e n a i s s a n c e

Hans Me m li ng
Portrait of an
Unknown Man
c. 1470
Oil on wood
37x26
Inv.no. 1102
In the UfTizi since 1836

Memling, one of the most

celebrated portraitists of
his time, influenced many
Italian artists, among them
Perugino. They may have
seen his works in Flo¬
rence, sent by the Porti-
nari to the church of San¬
ta Maria Nuova, along
with the large triptych by
Van der Goes (exhibited
in Room 10-14).

Haixs Me mli ng

104
ROOM 2 2 ♦FLEMISH AND GERMAN RENAISSANCE
Albrecht Altdorfer Painted by one ofthe most
Martyrdom important representatives
of Saint Florian ofthe 16� century Danube
school, this panel paint¬
c. 1516-1525
Oil on wood
ing is part of an altarpiece
76.4x67.2 portraying episodes from
Inv. Dep. no. 4 the life of the saint. For¬
In the UfUzi since 1914 merly in the church of St
Restored: 1980 John in Tinz (Austria), it
is now divided amongst
various museums (one
Portrait of an
Unknown Man
c. 1490
Oil on wood
35x25
lnv.no. 1101
In the UfTizi since 1863
The work is one of a se¬
ries by the Flemish painter
Hans Memling, who also
carried out portraits of
various members of the
Portinari family in Bruges,
as demonstrated in this
room by The Man Pray-
m�which has been iden¬
tified as Benedetto Porti¬
nari. This was part of a
triptych with Saint Bene¬
dict (also exhibited here).
panel painting, \heLeave-
taking of St Florian, is ex¬
hibited in this room).
Under a cloudy sky, this
fragment showing a land-
scape is particularly ef¬
fective, with its foreshort¬
ening from beneath a
wooden bridge upon which
the crowded scene of the
martyrdom is taking place.
 105
ROO M 22 ♦FLEMISH AN D G E R M A N R E N A I S S A N C E
 Hans Holbe in Requested as a gift in 1620
THE YOL'NGER by Cosimo de' Medici II
Portrait of from Thomas Howard,
Sir Richard Southwell Duke of Arundel, this
Dated 1536
work dates back to the
mature phase of the great
Oil on wood
47.5x38 portraitist from Augsburg,
Inv. no. 1087 who was active for a long
In the Uffizi before 1638 time at the English court.
Holbein investigates the
man's face with scrupu¬
106
lous accuracy, and paus¬
es over every fold of his
clothing. The original e-
bony frame of this paint¬
ing is lost; beneath the
painting four silver medal-
Hons remain displaying
the coats of arms of the
Medici, of the Arundels,
of Southwell, and the
name of the painter.

Room 23 ♦ Mantegna and Correggio

on wood .
� j. to
ThisTempera
is the end of the series of rooms parallel the First Corridor and, like the
previous two,formed part of the original armoury decorated withfrescoes byLu-
dovico Buti (1588). On the ceiling are illustrations showing the manufacture of
arms, ofparticular interestfor the portrayal ofthe workshops of the period, with
swords, lances and breastplates beingforged. Other sections show cannons, the
making ofgunpowder, and the building of afort. Today the room contains works
by the Emilian painter Correggio and the Paduan Andrea Mantegna; by the lat¬
ter wefind the so-calledTri�iych illustratedin thesepages, and a tinypanel paint¬
ing of the Madonna of the Kocks (c.l489), which may have belonged to Francesco
de'Medici.

Andrea M a n t e g n a This panel showing the tych together with two

Adoration of the Magi Adoration of the Magi, other panels; these are
� painted separately on a illustrated and described
slightly concave surface, on the following pages.
was inserted in 1827 in-
lnv.no. 910 to a non-original frame
In the Ufiizi since 1632 to form an arbitrary trip-
 107
ROOM 23 ♦ M A N T E G N A A M) C O R R E G G I O

And rea M a n t e g n a
The Ascension (left)
and the Circumcision
(right)

c. 1462-1470
Tempera on wood
86x42.5 (each panel)
Inv.no. 910
In the Uffizi since 1632

The panels with the�5-

cension and the Circum¬
cision illustrated here have
been j oined arbitrarily in
a triptych to dxvAdoration
(previous page), in a rich
19*�� century frame.
Owned by the Medici from
at least 1587, the three
paintings had first been
the property of the Gon-
zaga family. They are gen¬
erally believed to be iden¬
tified with the "small but
very beautiful scenes with
figures", mentioned by
Vasari in 1568 as decora¬
tions for the San Giorgio
chapel in the Ducal Palace
in Mantua. There are in
fact letters going back to
the year 1459 from Lu-
dovico Gonzaga to Man¬
tegna inviting him to his
court. This period is get¬
 ting close to the likely com¬
mencement of at least one
of the three panels. The
paintings are diverse both
in style and size, and are
very probably from dif¬
ferent periods. This may
have been the painter's
first commission from the
Mantuan court, where he
was later to paint a fres-
108

ROOM 23 ♦MANTEGNA AND CORREGGIO

CO in the famous Room of

the Bride and Groom.
By the middle ofthe 15��
century, the Mantuan
artistic scene was already
adopting a taste for the
classical, owing to the
presence of sculptors like
Pisanello, Donatello, and
architects such as Leon
Battista Alberti and Luca
Fancelli from Fiesole. It
is no coincidence that
Mantegna was invited to
take part, as amongst
northern Italian painters
he was one of the most
receptive to the classical
revival. This is especial¬
ly evident in the right-
hand panel, whose scene
is set in a sumptuous poly¬
chrome marble interior
with classical-style re¬
liefs, so different from the
Ascension painting, which
is dominated by a rugged
and rocky landscape. In
the Adoration of the Ma¬
gi, the range of brilliant
colours, typical ofthe
Lombard-Venetian cul¬
ture, is combined with a
powerfully scenic com¬
position. The concave
form of the panePs wood¬
en support suggests that
the painting was perhaps
destined for the rear wall
ofthe chapel of San Gior¬
gio, creating a niche over
the altar. The vertical pan¬
els may instead have been
inserted into gold frames
on the other walls of the
room.
109
ROOM 23 ♦ M A N T E G N A A .N D C O R R E G G I O

CORREGGIO Oil on canvas

The Virgin Adoring 82x68.3
the Christ Child Inv. no. 1455
IntheUnizi since 1617 110
c. 1524-1526
A gift in 1617 from the
Duke of Mantua to Cosi-
mo de' Medici 11, this work
was immediately placed
in the Tribune, where it
remained until the end
of the 19*�� century-.
With poetic foreshorten¬
ing, lit perhaps by the
light of a sunset, the
young Madonna kneels and gazes adoringly at
her Child, in a scene of
tranquil and effective
balance. The work dates
to the middle phase of
the Emilian artist's ac¬
tivity, shortly preceding
the "greatly foreshort¬
ened" fresco decoration
of the cupola in Parma
Cathedral.

Room 24 ♦ Ca bine t of M i ni at u re s

This small room contains more than 400 miniatures from the rich grand-ducal
"
collections. Originally named ''The Chamber of Idols with antique bronzes, Mex¬
ican objects, and works in gold, the room was then given the name, ''Madam's
Chamber", and from 1589 contained the jewels of Christine ofLorraine, wife of
FerdinandL It then housed theMedicean collection of classical gems and cameos
which remained there until 1928 (now at the Museo degUArgenti). Today the
room has an oval form as desired by the Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo (1781).
Zanobi del Rosso was the architect responsible and Filippo Lucci painted the
fresco. Allegory of Fame, on the vault. The miniatures on display are small por¬
traitsfrom various eras and schools, subsequently mounted into small composits.
They comefrom a great number ofcollections constituted between 1664 and 1675
by Cardinal Leopoldo de'Medici. The Cardinal was at the same time increasing
his collections ofself-portraits and drawings. The miniatures were in part pur¬
chased by Paolo del Sera, his agent in Venice, and by other intermediaries all
over Italy. Some of the pieces are heirlooms while others Pietro Leopoldo had
done by artists active in Florence. Hung above the pictures are six noteworthy
parchments, including reproductions offamous paintings by Raphael and Tit¬
ian which were once in the Medicean collection.
 Ill
SecOxND and Third c o r r i d o r s

The rearrangement of the Second and Third Corridors was carried out at the same
time as the restoration of the First Corridor in 1996. f¥ith its large glass windows
facing the Uffizi Square and theArno River, the South Corridor (illustrated, right)
isfamousfor its views. Among the sculptures exhibited are the head of the so-called
D>lngAlexander7rom the Hellenistic period and the Roman copy ofQ\x�\� and Psy¬
che. At the intersection with the East Corridor, the ceilings are painted withfrescoes
in the grotesque datinghack toFYancescoI(1581). Thosefacing west show the
glorification of the Medicifamily (Nasini and Tonelli) and date hack to Cosimo III
(16 70-1723). Above the windowsfacing the river are the later portraits of the Giovio
Series, which continue into the Third Corridor together with canvas paintingsfrom
the 17�� to the beginning of the 19�� century, spaced alternately with the largerpaint¬
ingsfrom theAulic Series, many of which have been restored. On the side of the doors
of the Third Corridor hang 50 portraits of the Lorraine dynasty Followingthe evi¬
dence ofan 18�� century drawing in theAlbum ofDeOreyss, thefamousRoman�W�
Boar has been reinstalled at the end of the corridor towards the Loggia dei Lanzi.
This, along with the small replica of a Famese Hercules, is placed beside the Lao-
coon by Baccio Bandinelli (1523), thefirst copyfrom the original of the Hellenistic
groupfound in Rome in 1506. All three sculptures were restored in 1994.
 112
SECOND AND THIRD CORRIDORS

J
- / .. f- S ,

.-
:1

Wild Boar
On the left:
(Third Corridor) ralism, the sculpture was
Florentine School
First century A.D. damaged by a fire in 1762
Grotesque Decoration Roman copy from Greek
and restored immediate¬
(Second Corridor) bronze original ly afterwards. In 1634,
c. 1581 Marble, ht. 85, Igth. 151, Pietro Tacca made a copy
Fresco with tempera wth. 129 of it for his bronze known
Inv. 1914 no. 63 as the Porcellino (Little
retouches
c.616x616 In the Uffizi since 1591
Restored: 1994 Pig), which stands in the
Mercato Nuovo.
The trompe Toeil pergo¬ The WildBoarcomesfrom
las are bordered with coats the house of Paolo Ponti
ofarms ofthe Medici fam¬ in Rome, where it was
ily, the House of Austria documented in 1556. High-
(the first wife ofFrancesco ly esteemed for its natu-
I was Jean ofAustria), and
Bianca Cappello, lover
and then second wife of
the Grand Duke. The em¬
blem of Cappello, who
was disliked by the
Medicis, was previously
covered but later found
during restoration.
 113

Room 25 ♦ Michelangelo asd t h e Florentine Painting

Room 23, dominated by a masterpiece byMichelangelo, is thefirst of eleven rooms

now dedicated to 16�� centurypainting. In what are now Rooms 25-33y the Grand
Duke Ferdinand I in 1388 established workshops for the Minor Guilds and a
Foundryfor the distillation ofperfumes, poisons and antidotes. In the mid-18��
century-, Rooms 23-26 exhibited medals and gems, and at the end of the century,
Venetian paintings of the 13�� and the 16�� century. Dedicated to 16th century
works after the Second World War, this series of rooms has recently acquired a
new, rigorously geographical layout which has been helped by the restoration
following the 1993 bombing.

Michelangelo c. 1506-1508 Rightly considered to be

Holy Family Contemporaneous frame, the most important and
with the Infant car\'ed and gilded, enigmatic painting of the
St John the Baptist attributed to Marco and 16�� century, the Doni
Francesco del Tasso
(Doni Tondo) Tondo is the only exam-
Tempera on wood
diam. 120 ple of M i c he la nge lo 's
170 including the frame painting preserved in Flo¬
Inv. no. 1456 rence. It may also be the
In the Uftizi (in the
only painting on a mov¬
Tribune) since 1635 able support which can
Painting and frame
restored in 1985 definitely be attributed
to him. Executed for the

114
ROOM 25 ♦MICHELANGELO AND THE FLORENTINE PAINTING
Florentine merchant Ag- er classical sculptures by five young nudes be¬
nolo Doni and his wife known at the time. hind a small wall, who
Maddalena Strozzi, pos¬ Michelangelo was in fact lean or sit on a balustrade,
sibly on the occasion of strongly influenced by beyond which a simple
the birth of their daugh¬ classical statuary, which landscape fades into the
ter Maria (September 8, he studied with great care. horizon. The meaning of
1507), it was certainly This unusual Holy Fam¬ this work is still uncer¬
painted after January ily m striking tones, a pre- tain; it may be inspired
1506 when the Laocoon lude to Mannerist art, by the Biblical passages
was found in Rome, a shows three almost sculp¬ which refer to the birth
sculpture from which tural figures in the fore¬ and baptism of Christ,
Michelangelo took the ground in a strange and hinted at by the bust of
pose of the nude sitting serpentine composition. the infant St John to the
behind Saint Joseph. It is The figure of the Virgin right, and the five round
no coincidence that the is taking Jesus from (or lunettes on the frame
postures of the nudes are offering him to) St Joseph. showing Christ, angels
derived from many oth¬ She is counterbalanced and prophets.
115
ROOM 2 5 ♦MICHELANGELO AND THE FLORENTINE PAINTING

Mariotto Visitation Dated on the pillars 1503

Albertinelli Oil on wood
 232.5x146.5; 23x149.5
(predella Annunciation,
Adoration of the Child,
Circumcision, not sho\\Ti)
Inv. nos. 1587,1586
ROOM 25 ❖ MICHELANGELO AND THE FLORENTINE PAINTING
Ridolfo
DEL GhIRLANDAIO (attr.)
Cover o f a Portrait
c. 1510
Oil on wood
73x50.5
Inv. no. 6042
In the Uffizi since 1867
Panel in the Ufiizi since
1786, predella since 1794
Restored: 1995
The masterpiece of this
painter, famous for the
combination of strength
and softness in his style,
was formerly in the church
of San Mlchele in Palchet-
to. WTiilst the painting has
In the beginning of the
19*� century, this "tirella",
then attributed to Leonar¬
do, covered the portrait
of the Veiled Woman, ex¬
hibited here under attri¬
bution to Ridolfo del
Ghirlandaio. This small
panel, very probably paint¬
ed by the Florentine mas¬
classical elements, shown
by the architectural com¬
position and the harmo¬
nious balance created in
the meeting between Maiy�
and Elizabeth, it also an¬
ticipates the Doni Tondo
in its almost metallic
colours newly evident af¬
ter restoration.
ter famous for Msgrotescpje
decorations, did perhaps
from the outset cover the
portrait of a woman car¬
ried out by Ghirlandaio,
The classical inscription
with the motto sua cuique
PERSONA (To each his own
mask) comes from Seneca
and Ouintilian.
 117

ROOM 2 5 ♦MICHELANGELO AND THE FLORENTINE PAINTING

F r a Bartolomeo Oil on wood, 19.5x9; 18x

Annunciation 118
9
(recto) Inv. no. 1477
Presentation at the In the Tribune since 1589
Temple and Nativity ,
(verso) from the collection of
Cosimo de' Medici I (156
c. 1497 8)
These panels were paint¬
ed, almost in miniature,
for Piero del Pugliese
(1430-1498), an impor¬
tant figure in Florentine
history': Theywere to serve
as shutters enclosing a
bas-relief of the Madon¬
na and Child by Donatel-
lo (London, Victoria & Al¬
bert Museum, c. 1440).
The unusual tabernacle,
with its sculpture which perhaps Pollaiolo.
is much older than the
paintings the mse lve s
(which w ere later reduced
in size to readapt the piece
subsequently deprived of
its relief), confirms the
refined taste of the own¬
er, who w�as also a patron
of Botticelli, FiMppino Lip-
pi, Piero di Cosimo, and

Room 26 ♦ R a p h a e l and A n d re a del Sarto

Raffaello Sanzio Painted for the merchant
Madonna Lorenzo Nasi at the time
of the Goldfinch ofhis marriage to Sandra
Canigiani (1505), the pan¬
c. 1505-1506
el was damaged in 1547
Tempera on wood
when the h ouse on Via de'
107x77.2
Inv. no. 1447 Bardi collapsed. The yoiing
In the Uffizi since 1666 Raphael, in Florence from
the year 1504 (he also
worked later for Nasi's
brother-in-law), here ex¬
perimented for the first
lime with a group of fig¬
ures centred in the fore¬
ground, against a back¬
drop ofa Leonardo-esque
landscape. The Virgin is
seated with a book in one
hand and her Son between
her knees. He caresses
the goldfinch offered to
him by the Infant St John.

v-
I--'.
rrffl

tti!
f7
 119
ROOM 26 ♦RAPHAEL AND A N D R E A D E L S A R T O

Raffaello Sa x z i o
Pope Leo X with
Cardinals Giulio
de'Medici andLuigi
de'Rossi
1518
Oil on wood
155,5x119.5
Inv. 1912 no. 40
In the Tribune in 1589
Restored: 1996
The portrait of Leo X (Gio¬
vanni de' Medici, 1475-
1521, elected Pope in 1513)
arrived in Florence from
Rome in 1518. It w�as lat¬
er praised by Vasari for
its figures which are "not
fake, but painted in full
relief, for the "rustling
and shining" damask robe,
for the "soft and realis¬
tic" fur linings, for the
golden knob on the chair
which reflects "the light
from the vnndows, the
Pope's shoulders, and the
surrounding room". The
recent restoration has
given rise to the theory
that the two cardinals
may be an addition by an¬
other hand.

Nl
 120
ROOM 26 �RAPHAEL AND ANDREA DEL SARTO
A n d re a del Sarto Begun in 1515 for the Sis¬
The Madonna ters of San Francesco de'
of the Harpies Macci, the painting was
not completed within the
Signed and dated 1517 time and m an n e r re¬
Tempera on wood
207x178 quired. Together with the
Inv. no. 1577 St John the Evangelist, re¬
In the Tribune since 1785 quested in the contract, a
Restored: 1984 St Francis was added be¬
side the Virgin and Child
instead ofSt Bonaventure.
The work takes its name,
following a mistake of
Vasari's, from the mon¬
sters ("Harpies") in bas-
relief on the base. It now
appears that they are lo¬
custs, according to the com-
plex theological signifi¬
cance of the painting, al¬
luding to the ninth chap¬
ter ofSt John's Apocalypse.
 121

Room 27 ♦ Pontormo an d Rosso Fiorentino

Rosso Fiorentino In 1518 Leonardo Buo- for Rosso, who, in the end,
Madonna with Child nafe, rector of the Santa "sweetened" the "bitter
and Saints Maria Nuova hospital (the and desperate expres¬
(Madonna dello "Spedalingo"), commis¬ sions" painted in the oil
Spedalingo) sioned an altarpiece for sketches. The altarpiece
the church of Ognissanti. �vith its very unusual fig¬
1518
According to Vasari, the ures did not reach Ognis¬
Tempera on wood sketch ofthe painting was santi, and the initial paint¬
172x141
Inv. no. 3190 refused by Buonafe, be¬ ing of Buonafe's name¬
In the CfTizi since 1900 cause the saints looked sake St Leonard was then
Restored: 1995 like "de\ils", customary substituted by a St Stephen.

122
 ROOM 27 ♦POX TOR MO AND ROSSO FIORENTINO

POiNTGRMO This panel was painted whose work Pontormo of¬

The Supper atEmmaus
Dated on the scroll
below on the right 1525
Oil on canvas
250x173
Inv. no. 8740
In the Uflizl since 1948
Restored: 1994
for the guest-room of the
Charterhouse in Galluz-
zo south ofFlorence, where
Pontormo had spent a
peaceful period oftime in
1523; The Apparition of
Christ to the Apostles is
portrayed with intense
spirituality. Inspired by a
Dtirer etching, an artist
ten studied at this time,
the painting nevertheless
reveals an independent
style, theatrical in its sur¬
prising touches of light
and detailed observation
of ever> day life (the friar
to the left is the elder
Leonardo Buonafe, then
prior ofthe Charterhouse).

125
ROOM 27 ♦PON TOR MO AND ROSSO FIORENTINO
 Bronzing Painted for the Panciatichi
Holy Family with family, as shown by their
the Infant Saint John emblem on the flag flying
(The Panciatichi on the tower to the top left
Holy Family) of the painting, this is one
of the most interesting
c. 1540
compositions of Bronzi-
Tempera on wood
117x93 no, a man of culture, an
Inv. no. 8377 author of superb verses
In the Ufiizi since 1919 and a close friend of Pon-
tormo. His style is very
original, whilst still re¬
maining in line with his
role as portrait painter to
the court and the cream
of Florentine society. The
patron ofthis work is prob¬
ably Bartolomeo Panci¬
atichi whose portrait,
alongside that ofhis wife,
hangs in the Tribune.

124
Room 28 ♦ Ti t i a n and S e b a s t i a n o del Piombo

Ti t i a n Oil on canvas Restored: 1993

Flora 79.7x63.5
Inv. no. 1462
c. 1515-1517 In the Uffizi since 1793
This much-admired, sen¬
sual painting was in Al¬
fonso Lopez's collection
in Amsterdam; it arrived
at the Uffizi in 1641 in an
exchange with the Im¬
perial Gallery of Vienna,
This is almost certainly
a portrait of a young bride,
who rather timidly re¬
ROOM 28 ♦TITIAN AN D S E B A S T I A N O D EL P I O M B O
Titian
The Venus ofUrbino
1538
Oil on canvas
veals her breast with one hand, whilst with the oth¬
er, on which she wears
a barely visible wedding
band, she holds a bou¬
quet of flowers.
This beauty with her
long, loosened hair and
intense expression rep¬
resents Flora, Goddess of
Fertility.
125
119x165 of Ferdinand de' Medici 11
Inv. no. 1437 In the L'ffizi since 1736
In Florence since 1631, Restored: 1996
from the inheritance of
Victoria della Rovere, wfe
Commissioned in 1538
from the Venetian mas¬
ter by Guidubaldo della
Rovere, the Duke ofUrbi¬
no, this is one of the most
famous erotic images of
all time, a cultural icon.
A young girl with blond
hair flowing loosely over
h e r s houlde rs, looks
126
ROOM 28
on the window-sill. The
little dog sleeping on the
bed, symbolises fidelity,
kno\\ingly but allusive¬
♦TITIAN AND SEBASTIANO DEL PIOMBO
a tender and reassuring
note in the scene; this car¬
ries on in the background,
ly at the spectator. She is
completely naked, lying
on a luxurious bed w�ith
rumpled sheets; her left
hand resting over the pu¬
bic area as if to hide it is
in fact ambiguously invit-
ing. In her right hand she
holds a small posy of ros¬
es, a sjinbol of love reit¬
erated by the myrtle plant
where two niaid-servcuits
are looking for clothes in
a rich bridal chest, in a
fading sunset. The recent ered Titian's typical colour the painting was to serve
restoration has recov¬ scheme, highlighting the as an instructive "mod¬
detail of fabric, of flesh el" for Giulia Varano, the
tones, and even the small Duke's extremely young
pearl shining on the ear bride.
ofthe young bride. Await¬
ed impatiently by Duke
Guidubaldo, who more
than once asked the Am¬
bassador of Urbino in
Venice for news about it,

127
ROOM 28 ♦ TI T IA N AND SEBASTIANO DEL PIOMBO
 Se bastiaxo del Piombo
The death o f Adonis
(whole and detail)
c. 1512
Oil on canvas, 189x285
Inv. no. 916
In the Ufilzi since 1798
Restored: 1994
(restored in 1987 prior
to the 1993 bombing)
Painted in Rome for the
patron Agostino Chigi,
who since 1511 had been
asking the Venetian artist
to fresco his \illa, the Far-
nesina, this canvas was
128
R oom 29 ♦ Dosso an d P a r m i g i a n i n o
in the Pitti Palace in 1587,
and in 1675 in the col¬
lection of Cardinal Leo-
poldo. Ripped in 1995 and
restored immediately, it
is a symbol of the Ufilzi's
renewal after the bomb.
Possibly identifiable as
the painting with "most¬
ly nude and beautiful fig¬
ures" in a 1520 invento¬
ry of the Villa Farnesina,
it is filled with cultural
allusions and referen¬
ces. The subject is inspi¬
red by the desperation of
ti il 1'� it-.- • M
Venus at the death of
Adonis (left). Venus sits
naked in the foreground
in a posture presumably
taken from the classical
Boy Removing a Thorn
f ro m his Foot (see Ar¬
chaeological Collecti¬
ons). The painting hides
a moralistic meaning a-
round the lament of Ve-
nice-Venusia (Venus =
Venusia), the city which
appears in the backgro¬
und with its famous mo¬
numents: the Ducal Pa¬
lace, the domes of the Pa¬
latine Basilica, the Clock
Tower, and the Vecchie
Procuratie.
In this mythological evo¬
cation, Venice appears to
be absorbed by the se¬
ductions of sensual beau¬
ty and is destined to death
and putrefaction (Adonis
killed by the boar).

Dosso Dossi In the UfRzi since 1950 Acquired In Siena in 1665

Witchcraft for Cardinal Leopoldo,
or Allegory of Hercules this is the masterpiece of
the late period of Dossi's
c. 1535-1538
Oil on canvas
career, which began in
143x144
1514 at the Ferrara court
Inv. Palatina no. 148 and later moved to oth¬
er cities. The meaning of
the unusual subject mat¬
ter is still doubtful. It is
described in Cardinal
Leopoldo's inventory as
"the painting with por¬
traits of the clowns of the
Dukes of Ferrara".
Rich in allusions and
marked by a satirical note
in the twisted faces, al¬
most caricatures, it was
perhaps dedicated to Er-
cole d*Este, the Duke of
Ferrara.

129
ROOM 29 # 00550 AND P A R M I G I A M N O

PaR-MIGIAMXO Painted in Bologna, pos¬ sual Mary Magdalen,

Madonna with Child sibly for Bonifacio Goz- holding her vase of oint¬
and Saints zadini, the panel shows
(The San Zaccaria the half-length figure of
Madonna) St Zacchariah in the
foreground, in a three-
c. 1530
Oil on �yood
quarter pose, carrjing a
75.5x60 large open book. In front
Inv. no. 1328 of him the Madonna sits
In the Tribune since 1605 and smiles, with the
Restored: 1994 ChOd being embraced by
a semi-nude infant St
John who is portrayed as
a cupid. Behind this
group is a fine and sen¬
ment, her breast partial¬
ly covered by her hair. A
livid sky in the back¬
ground hangs over the
mountains; distant cities
reminiscent of Roman
times can also be made inscription.
out, reinforced in the The painting is dated to
the period of the artist's
middle ground by an¬
cient ruins and a classi¬ stay in Bologna, who had
cal building with a Greek left Rome in 1527 after a
period of three years.
ROOM 29 #DOSSO AND PARMIGIANINO

P a r m ig i a n i n o Painted for the Servi at the age of thirty-seven

The Madonna church in Parma. The in¬ in 1540. On the right side
of the Long Neck scription on the step be¬ of the painting, famous for
neath the column shows the refined, exaggerated
c.1534-1539
that this work remained length ofits figures, is the
Oil on wo od
219x135
unfinished, and in fact the foot ofa saint who was sup-
Inv. Palatina no. 230 painting was found in the posed to be alongside
In the Uflizi since 1948 artist's studio at his death Jerome, who holds a scroll.

Room 30 ♦ Cabinet of Emit .tan 16th c en t ury Painting
Ludomco Mazzolixo This crowded and lively
Slaughter composition is a replica
of the Innocents by the artist of the small
panel now in the Galle-
c. 1525
ria Doria Pamphilj in
Oil on wood
Rome (c. 1521); it dates
49x59
Inv. no. 1350 to Mazzolino's mature pe-
In the Uflizi since 1704 riod. The rather man¬
nered scene takes place
against the background
of a loggia which opens
to the right onto a nordic-
st\'le landscape. Mazzolino
was active in Ferrara from
the year 1504, w�hen he
was commissioned by Er-
cole d'Este for a series of
fresco decorations in the
church of Santa Maria
degli Angeli. These fres¬
coes were lost in a fire in
1604.
The artist is open to the
new Venetian "colourism"
and particularly to Gior-
gione. His work is also
132
131
influenced by northern
painting, mainly that of
Durer, a painter studied
by many Italian artists
thanks to the wide cir¬
culation of his etchings.
Mazzolino's style is how¬
ever marked by a "capri¬
cious" and bizarre imag¬
ination that fitted in well
with the eclectic culture
of a city like Ferrara.
In this small room, ded¬
icated to Emilian 16��
century painters, are oth¬
er paintings by the same
master, all in the small
dimensions through
w�hich Ludovico Maz¬
zolino best expressed his
talent.
Room 31 ♦ Ve ro n e s e

Paolo Ve ro n ese This canvas by Veronese lection of the Duke of De¬

The Martyrdom was formerly part of the vonshire). Veronese, who
of Saint Justine Canonici di Ferrara Col¬ in 1573 underwent a tri¬
lection (1632), and later al for taking too much
c. 1570-1575
Oil on canvas
belonged to Paolo Del liberty with his depiction
105x113 Sera, an intermediary in of holy themes, was a
Inv. no. 946 Venice for Cardinal master at creating spec¬
In the Tribune in 1704 Leopoldo de' Medici who tacular scenes filled with
Restored: 1988 then bought it from him light.
around 1654. Further canvases of his
The subject of the paint¬ displayed in this room
ing is the same as that of come from Cardinal
a great and more ani¬ Leopoldo's collections:
mated altarpiece possi¬ an airy, monumentaM/z-
bly executed by Paolo nunciation (1556, inv. no.
Veronese together with 899) and the Holy Fami¬
his brother for the Basil¬ ly from Widman House
ica of Santa Giustina in (c. 1561, inv. no. 1433), a
Padua (c. 1574), for which painting dominated by
a preparatory drawing the imposing blonde fig¬
exists (Chatsworth, Col¬ ure of St Barbara.

133

R oom 52 ♦ B a s s a n o and Tlxtoretto

 Jacopo Tintoretto
Leda and the Swan
(whole and detail)
c. 1550-1560
Oil on canvas, 167x221
Inv. no. 3084
In the Uffizi since 1893
Restored: 1994
Having passed through ing threateningly at a
various collections, this caged duck, and a little
canvas is a donation from dog who is perhaps jeal¬
Arturo De Noe Walker. ous of a swan), the paint¬
In an interior embell¬ ing shows the mythical,
ished with pets (a parrot sensual Leda, dressed
in an aviary, a cat star¬ only in pearls, caressing
Jove, who has trans¬
formed himself into a
swan to seduce her. The
restorations have clari¬
fied that the presence of
the maidservant is not
arbitrar>� as far as its pro¬
totype (in the Uffizi since
1989, inv. no. 9946) is
concerned. This, now al¬
so restored, is missing
the figure because of a
cut in the canvas.

134
Room 33 ♦ Corridor of the 16th century

Giorgio Vasa ri Oil on copper Perhaps originally in the

Vulcan's Forge 38x28 Tribune, this small cop¬
Inv. no. 1558 perplate, along with oth¬
c. 1564 In the Uffizi since 1589 er works in the enlarged
and modernised corridor, foregroimd. Symbol ofge¬ the world. Above are the
exemplifies Mannerist nius, he is chiselling a Three Graces, emblems
shield showing Capricorn, ofthe Art ofDrawing, mod¬
painting of the European
the astrological sign of
Court in the second half elling for four nude artists.
ofthe 16�� century. In the Francesco I, and Aries,
forge, Vulcan, god of sub¬ the ascendant of his fa¬
terranean fires, is in the ther, Cosimo, holding up

135
ROOM 33 ♦ CORRIDOR OF THE 16TH CENTURY

School of
Foxtainebleau
Two Women Bathing
Last quarter
of the 16*� century
Oil on wood
129x97
Inv. no. 9958

.\
'it'-
136
Room 34 ♦ LoiMbard Painting of the 16th ce n t u r y
Lorenzo Lotto A man of culture, a wan¬
The Chastity derer and a loner, Lotto
of Susannah painted the biblical episode
ofSusannah being harassed
Signed and dated 1517 while bathing by two old
Oil on wood
men whom she drives
66x50
Inv. no. 9491 away. The scene, shown
In the Uffizi since 1975 from above to reveal an
apparently traditional back¬
drop beyond the wall, in¬
stead shows two old men
In the Ufiizi since 1989
It is not known who the two
w�omen in this painting are.
Portrayed in different ver¬
sions, they are generally
identified as Gabrielle
d'Estrees (1571-1599),lover
of Henri IV, and her sister,
the Duchess ofVillars. They
nonetheless coincide with
the standards ofideal beau¬
ty held by the lyrical 16��
century, with white, yel¬
low, and red as the domi¬
nant colours.
FRANgOIS Clouet
Frangois I of France
on Horseback
c. 1540
Tempera on wood
27.5x22.5
Inv. no. 987
In the Ufiizi since 1796
This small court portrait
arrived in Florence in 1589
w�hen Christine of Lor¬
raine, wife of Ferdinand
1, inherited it from he r
grandmother Caterina de'
Medici, Queen of France,
together with miniatures
executed in Clouet's work¬
shop, portraying Henri II
and relatives (they are il¬
lustrated on page 12 in a
19� century arrangement).
hidden in the branches of
a tree spying on Susannah
as she walks to the bath.
On didactic scrolls, as ifin
anticipation of our mod¬
ern comic strips, Susan¬
nah declares that she does
not want to sin, while the
old men take their revenge
by accusing her of adul¬
tery with a young man.
 137
ROOM 54 ♦ LOMBARD PAINTING OF THE 1 6 T fl C E N T U R

Gio\ AN Battista KnowTi for the psycholog¬ ment and the window view.
Mo ro m ical realism ofhis portraits, On a base stands the burn¬
Portrait Moroni, a painter from ing brazier, alluding to the
ofPietro Secco Suardo Bergamo, here portrays family motto written be¬
Signed "lo Bap. Moronus p." his countrjTnan Suardo, low, taken from St Luke's
and dated 1563, under the Ambassador of\�enice from Gospel (12:49): "How 1 wish
rtTiting; ET Ql ID VOLO MSI UT 1545. A few precise brush it [the fire] were blazing
ARDEAT strokes render the essen¬ already". The Latin words
Oil on canvas
185x104
tial elements of this inte¬ [m]s[i] u[t] arde[at] con¬
Inv. no. 906 rior: the deformed shad¬ ceal in acrostic the horse¬
In the UfTizi since 1797 ow on the square pave¬ man's surname.
 158
Room 55 ♦ Barocci and the Tuscan Counter-reformation

Federico Barocci Barocci did many prepara¬ The work, created in an

The Madonna of the tory drawings for this environment of renewed
People Jarge altarpiece painted spirituality, immediate¬
for a church in Arezzo. ly drew many admired
Signed and dated 1579
Christ, through the in¬ Tuscan artists to the
Oil on wood
tercession of the Virgin, church; several of their
359x272
Jnv. no. 751 is blessing the some of paintings are in the new
In the UfTizi since 1787 the populace, who are display in this room (a-
Restored: 1995 portrayed with lively de¬ mong them Cigoh, Em-
tail as they bustle around poli, Santi dl Tito, Ales-
with their daily lives. sandro Allori),
 159
Room 414 RubExNS

PiETER Paul Rubens "Avery good companion shady background of a

Isabella Brandt [...] completely good, curtain and a column.
completely honest and The portrait was given as
c. 1625
beloved for her virtues": a gift in 1705 by the Pala¬
Oil on wood
Rubens remembers his tine Elector of the Rhine
86x62
Inv. no. 779 first wife, immediately Johann Wilhelm to his
In the UfTizi since 1773 after her death in 1626. brother-in-law Ferdi-
Often portrayed by him, nando de' Medici, who
Isabella is shown here called it a "work of ge¬
half-length, shortly be¬ nius" from the "famous
fore her death, against a brush" of Rubens.
 140
ROOM 41 � RUB ENS

This portrait, typical ofthe

D i e g o Velazquez
Spanish court, was in twenty-two years old, here
AND WORKSHOP Madrid in 1651, under the the face is taken from a
Philip IV ofSpain care ofthe Marquis EUche portrait byVel�uez (1645,
on Horseback (he died in Naples in 1687). now in the New York Frick
It is partly taken from a Collection). The restored
c. 1645
Rubens painting (c.l628), canvas reveals the hand
Oil on canvas
known from a description, of the Spanish painter in
338x267
Inv. no. 792 which was destroyed in the face ofthe king, on the
In the UfTizi since 1753 Madrid in 1754. Whilst in head of the horse, and in
Restored: 1995 the masterly brushwork
the original the king was
around the figures.

r
 141
R oo m 42 ♦ N i o b e R oom
� � � �
Pentelic marble, ht. 181
The Niobe Room, shown here as it was before the
1993 bombing, has been restored after the severe
damage it suffered. This 18th century room was
planned by Pietro Leopoldo, who put the architect
Gaspare Maria Paoletti in charge o f displaying a
group of classical sculptures. Found in the 16th cen¬
tury in a vineyard in Rome near the Lateran, they re¬
call the myth of Niobe, destroyed with her sons by
Apollo and Diana. This sensational discovery was
announced in a letter of1583 written by the sculptor
and restorer Valerio Cioli to the secretary o f the
Grand Duke Francesco I. After several months the
statues were acquired by the Grand Duke's brother,
Ferdinand, then Cardinal in Rome, who restored
them and took them to the Villa Medici. Five years lat¬
er he sent casts of the sculptures to Florence, which
were displayed in the Gallery until Pietro Leopoldo,
as mentioned, brought them to Tuscany in 1770. The
restoration of the first group (more pieces arrived Running Niobian
later) was entrusted to Innocenzo Spinazzi and com- � 130 bc
pletedinl776;by 179J the statues were on display in „ , x.,
the neoclassical room, a space adorned with stuc- 295
coes and decorative reliefs. In the Uffizi since 1795
Collections of the 17th and 18th c e n t u r y

Caravaggio Bacchus
Variously dated c. 1596-1600 The famous 5acc/ius may painter Mario Monnitti,
Oil on canvas date from the period when who lived with Caravag¬
98x85 Caravaggio was working gio in Rome for some time.
Inv. no. 5312 for Cardinal del Monte The Dionysian myth, here
In the Uffizi from uncertain
(c.1595-1600), a man of loaded with philosophi¬
date, brought out of store cal and religious symbols,
in 1916 culture, who may have
ordered the painting as a is portrayed with sensu¬
gift for Ferdinando de' ality and crude realism:
Medici, as he did with the the reddened cheeks, the
Medusa. moist lips, the dirty fin¬
The face ofthe young god gernails and the wormeat-
ofwine is thought to be a en, half-rotten fruit.
portrait of the Sicilian

143
C O L L E C T I O N S OF THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURY

Caravaggio 1592 to 1604 In the UfTizi since 1917

Sacrifice of Isaac Oil on canvas
104x155
��ariously dated from Inv. no. 4659
Caravaggio, inspired by
Genesis, here shows an
angel stopping Abraham
who in obedience to God
is about to sacrifice his
son Isaac. Beside the head
of the boy, who is shout¬
ing desperately, is the ram
sent by God to substitute
him in the sacrifice, ���ulst
in the bibUcal text the an¬
gel speaks to Abraham
from the sky, here he
comes dowTi to the ground
to stay his hand directly.
The scene, painted �vith
fine strokes oflight against
a landscape showing a
serene Venetian influ¬
ence, prefigures the sac¬
rifice of Christ and sym¬
bolises obedience and
faith in accordance with
the climate of renewed
144
COLLECTIONS OF THE 17TTI AND 18TH CENTURY
spirituality of the time.
The chronology of this
canvas is still doubtful: it
was given as a gift to the
Uflizi by John F. Murray,
son of the pre-Raphaelite
painter. Its provenance is
also uncertain, as it does
not correspond to the
painting of an unknown
subject, forwhich the Ro¬
man Mafleo Barberinipaid
Caravaggio between 1603
and 1604.
The canvas in the Uffizi,
however, does coincide
\nih the "sacrifice ofAbra-
ham who holds the knife
to the throat ofhis son who
shouts and falls do%vn",
painted for the Barberini
family according to the
writer Giuseppe Bellori
in 1672.
Caravaggio Medusa with her head of
Medusa snakes transformed any¬
one who looked at her in¬
Variously dated from 1592 to stone: "Rnn, for ifamaze¬
to 1600
Oil on wood
ment draws yotir eyes, /she
covered with canvas will turn you into stone".
diam. 55 Thus vvTote Gaspare Mur-
Inv. no. 1351 tola in 1603, admiring the
In the Uflizi at least
Medusa with her "poiso¬
since 1631
In restoration (1998) nous hair/armed with a
thousand snakes". It was
painted in Rome by the
"peintre maudit" for the
Cardinal Del Monte as a
gift to Ferdinando de'
Medici. Astonishment is
COLLECTIONS OF THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURY
also expressed in the vers¬
es of Giovan Battista Mari¬
no (1614): *1hal fierce, harsh
Gorgon/to which they ded¬
icate such horribly/viper-
ish forms/her squalid pomp
and frightful locks ofhair".
In 1631 the convex "rotel-
la" (tournament shield)
was on display at the
Medicean Armoury, hang¬
ing on the arm of an Ori¬
ental suit ofarmour which
was a gift from the Shah
ofPersia to the Grand Duke
around the year 1601.
145

Rembrandt In the Ufiizi since 1922 Son of a rich miller from

Self-Portrait Leide, the artist left his
as a Young Man native city in 1631 for Am¬
sterdam. There he paint¬
c. 1634
ed this self-portrait, which
Oil on wood
62.5x54 already displays confi¬
Inv. no. 3890 dence and acute psycho¬
logical investigation. The hann Wilhelm (married
painting may have been to Anna Maria Luisa de'
a gift from the Palatine Medici) to the Florentine
Elector of the Rhine Jo- Gerini family, and was lat¬
er (1818) acquired by Fer¬
dinand III of Lorraine,
C O L L E C T I O N S OF THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURY
Canaletto One of Canaletto's most
View of the Ducal often repeated views, the
Palace in Venice canvas shows the pier
(whole and detail) and the Riva degli Schia-
Before 1755, the year when voni, the Zeeca, the Old
the Clock Tower underwent Library, the Ducal Palace
modifications absent from
this painting
and the Dandolo Palace.
The Venetian artist uses
Oil on canvas
a "camera ottica", an op¬
51x85
Inv. no. 1354 tical device he often
In the Uffizi since 1798 adopted for his perspec¬
tive studies.
On the painting at the Uf¬
The taste for self-por-
traitxu-e stayedmth Rem¬
brandt throughout his ca¬
reer, but especially dur¬
ing his early period.
fizi, the foreground is dom¬
inated by gondolas and
boats with figures busy
rowing or throwing ropes.
Other versions ofthe scene
instead portray official
events such as the cele¬
bration of the "Sensa" at
the feast ofthe Ascension,
showing the arrival or de¬
parture ofthe "Bucintoro",
the Doge's galley, festively
arrayed.
 147
COLLECTIONS OF THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURY

Glajvibattista Tiepolo
Erection of a Statue
to an Emperor
c. 1735-1736
Oil on canvas
425x175
Inv. no. 3139
In the Ufflzi since 1900
Restored: 1987

Painted togetherwith oth¬

er panels to decorate a
ceiling in the archiepis-
copal seminary at Udine,
where Giambattista Tlepo-
lo had already painted
some frescoes a r ou nd
1728, the canvas is docu¬
mented by certain pay¬
ments made to the Venet¬
ian painter. After the
restoration, the attribu¬
tion to Tiepolo, subject of
discussion in the past, can
now be accepted.
The scene showing a stat¬
ue being erected is a pre¬
text for a daring illusion-
istic foreshortening from
below, against a luminous
sky typical of this artist,
who is considered the ma-
j or decorative artist of the
18�� century, a masterly
draftsman and engraver,
always in search of new
and wonderful spatial in¬
novations.

148
COLLECTIONS OF THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURY
Fra ncisco Goya Goya did portraits ofMaria
Y Luc ie nt e s Teresa, daughter ofhis pa¬
Portrait of Maria Teresa, tron Luis de Borbon, from
Countess ofChinchon the time she was a little
girl. In 1785 he also paint¬
c. 1798
ed his patron's wife riding
Oil on canvas
220x140
ahorse (UfiBzi, inv. no. 9485).
Inv. no. 9484 In 1797 Maria married
In the Uffizi since 1974 Manuel Godoy, the schem-
ing minister of the King
and favourite ofthe Queen.
COLLECTIONS OF THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURA
Jean-Baptiste Simeox Chardin
This was the start ofan im-
happy life, as can already
be guessed from this del¬
icate portrait, in which the
young girl's profile is re¬
peated on the medallion
bracelet around her wrist.
Goya retained close lies of
Mendship with this woman,
and he died like her in ex¬
ile in France in 1828.
149
Girl with a Shuttlecock
 Like BoyPlacing Cards
c. 1741 (inv. no. 9275), this paint¬
Oil on canvas ing was also acquired in
82x66
1951; it is a signed repli¬
Inv. no. 9247
In the Uffizi since 1951
ca of the one in the Rot-
schild Collection in Paris
(the other is in Washing¬
ton, National Gallery). At
the end of the 18�� cen¬
tury, the prototj-pes were
in Russia, proving the ear¬
ly interest of Russian col¬
lectors in French paint¬
ing. Known for the fami¬
ly intimacy ofhis portraits
and for his refined picto¬
rial technique, Jean-Bap-
tiste Simeon Chardin here
portrays a young girl with
a porcelain complexion,
and a thoughtful and dis¬
tant expression.

150
Vasar i Corridor

The most spectacular and famous corridor of the world was created in 1563.
Giorgio Vasari, the architect of the courty had already been enlarging and re¬
structuring the new Medici residence at Palazzo Vecchiofor some time, bring¬
ing to an end the great Uffizi project. During the preparations for the magnifi¬
cent royal wedding ofFrancesco de'Medici and Jean of Austria, the architect was
commissioned by Cosimo I to complete in record time, from March to Septem¬
ber 1565, a corridor that was to leadfrom the Uffizi to Palazzo Pitti, which had
been bought in 1549 by Eleonora di Toledo, wife of Cosimo. The Vasari Corri¬
dor starts from the west wing of the Uffizi, follows theArno in an astonishing
raised path that passes over the shops of the left parapet of the Ponte Vecchio,
overlooks the interior of the church of Santa Felicita, (then the Palatine Chapel),
and finally reaches the Boboli Gardens, where works had been going on for
some time under the direction of many architects and sculptors. An extraordi¬
nary and highly symbolic urban intervention in the ducal city, the Corridor, al¬
most a kilometre long with unique views from its windows and circular aper¬
tures, was designed as an exclusive walkwayfor the Duke, the Princes, and high
dignitaries of the court. It was only openedfor public use in 1866 when Florence
was capital of the Republic. It was then that its real history' as a museum began,
interrupted for long periods by the damage caused by World War II, the flood
(1966), and the bomb (1993). Now restored, the Corridor contains around 800
paintings; on the staircase and in first stretch there are important works from
the 17�� and 18�� century, while on the Ponte Vecchio the most famous collec¬
tion of self-portraits in the world is displayed, which was begun by Cardinal
Leopoldo and is still growing.

151
\ASARI CORRIDOR In the Uffizi since 1913
Restored: 1995

Standingrakishlyin ared
Guido Rem feathered cap, his figure
David with the Head illuminated by the moon¬
of Goliath light and scarcely cov¬
c. 1605
e red by his rich, fur-
Oil on canvas
tr im me d cloak, David
222x147 leans against a column
Inv. no. 5830 and surveys the head of
the slain giqnt.
A variation of an earlier
painting in the Louvre, Caravagglo in this work
there are still echoes of from which the Emilian
painter was to detach liim-
self on his re turn from
Rome, in search of an ever
more classical style. The
painting, damaged dur¬
ing the 1993 bombing, has
bee n res tore d and re¬
turned to the end of the
staircase leading down to
the Vasari Corridor.

152