Page 308 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Italy

306  CENTR AL IT AL Y

k Palazzo Pitti

The Palazzo Pitti was originally built for the banker Luca Pitti.
The huge scale of the building, begun in 1457 and attributed
to Brunelleschi, illustrated Pitti’s determination to outdo
the Medici family through its display of wealth and power.
Ironically, the Medici later purchased the palazzo when
building costs bankrupted Pitti’s heirs. In 1550 it became
the main residence of the Medici, and subsequently all the
rulers of the city lived here. Today the richly decorated rooms
exhibit countless treasures from the Medici collections.

Venere) contains Antonio
Canova’s statue of the Venus Judith (1620–30) by Artemisia
Italica (1810), commissioned Gentileschi
by Napoleon to replace the
Venus de’ Medici (which High Renaissance Madonna
was to be taken to Paris). della Seggiola or “Madonna of
Room 2 (Sala di Apollo) the Chair” (c.1513–14), and the
features Titian’s Portrait of a Donna Velata or “Veiled Woman”
The Three Ages of Man (c.1510), attributed Gentleman (1540), perhaps (c.1516), whose model was
to Giorgione the finest of several reputedly the artist’s
paintings by the mistress. Other
artist in the gallery. paintings in the
Galleria Palatina Still finer pictures remaining gallery
The Palatine Gallery, which forms adorn rooms 4 rooms include
the heart of the Pitti museum and 5, including Fra Filippo Lippi’s
complex, contains countless some by lovely Madonna
masterpieces by artists such as Perugino, Andrea and Child,
Botticelli, Titian, Perugino, Andrea del Sarto and a host painted in the
del Sarto, Tintoretto, Veronese, of paintings by mid-15th century,
Giorgione and Gentileschi. Raphael. The most and Caravaggio’s
The works of art, accumulated by beautiful of the last Madonna della Seggiola The Sleeping
the Medici family and the house group are Raphael’s (c.1513–14) by Raphael Cupid (1608).
of Habsburg-Lorraine, are still
hung much as the grand dukes Galleria Palatina
wished, regardless of subject The Boboli
or chronology. The gallery The Museo Gardens
consists of 11 main salons, degli Argenti,
the first 5 of which are painted or the Silverware
Museum, also
with allegorical ceiling frescoes displays precious
glorifying the Medici. Begun by objets d’art.
Pietro da Cortona in 1641, they
were completed in 1665 by his
pupil Ciro Ferri. Room 1 (Sala di

Entrance to museums
and galleries
The Galleria
Brunelleschi designed the d’Arte Moderna is a
palace façade, which was Appartamenti 30-room gallery featuring
eventually extended to three Reali paintings from the years
times its original length. 1784 to 1924.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp569–73 and pp590–96

306-307_EW_Italy.indd 306 26/04/16 5:17 pm
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v1.9)
Date 20th August 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm