Uffizi museum Galleria degli Uffizi II
The Uffizi: The Building, the Origins of the Museum and the Collection
Alessandro Allori ‘Francesco de Medici’ 1580 – 1585
In 1574, Cosimo I died, and his son Francesco became the new ruler. He had the upper loggia of the Uffizi closed off. In the year 1581, as can be read on the ceiling, work began on the galleria [literally: corridor], or the museum. Alessandro Allori, with his assistants, painted grotesques on the ceilings of the eastern wing. A web of plant and animal motifs surrounded medallions with various allegorical and symbolic representations and allusions to the Medici. Classical statues were also placed in the galleria. The first actual room of the museum, the so-called Tribuna, was built by Buontalenti in 1584 (click here for the floor plan: room 18).
Three years after the construction of the Tribuna, a theater was built. In the seventeenth century, the first operas would be performed here (Klaudia Zelazowska, ‘The Story Behind The Tribuna Of The Uffizi By Johan Zoffany’ Daily Art Magazine 18 februari 2018). The theater was later renovated and houses a famous collection of drawings and engravings known as the Gabinetto dei Disegni.
The Tribuna Zoom out Johann Zoffany ‘Tribuna’ 1772-1778
In the west wing, Francesco’s brother and successor, Ferdinando I, had the following placed: The workshops of court artists, armorers, and pietra-dure craftsmen were located nearby, while the laboratories for chemical experiments were situated a bit further away. Initially, the artworks were displayed alongside a vast array of other objects, such as scientific instruments, furniture, crystal, ivory, and exotic artifacts from the New World. This collection as a whole emphasized the wealth and power of the Medici.
Galleria East Wing East and South Wings
In the nineteenth century, new museums were established in Florence, such as the Bargello, San Marco, the Archaeological Museum, and the Silver Museum (Museo degli Argenti). This allowed the extensive and diverse collection of the Uffizi to be limited to paintings, drawings, engravings, and some sculptures. Egyptian and Etruscan objects were moved to the Archaeological Museum, and the gems and silverware to the Silver Museum. The Bargello received many sculptures as well as other artworks. Many altarpieces by Fra Angelico were housed in the museum of San Marco.
The museum was seen from the beginning as a res publica (public affair), but it was, of course, strongly linked to the Medici. The collection dates back to Cosimo the Elder and Piero de’ Medici (Uccello’s Battle of San Romano). Francesco I exhibited works by Raphael, Andrea del Sarto, and Pontormo in the Tribuna. His brother Ferdinando, as a cardinal in Rome, had purchased several statues such as the Medici Venus (Wikipdia), a Niobid group, wrestlers, and a grinder.
Cardinal Leopold de’ Medici (1617-1675) assembled the important graphic collection. In the nineteenth century, interest in the long-forgotten art of Botticelli, Filippo Lippi, and others before Raphael grew significantly. Many altarpieces from monasteries that were dissolved came into the possession of the Uffizi.
Continuation Florence day 6: Uffizi: Enthroned Madonna with Child: Cimabue, Duccio, and Giotto I