Who's that Couple?

The portrait of the Duke and the Duchess of Urbin is one of the most famous paintings of the history of art. The dyptich arrived in Florence in 1631 with the inheritance of Vittoria della Rovere, wife of Ferdinando II dei Medici and last descendant of her dinasty, she brought to Florence (anf to the Medici) all the masterpieces that the Della Rovere family collected until then.

The painting, oil on a wooden panel, represents Federico da Montefeltro and his wife Battista Sforza, the ruling couple of the city of Urbin, in Umbria in the second half of 1400. Often associated with the IDEA itself of Renaissance, this portrait celebrates the human being as the main subject of its time. Federico was that kind of man under several aspects, he could gather around his court the most famous artists of the XV century and he was able to transform Urbin in a cultural and artistic capital.

Portrait of the Duke And Duchess of Urbin, by Piero della Francesca 1474 - Uffizi Gallery, Florence

The couple is portrayed in a perfect profile, a reference to the classical portrait medals which gives an ancient solemnity to the two Dukes. For Federico, choosing the representation in profile was a forced choice. In fact, the Duke lost his right eye during a tournament and for this reason only the left side of his face is portrayed. His nose was also broken in that accident and caused the famous aquiline shape which gives his face a unique personality.

The portrait is characterized by the extreme naturalistic effects: his olive imperfect skin is covered by a network of wrinkles, the awkward nose which is not at all idealized, all these elements contribute to give a real, earthly image of the Duke.

He is wearing the red dress symbol of his ducal rank. The cylindrical hat with a bright red stands out against the blue sky background, a detail of seamless geometry that gives the composition a strong sense of abstraction, as if he was designed on a different plan than that of the background, nearer to the viewer. 

The pose is straight, the look is determined, but also transmits the benevolence of the Duke of Urbin. The color red is preponderant on the painting and the background reminds the typical Flemish landscape. 

On the left side of the Federico's wife, the Duchess Battista Sforza is also painted as a profile so that the two are boldly looking  to each other.

The extremely pale face of the Duchess with an exaggerated high forehead (symbol of aristocracy in those times) is framed by a richly decorated hairstyle where a precious jewel emerges in the center of her head and a light white veil blows in delicate and complex folds. Everything communicates richness and power as the fabric of her dress' sleeve made of silk brocade (this is not a tatoo as many people ask me...!) and the pearls around her neck.

Originally the two portraits were linked by two hinges, so that could be closed like a book. On the back of what is now a painting, Federico da Montefeltro and his wife are shown in their "Triumph" on two antique wagons in the company of the Virtues. 

The Duke wears his armor just like a leader, while he is crowned by a winged lady standing on a sphere, maybe she represents Victory.  In front of him , the four cardinal virtues: Justice,with the scale and the sword, Prudence, looking in a mirror, Fortitude, with the column, and Temperance who gives us her back. 

The Duchess sits in a chariot pulled by two unicorns, symbols of chastity, to emphasize her pious and gentle soul. At her side, two ladies symbol of Chastity and Temperance, and in front of her, Charity with the pellican and Faith, dressed in red with the cup and the wafer in her hands.

The back of the dyptich with the representation of the Triumph of the Duke and the Duchess

With his almost metaphysical style, Piero della Francesca represent perfectly the Renaissance man, aware of the centrality of his role in the universe and the importance of his intelligence and his culture.

2015 A year in the Art: Florence main art exhibitions.

Eight is the number of art exhibitions of the ninth edition of the program "Un anno ad arte" (A year in the art) promoted by the Polo Museale Fiorentino. Here is the calendar for 2015:

UFFIZI February 2nd -May 24th the exhibition is dedicated to the flemish painter Gerritt Hornthorst from Utrecht known as Gherardo delle Notti (Gherardo of the nights) for his ability to paint night scenes and his knowdgeable use of the light. The title is "Gherardo delle Notti Quadri bizzarrissimi e cene allegre" (Gherardo delle Notti. Most bizarre paintings and merry suppers"). His presence in Florence at the beginning of the 1600 was incredibly and enthusiastically welcomed, especially by the greatest collectors, the Medici family, who purchased 4 big canvas by this artist.

Gerritt von Honthorst,  Supper with nuptials 1614 , Uffizi, Florence

BARGELLO March 20th -June 21st in the occasion of the 150th year of Florence capital of Italy and the birth of the of Bargello as a museum, the exhibition will focus on the theme of the trip during the Middle Age both in the realistic and the fantastic notion. "The Middle age on the road". You will have the opportunity to appreciate everyday objects and records related to the theme of travelling of that period.

ACCADEMIA March 20th - Oct 11th the focus is again Middle Age taking into consideration one of the greatest religious events of the history "Franciscan art. Masterpieces of art and Asian land 
from the 13th to the 15th centuries" 

  

Taddeo Gaddi, 1335-40, Saint Francis receiving the stigmate, Accademia museum, Florence

MUSEO DEGLI ARGENTI, Palazzo Pitti June 9th - Oct 11th the exhibition will be dedicated to the importance of the Lapis Lazuli, the precious intense blue stone frequently used in Florence for the realisation of the Florentine mosaics as well as the production of the amazing blue color which can be admired on frescoes and paintings since the Middle age through the Renaissance. "Lapis Lazuli. Blue Magic".

     

Gian Stefano Caroni, Jacques Bylivelt on Buontalenti's design, Flask,  end of XVII century,
 Museo degli Argenti, Florence

UFFIZI June 22nd-Sept 27th second exhibition at the Uffizi dedicated to Piero di Cosimo 1462-1522, Florentine eccentric painter from Renaissance to Mannerism"

Piero di Cosimo, Perseus and Andromeda, 1510, Uffizi Gallery, Florence

PALATINE GALLERY, Palazzo Pitti June 30th-November 15th we'll get into the life of the Florentine court of 1600, led by the Medici Grand Duchess Vittoria della Rovere whose  favourite painter was Carlo Dolci. His beautiful and translucent painting reminds of the splendour of the Florentine mosaics.

Carlo Dolci, Saint Andrew praying before his martyrdom 1631, Galleria Palatina, Florence

MODERN ART GALLERY Palazzo Pitti November 19th - April 3rd 2016 - celebration of the 150th year of Florence as the Capital of the newly united Italy: "Florence Capital 1865-2015. The king's gifts and collections". The exhibition will show principally the paintings and object purchased by the King of Italy during his stay at the Pitti palace.

V.Cabianca Florentine Storytellers of the XV century, 1860
Modern art Gallery, Palazzo Pitti, Florence

ACCADEMIA December 14 - April 16th an exhibition dedicated to Carlo Portelli "A painter of some worth" focus on a less famous artist of the 16th century and his refined and complicated search for elegance in his painting.

Carlo Portelli, Dispute on the Immaculate Conception, 1566, Accademia, Florence

Birds as symbols in the art

Symbols in the arts have always fascinated me. Looking to paintings, frescoes and mosaics every day I discovered some of the secret meanings behind the animals represented.

The animal appearing more often in the art is the bird. There are many different species of birds frescoed, painted on wooden panels and even sculpted. Let's discover what do they really represent and what do they usually refer to, in particular in Christian art in Florence.

The Dove  

The dove in Christianity represents the Holy Spirit, as well as the concepts of pureness and peace,  given its white color and its quiet temperament. 

Masaccio, Holy Trinity 1426-28, (particular of the dove) fresco in the Church of Santa Maria Novella, Florence.

This animal is mentioned many times in the Bible. The first time is in the Genesis, when Noah sent a dove out of the arch to see if the situation outside. The dove came back with a branch of an olive tree and he understood that the water was retreated. For this reason the dove has been interpreted as the symbol of peace between God and Mankind after the Great Flood. The dove is the quietest and mildest of the birds, it is fast and reassuring so it can be considered a perfect messenger of peace.

Another important episode of the life of Jesus where the dove appears is in the occasion of his baptism. The Evangelists John and Matthew both writing about the Baptism of Christ describe the holy spirit under the shapes of a holy dove descending on his head. 

Andrea del Verrocchio and Leonardo da Vinci, The Baptism of Christ, 1476-78, Uffizi Gallery

The third significant episode is the Announciation, a key topic in Christian art in general and in Marian art. This is the celebration of the announcement by the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus, the son of God, through the incarnation of the Holy spirit. 

Also in this particular subject, the holy dove represents the holy spirit, often painted above the head of the Virgin or in between the kneeling angel Gabriel and Mary.

Simone Martini, Announciation, 1333 Uffizi Gallery Florence, 

The Eagle

The eagle is the king of the birds, it can fly higher than any other birds, its eyes can look directly into the sun. Its ability to fly high is a metaphor of spiritual elevation, also this bird usually brings its children high to teach them how to fly, another metaphor of Christ as a leader to the human souls to God. 

Its sense of view is considered a sign of wisdom and smartness, and its ability to kill snakes often simbolizes the victory of good against the evil.

The Eagle is in the arts the symbol of Saint John the Evangelist, maybe because he is the one amongst the four, who had the most spiritual experience in writing his gospel.

Luca della Robbia, Saint John the Evangelist 1442-45, glazed terracotta, Pazzi Chapel, Church of Santa Croce, Florence

The Pellican 

This bird is ofter represented on the top of Middle Age crucifixes. This is a wird image to be connected with this dramatic subject and the meaning is one of the most interesting and complicated. As many times happens, everything starts with an ancient legend, telling that children of this kind of bird looked very weak, almost like dead. 

The "father" of the small birds came back at the nest and felt guilty for his children, teared his chest with his beak and spread the blood on his children. At this point the legend says that the small birds came back to life. This story is interpreted as a metaphor of the sacrifice of Christ for humanity. He also spread his blood to save Mankind.

Pacino di Buonaguida, The tree of life, 1305-10, Accademia, Florence.

Pacino di Buonaguida, The tree of life, (particular of the pellican on the top of the tree)  1305-10, Accademia, Florence.

                            

The peacock 

This is considered since Antiquity the most beautiful bird. Its colored feathers and the"wheel" that it makes with its tale surely made him the most elegant and magnificent of the birds. Its meat was considered healthy and able to heal ill people. An old popular legend says that its blood would have chased the devil. This is the reason why the peakok is sometimes in Betlem grotto in the paintings representing the nativity of Jesus.

Sandro Botticelli, The Adoration of the Magi, 1475, Uffizi Gallery, Florence.
The peacock is on the wall on the extreme right.

The peacock is also considered the symbol of incorruptibility. Its ability to change and renew its colored feather is a symbol of resurrection and renewal, this is why this animal is often represented in the Last supper frescoes.

Domenico del Ghirlandaio, The Last Supper 1486 ca, Convent of San Marco, Florence (the peacock is on the window on the right of the fresco)

The Goldfinch

The goldfinch with its red head, is often associated with the passion of Christ, and many times Baby Jesus himself holds in his hand this bird as to anticipate his future crucifixion. Sometimes this is also represented in the classic portraits of Mary and the Baby. 

Raphael, Mary of the goldfinch, 1506, Uffizi gallery, Florence.

This animal is again the subject of an ancient legend which says that during crucifixion it tried to free Jesus from the thornes crown and during this attempt his blood colored his head of red. For this reasons it often appears in religious paintings.

Agnolo Bronzino, Portrait of Giovanni dei Medici 1544-45, Uffizi Gallery

Grotesque decorations

The word grotesque comes from the Latin root "grotto", meaning a small cave or hollow. The original meaning was restricted to an extravagant style of Ancient Roman decorative art rediscovered and then copied in Rome at the end of the 15th century. The "caves" were in fact rooms and corridors of the Domus Aurea, the unfinished palace complex started by Nero after the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64, which had become overgrown and buried. When Nero's Domus Aurea was inadvertently rediscovered in the late 15th century, buried in fifteen hundred years of fill, so that the rooms had the aspect of underground grottoes, the Roman wall decorations in fresco and delicate stucco were a revelation. This launched a real revival of this decorative style especially fpr ceilings, columns and walls of important palaces.

Beautiful grotesque  staircase's ceiling in Palazzo Vecchio.

The decoration is characterized by the representation of fantasy creatures, often half animals, half human, of chimeras and monsters, often portrayed as thin and whimsical figures, which blend in geometric decorations and structured symmetrically, on a background of generally white or monochrome.
This had a great fortune in the Renaissance and in Florence we have some of the most beautiful examples in Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi museum.

Grotesque on the ceiling of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence

140 years from the moving of the David

Together with Botticelli's Venus, Michelangelo's David is one of the symbols of Florence, Renaissance and Italy, especially abroad. Not everybody knows though, that its position, the beautiful Tribuna inside the Accademia museum, was created in 1882 by the architect Emilio De Fabris, the same who carved the copy of the statue after the moving of the original from Piazza della Signoria in 1873 exactly 140 years ago.

For more than 3 centuries the marble prophet stood in front of the entrance of Palazzo Vecchio, our city hall, exposed to weather, wars and revolutions. In 1527 during a civil riot the statue was hit and its left arm was broken in  three pieces and then restored wth its original pieces. In 1873 for obvious conservatory reasons the masterpiece was moved inside the Accademia museum where it could have been (almost) safe. In 1991, a deranged man attacked the statue with a hammer he had concealed beneath his jacket, damaging the toes of the left foot before being restrained.

David by Michelangelo, Galleria dell 'Accademia

Everybody look up with mouth open admiring the beauty, the mysterious eyes, the anatomical perfection and the ideal greek profile. The most frequent question is why isuch a big head and hands. Could it be a mistake? I don't think so. Michelangelo was commissioned in 1501 by the Florentine  Republic to realize prophet for the  buttresses of the Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore. The point of view should have been much more lower than now, as the statue should have been positioned very high...that's why Michelangelo faked a bit the proportions especially those of the head and hands. On 12 November 2010, a fiberglass replica of the David was installed on the roofline of Santa Maria del Fiore for one day only. Photographs of the installation reveal the statue the way the Operai who commissioned the work originally expected it to be seen.

Legs and hips are so narrow as the block of marble given to Michelangelo was actually already carved by another sculptor, Agostino di Duccio who had difficulties in proceeding and abandoned the work that Michelangelo continued many years later. The block of marble was narrow and full of defects, little microscopical holes which still today can cause many problems to the statue.
At the lights of these considerations, Michelangelo's enterprise could be even more extraordinary.

David, replica by Emilio de Fabris  in front of Palazzo Vecchio

In 1504, when the 6 tons statue was finished, it could not be moved so high on the buttresses of the Cathedral, so a special commission which also included Sandro Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci decided to put it in front of the entrance of Palazzo Vecchio as a symbol of the civic virtues of Florence. The Medici family had been just chased out of the city and the Republic ruled by Pier Soderini just needed to show its strength and self confidence such as the young hero of the Bible showed challenging Goliath with his slingshot and his faith in God.

L'alchemia e le arti

Campeggia fiero all'entrata della mostra "L'alchemia e le arti" il ritratto di Francesco I, secondo Granduca di Toscana dal 1574 alla sua morte nel 1587, figlio di Cosimo I e Eleonora di Toledo.

Francesco I in un ritratto di pittore fiorentino

Un uomo fuori dall'ordinario, molto meno interessato alla politica e alla gestione del Granducato di quanto lo fosse il padre, ma piu interessato all'Alchimia, le scienze, la fisica e le arti.

Per sua volonta' sono state creati ambienti ed edifici che hanno il fascino del magico e dello straordinario: tra il 1570-72 il famoso Studiolo all'interno di Palazzo Vecchio, in cui il Granduca amava ritirarsi per studiare e dove collezionava i piu' disparati materiali. Si tratta di uno dei piu'grande capolavori del manierismo, creato dalla collaborazione del grande architetto Giorgio Vasari e dell'intellettuale Don Vincenzo Borghini che di quella stanza detto' il programma iconografico basato sulle allegorie dei quattro elementi: acqua, fuoco, aria e terra.

Studiolo di Palazzo Vecchio

Dobbiamo sempre a Francesco la nascita della Galleria degli Uffizi, concepiti come un luogo magico in cui il Granduca decise di sistemare la cospicua collezione di famiglia di sculture antiche, ma non
solo. Fino alla seconda meta' del 700 Uffizi erano non solo un posto in cui i Medici collezionavano oggetti d'arte ma bensì teatro di molteplici saperi che esaltavano la magnificenza dei granduchi. Raccolte di antichità' illustri, strumenti scientifici, vasi in pietre dure e armi, botteghe di ebanisti, artigiani, laboratori pietre dure e alchimisti.

Nel 1582 Francesco commissiono' a Bernardo Buontalenti la Tribuna, un ambiente ottagonale annesso al Corridoio di Levante, riaperta lo scorso Giugno 2012 dopo un lungo restauro. Una vera e propria camera delle meraviglie, a partire dalla sua decorazione che richiama i 4 elementi: la cupola rivestita di oltre 6000 valve di conchiglie ( acqua) pareti di velluto rosso cremisi (fuoco), il pavimento in marmi e pietre dure ( la terra) e per finire alla sommita della cupola la rosa dei venti (aria).  All'interno di questo spazio magico ottagonale venivano riposti gli oggetti d'arte piu rari e preziosi come quadri, bronzetti, sculture antiche, gemme rare e preziose. Poco rimane dell'allestimento originale, ma recentemente sono state riposizionate e restaurate le sculture antiche restaurate come la celebre Venere dei Medici, al centro della Tribuna.

Interno della Tribuna degli Uffizi

E' nel corso del 500 e 600 che nascono le prime wunderkammer - " camere delle meraviglie":
ambienti allestiti con ogni sorta di rarita' e curiosita' appesa alle pareti, o al soffitto, o sistemata in appositi scaffali, destinati solo a un pubblico selezionato come membri del clero, personaggi di spicco della cultura e della vita politica e quindi nascosti alla vista della gente comune.

Un coccodrillo appeso nella simulazione di Wunderkammer realizzata alla mostra

Tutto cio' destava naturalmente grande meraviglia nei visitatori. I Medici aderirono a questa nuova tendenza conservando addirittura mummie egiziane che venivano usate per l'estrazione di alcuni medicamenti.

Una mummia conservata dai Medici e allestita
nella wunderkammer ricreata alla mostra

Ma il luogo principale delle sperimentazioni alchemiche era La Fonderia, un grande laboratorio situato nel corridoio di Ponente degli Uffizi, creato da Cosimo I e sviluppata da suo figlio Francesco nel 1585 quando la trasferi al Casino di San Marco dove venivano svolte ricerche ed esperimenti mirati alla creazione della la prima porcellana europea ad imitazione di quella cinese. Almeno 1500 pezzi furono creati ma solo una sessantina sono arrivati fino ad oggi e alcuni esemplari sono ora custoditi al Museo del Bargello.

La decorazione a grottesche della volta numero 13 degli Uffizi, eseguita  da Antonio Tempesta e Alessandro Allori nel 1581 testimonia questa passione per gli esperimenti e l'alchimia e anticipa di qualche anno la creazione della Nuova Fonderia avvenuta nel 1586 all'interno degli Uffizi, precisamente nella stanza n 25, dove ora e' esposto il Tondo Doni di Michelangelo. La' vi rimarra' per almeno 200 anni.

Anche l'aspetto farmaceutico era rilevante perche' la trasformazione della materia riguardava principalmente la ricerca dell'elixir, la sostanza capace di purificare i metalli ma anche l'animo umano dalle impurita' e quindi anche dalla malattia.

Farmacia portabile prodotta dalla Fonderia degli Uffizi e
solitamente donata ai membri della nobiltà europea

Nel corso del 600 Cosimo II e Ferdinando II dettero impulso alla produzione farmaceutica. I preziosi medicamenti venivano donati dai Granduchi ai nobili di tutta Europa custoditi in preziosi cofanetti d'ebano. In quel periodo la Fonderia era luogo di esposizione di rarita' animali e vegetali.

un esempio di oggetti esposti nelle Wunderkammer: uno scheletro di scimmia,
il rostro di un pesce, un alambicco per la distillazione, un pesce palla...

Il Porcellino

The Porcellino under the Loggia del Mercato Nuovo

Here is the Porcellino, with its shiny nose, by the fifteen hundred loggia del Mercato Nuovo, just a block behind Piazza della Signoria and Piazza della Repubblica. Actually it should represent a wild boar rather than a piglet (as "porcellino" means) but the statue is famous amongst tourists as well as amongst Florentines: a legend says hat if you put a coin in its jaws and this falls into the underlying grating of the basin, this will bring you good luck.

That's why crowds of tourists stand around the statue at every time of the year making photos and touching the statue's nose as a promise to be back in Florence soon.

The original ellenistic sculpture in marble (mid 3rd century B.C.) was given by the Pope Pio IV as a gift to Cosimo I around 1560, as a homage to the Medici's passion for hunting and now this is kept in the Uffizi Gallery. Cosimo ordered to make a copy in bronze to the famous sculptor Pietro Tacca, Giambologna's apprentice, who will gain the place of Granduke's favourite sculptor after his master's death. The model in wax was realized in 1620, while the bronze final sculpture was finished in 1633. Here Pietro Tacca even surpassed the classics in his creation.

Detail of the base of the sculpture

The wild boar raises on its front legs, with its shaggy fur bristling, upon hearing the footsteps of
hunters. The base on which the animal rests is in the form of a piece of an uncoltivated ground, with grass , bushes, plants and small animals as lizards, frogs, snails, river crabs, a grass snake... The naturalistic details show Giambologna's influence on Pietro Tacca.
The water that gushed from the animal's jaws was then collected  in a basin in front of the base.

The fountain was coinceived as a urban furnishing and was initially placed in the Boboli gardens. In
1639 this was moved in  Piazza del Mercato Nuovo. The base was deteriorated by the time and the people and was thus moved in the Museum of San Marco, while the statue was replaced by a copy in 1998 and the original in bronze is now kept in he Bardini museum.

One of the two fountains in P.zza SS Annunziata by P.Tacca

The equestrian statue of Ferdinando I in P.SS. Annunziata - 1608 

Pietro Tacca other famous bronze works are the equestrian statue of the Granduke Ferdinando I (begun by Giambologna and finished by P.Tacca) in Piazza SS Annunziata and the two fountains in the same square, where he also showed a great talent in representing animals and monsters of the sea.

SANTA TRINITA BRIDGE AND THE MISTERY OF THE MISSING HEAD

Looking downstream from the wonderful terrace offered by the Ponte Vecchio, you can admire one of the most beautiful and elegant Italian bridges: the Bridge of Santa Trinita. Dedicated to the Holy Trinity the bridge was built in 1252, patronized by the Frescobaldi family who needed a bridge connecting the right side of the river with the left side where they had their residences.

The bridge was swept away many times by floods of the Arno and always rebuilt.

Its actual and last shape follows the project realized by Bartolomeo Ammannati in 1567. This the oldest elliptical arch bridge in the world and it seems that the Ammannati asked suggestions to Michelangelo who projected the three modern parabolic arches, the so called catenary curves. Upside down, this is the curve assumed by a chain under its own weight when supported only at its ends. This is not only an elegant shape which anticipates the baroque trends, but also has a strong static resistance.

The bridge is made in pietra forte, a golden stone used for many palaces and constructions in Florence and its pillars of support are carved as a ship's bow, sharp and slim in order to dodge the logs carried by the floads.

Four allegoric sculptures stands at the two ends of the bridge and represent the four seasons. These were not part of the original project but were realized by different sculptors and put later on the bridge.

The bridge was destroyed by the Germans during the second World war and re built starting from 1952.

This was a big and affectionate restoration rather than a re-building. The Florentines gave a symbolic contribute by buying a stone or a brick, so that they managed to finance one third of the cost! Hundreds of small and big fragmented pieces found in the neighborhood of the bridge were examined. Think that one of the stones of the bridge was found in the Church of Carmine, on the other side of the Arno, hundreds of meters from the bridge in the center of the San Frediano area.

Stones, marble curls, pilasters and profiles, gray stone sheets, fragments of the body of the Four Seasons sculptures were fished out of the river. Only one sculpture resulted horribly disfigured: Spring, which was found without the head and an arm.

This is the woman on the right side of the river who holds a baskets full of flowers and fruits. Carved by Pietro Francavilla for the gardens of the Acciaoli family who had their residences in the area, she was then set on the bridge together with the others sculptures. If you look at it carefully she is not exactly beautiful (Mr. Francavilla may excuse me if I say that), but it is a symbol for the city of Florence with a very important and strong meaning for the population. You can still see the injury between the bust and the neck, the exact point of the traumatic detachment of the head from the body.

After the new bridge's inauguration on May 16^th 1958 the missing head of the Spring was the protagonist of true and false stories about its finding. Witnesses told they had seen a soldier of the Allied Forces who digging amongst the ruins near the river, had found and stolen the head.

An advertisement with photos said “Have you ever seen this woman? She is about 350 years old, marble white skin, 20 pounds of weight. 3000 Dollars reward to the person who will report about her.” A famous American pens producer company published this announcement in almost half of the world but nobody answered.

In the sharp air of the morning of October 6th 1961 Timoteo Lucaroni from Piacenza was digging the river's shore with a drag. About 100 meter from the bridge on the right side he hit something, maybe a big stone. He set down the stuff and together with sand and gravel he saw a round white stone rolling down: the head of the Spring!

The news run along the Arno River, through the narrow streets of the city arrived to Palazzo Vecchio, entering inside the Salone dei Cinquecento and exploded on the newspapers of the world. The head was exposed in the courtyard of Palazzo Vecchio and received the homage of the Florentines who passed in front of it deeply moved as pilgrims in front of a relic.

The head of the Spring had been restored and put at its original place with a solemn ceremony, but the wound of the detachments is still visible and always alive in our memories. 

Freely adapted and translated from: 

Pierluigi Bacci "Firenze, Segreti, storie, misteri, curiosità" Angelo Pontecorboli Editore

Photo by Sailko

OUR HERO PERSEUS

Walking in Piazza Signoria, the outstanding sculpture of Perseus by Benvenuto Cellini fascinates me always as the first time. It proudly dominates the left side of the Loggia dei Lanzi, a space first created to host public ceremonies of the government, then transformed by Cosimo I dei Medici into an outdoor museum of ancient sculptures, paert of the Medici collection.

This is the only sculpture expressly conceived for that position by Cosimo I in 1554 with a precise and clear  political meaning: the symbol of the "cut" with the republic and the beginning of his rulership. And a cut is what we have in front of us...precisely the cut of the head of the Medusa defeated by the mythological hero.

The statue of Perseus under  the loggia dei Lanzi
Piazza Signoria

Benvenuto Cellini tells us about the extraordinary casting of this bronze statue in his biography, decribing it as an epic enterprise. This was created by a unique bronze casting differently from the previous bronze sculptures of this dimension which were usually created by assembling different pieces.

Mr. Cellini left us his signature on the shoulder belt of the hero and as if it were not enough, using the hair of Perseus as beard he also left his self portrait on the back of the helmet.

Besides the story of its casting, what fascinates me of this scultpure is the mythological history of Perseus. His mother Danae was stucked in a room underground by her father Acrisio because he did not want her to make children. A prophecy said that the birth of Danae's son would have caused the death of his father or grandfather.

Nevertheless Zeus managed to possess Danae by transforming himself into a golden rain. From the union of them Perseus was born. Danae's father got very angry and sent his daughter and the baby Perseus on a boat away from the island. They approached the the island of Serifo, which was ruled by Polidette, a tyran who wanted to possess Danae. But Perseus was now a young and strong boy who protected his mother. So Polidette invented a trick to send Perseus away, by inviting him to lunch and asking a present. Perseus offered to bring as a present the head of Medusa, one of the gorgons, a terrible monster with snakes instead of hair who had the power tonturn into stone those who watched her in the eyes.

Medusa just after the cut of the head
in a painting by Caravaggio

He left Serifo with a sword given to him by Ermes, winged sandals received by the nymphs, a magic helmet (Ade helmet) which made him invisible and finallya shild given by Athena. Thanks to these magic trick ans most of all thanks to the shield where Medusa reflexed herself, Perseus  beheaded Medusa and from her neck came out Pegaso, the winged horse (born by the union of Medusa with Poseidon).

So many events behind a hero, so many things to tell in front of this amazing sculpture.