Buontalenti's Grotto
The project for the grotto was begun by Giorgio Vasari prior to 1574 at the direction of Francesco I as part of a much larger project to construct nurseries in the northern end of the Boboli Garden. Ultimately, Vasari was responsible for only the lower part of the facade. The rest of the project waited until 1583, when Bernardo Buontalenti undertook the project. It was completed finally in 1593.
On both sides of the pillared entrance to the Buontalenti Grotto there are two niches with sculptures representing Ceres and Apollo. Both crafted by Baccio Bandinelli, the pieces were originally part of Vasari’s nursery.
Gorgeous though they are, the two sculptures are hardly the most impressive or eye-catching pieces in the structure. The facade is completely overlaid with concretions similar to stalagmites. The tympanum is displayed in the center and the Medici coat of arms is supported by two mosaic feminine figures symbolizing Peace and Justice. The background of the facade is decorated by mosaic frames containing sea goats and other mythical designs.
On both sides of the pillared entrance to the Buontalenti Grotto there are two niches with sculptures representing Ceres and Apollo. Both crafted by Baccio Bandinelli, the pieces were originally part of Vasari’s nursery.
Gorgeous though they are, the two sculptures are hardly the most impressive or eye-catching pieces in the structure. The facade is completely overlaid with concretions similar to stalagmites. The tympanum is displayed in the center and the Medici coat of arms is supported by two mosaic feminine figures symbolizing Peace and Justice. The background of the facade is decorated by mosaic frames containing sea goats and other mythical designs.
The grotto's first room is larger than the other two and is decorated with pictorial, architectural, and sculptural elements, creating a sense of marvel and confusion. The theme of the decoration is "Chaos", which, through metamorphesis, creates harmony and order. The alchemical theme was important to Francesco I who was interested in alchemy. The walls, covered in rocks, stalagtites, sponges, and shells, seem to take on a life of their own, comprised of anthropomorphic and animal figures by the sculptor, Pietro Mati. Michelangelo's four "Prisoners" [today these are copies; the originals are in the Galleria dell"Accademia], were not added until 1924. They had originally been created around 1505 as some of the figures that were to have made up the lower level of Michelangelo's projected tomb for Pope Julius II. Even though they were never intended to be a part of the grotto, they fit in nicely and seem to come alive out of the rock surrounding them. Only on second glance do we realize that this is not a natural grotto, but an artistic creation, realized in stucco and fresco, showing shepherds protecting their flocks from wild beasts.
The frescoes by Bernardino Poccetti provide a background for all the other marvelous elements, leading finally to the ceiling that is decorated with a faux pergola with an open oculus in the center, admitting filtered light into the room. An element that is difficult to appreciate today is how the light would have played on the water in the room. Recent restorations have revealed a number of small canals through which water fell from the ceiling, creating a spectacle of vibrating and reflected light, some caught in small pools near the walls. In the center of the oculus was a large fish bowl, while in the center of the room there was another fountain, like a rock, from which the water danced.
The frescoes by Bernardino Poccetti provide a background for all the other marvelous elements, leading finally to the ceiling that is decorated with a faux pergola with an open oculus in the center, admitting filtered light into the room. An element that is difficult to appreciate today is how the light would have played on the water in the room. Recent restorations have revealed a number of small canals through which water fell from the ceiling, creating a spectacle of vibrating and reflected light, some caught in small pools near the walls. In the center of the oculus was a large fish bowl, while in the center of the room there was another fountain, like a rock, from which the water danced.
The second room is decorated in much the same way as the first, with frescoes that show Minerva and Juno. It includes a sculpture of Paris and Helen by Vincenze de' Rossi.
The last room is also decorated like a grotto, with a faux ceiling covered in flying birds. The room is dominated by a fountain with the figure of a Bathing Venus, by Giambologna, which emerges from a marble basin supported by four satyrs spraying water up to her. The decorative composition can be read according to an erotic theme, sublimated perhaps by mythology and philosophy, to be seen in the eyes of the modern visitor. In the first room, we are dazzled by a sense of magnificence and of the grottesque. In the second room, the theme is beauty abducted, while the third room consumates the theme with the perfect nudity of Venus.