The Treasure of the Grand Dukes
Tesoro dei Grand Duchi
The history of this museum is linked to the history of the Medici. As much as the artists who executed the works, it was the Medicis love of all things beautiful that has made this place and the treasures it contains one of the richest and most prestigious museums of decorative arts in all Europe. The silver works for which the museum was named come, for the most part, from the House of Lorraine, being part of the so-called "Salzburg Treasure", that is to say, the collections of the bishops of Salzburg and Wurzburg that Ferdinando III of Lorraine 'plundered' during the Napoleonic era (exactly as Napoleon was doing in Italy) and brought to Florence on his return. (After his expulsion from Florence by the Napoleonic forces, Ferdinando III was made Elector of Salzburg, as a sort of consolation.)
Thus, the museum was named for the original 19th century exhibition of precious "silverworks" in the Room of Giovanni da San Giovanni. However, it could just as rightly be called the Museum of the Grand-ducal Treasure: officially established only in 1919, it gathers together all the treasures collected by the Medici and Lorraine grand dukes.
The precious and semi-precious stone vases originally belonged to Piero and Lorenzo il Magnifico; after being stored in a number of sites, they were placed in the Gems Room of the Uffizi, to be transferred later to the Silverworks Museum. Similarly, the rock crystal commissioned by Francesco I from Milanese workshops, together with the renowned lapis lazuli vase designed by Bernardo Buontalenti were also originally on display in the famous Tribuna of the Uffizi. The fantastic vases of polished ivory, the war spoils of prince Matias de'Medici, figured in the Uffizi inventory of 1633, while the ivory figures commissioned from the German sculptor Baldassare Stockhamer belonged to Cardinal Grand's fabulous collection at the in the Pitti Palace. Il Gran Principe Ferdinando is instead responsible for some of the crystal, amber and ivory pieces, while it was grand duke Cosimo II who charged the sculptor Giovanni Battista Foggini with the by now renowned stipo (see below).
Finally, it was with the advent of the Lorenese in 1737 that Anna Maria Luisa de'Medici, in an act of foresight and wisdom, bequeathed the family inheritance to the city of Florence, in her words: "for State embellishment, public use and to attract the curiosity of Foreigners", also donating her private collection of jeweled galanterie, considered rarities today. Partly transferred to Vienna by the Lorenese, these jewels were then returned to Italy after the First World War precisely when the grand-ducal patrimony, administered by the House of Savoy, became property of the Italian state.
Mosco, Marilena, "Silverworks Museum", Pitti Palace: All the museums, all the works, Sillabe, 2001, Livornoa, p. 129. For the citations for rooms on the mezzanine, see Acanfora, Elisa, "La decorazione delle loggette", Palazzo Pitti: l'arte e la storia, Nardini Editore, 2000-2003, Firenze, pp. 57-61.
Thus, the museum was named for the original 19th century exhibition of precious "silverworks" in the Room of Giovanni da San Giovanni. However, it could just as rightly be called the Museum of the Grand-ducal Treasure: officially established only in 1919, it gathers together all the treasures collected by the Medici and Lorraine grand dukes.
The precious and semi-precious stone vases originally belonged to Piero and Lorenzo il Magnifico; after being stored in a number of sites, they were placed in the Gems Room of the Uffizi, to be transferred later to the Silverworks Museum. Similarly, the rock crystal commissioned by Francesco I from Milanese workshops, together with the renowned lapis lazuli vase designed by Bernardo Buontalenti were also originally on display in the famous Tribuna of the Uffizi. The fantastic vases of polished ivory, the war spoils of prince Matias de'Medici, figured in the Uffizi inventory of 1633, while the ivory figures commissioned from the German sculptor Baldassare Stockhamer belonged to Cardinal Grand's fabulous collection at the in the Pitti Palace. Il Gran Principe Ferdinando is instead responsible for some of the crystal, amber and ivory pieces, while it was grand duke Cosimo II who charged the sculptor Giovanni Battista Foggini with the by now renowned stipo (see below).
Finally, it was with the advent of the Lorenese in 1737 that Anna Maria Luisa de'Medici, in an act of foresight and wisdom, bequeathed the family inheritance to the city of Florence, in her words: "for State embellishment, public use and to attract the curiosity of Foreigners", also donating her private collection of jeweled galanterie, considered rarities today. Partly transferred to Vienna by the Lorenese, these jewels were then returned to Italy after the First World War precisely when the grand-ducal patrimony, administered by the House of Savoy, became property of the Italian state.
Mosco, Marilena, "Silverworks Museum", Pitti Palace: All the museums, all the works, Sillabe, 2001, Livornoa, p. 129. For the citations for rooms on the mezzanine, see Acanfora, Elisa, "La decorazione delle loggette", Palazzo Pitti: l'arte e la storia, Nardini Editore, 2000-2003, Firenze, pp. 57-61.
Giovanni Battista Foggini, Stipo of the Elector of the Palatine; ebony, gilded bronze, pietre dure, mother of pearl, crystal; 1709; Treasure of the Grand Dukes.
14. Cameos Room 15. Jewels Room 16-17. Salzburg Treasure 18. The Small Loggia (Loggetta) 19. The Treasure Room (Tesoretto) 20. Exotic Room 21. Chinese Porcelain Room 22. Japanese Porcelain Room 23. Donations Room 24. Castings Hallway 25. Reliquaries Hallway |