The Winter Quarters
Quartiere d'Inverno
When Archduke Ferdinando became Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1790, taking the name Ferdinando III, one of the first works he commissioned was the creation of the Winter Quarters in the right wing, on the second-floor, the same rooms that he had shared with his brother Francesco when they were boys.
Maria de'Medici, daughter of Francesco I and Joanna of Austria, was the first to live in these apartments at the end of the 16th century. At the time, the apartment included the large Drama Room, the same size of the Sala Bianca on the floor below. Ottovio Runuccini's Eurdice was performed here for the first time, with music by Jacopo Peri, in honor of Maria's marriage to Henry IV of France.
After Maria's departure, the apartment was given to her half-brother, don Antonio, the natural son of Francesco I and Bianca Cappello. Later, it was occupied by Ferdinando II and Vittoria della Rovere and, later still, from 1658 on, by Prince Cardinal Leopoldo, brother of the grand duke.
Leopoldo, a man of culture as well as a scientist, founded the Cimento Academy. He arranged his enormous collection of manuscripts, rare books, mathematical instruments, sculptures, drawings, and paintings in this apartment. Its appearance was luxurious. The walls of the drawing room (partitioned to create the Footmen's Antechamber) were covered in red taffeta and its ceiling was painted red and embellished with gilded intaglios. In the other rooms, adorned with fine objects and works of art, the wall coverings were of brightly colored silk, embellished with silver and gold thread.
Under Pietro Leopoldo, after the end of the Medici dynasty and the period of the Lorraine Regency, the apartment was given over to Archdukes Francesco and Ferdinando and then later, in 1775, to the archduchesses. These arrangements did not require any major work on the apartment. A limited amount of restoration work was done, the more worn wall coverings were replaced, and the furnishings were adapted to the needs of the new tenants. The only significant intervention was the subdivision of the drawing room above the Bona Room (see green 1,2, & 3 below), under the direction of Niccolò Gaspare Paoletti.
The first major changes were not made until 1790. Once again, Ferdinando III entrusted the project to Paoletti, who began his work in the old Drama Room. He eliminated the Footmen's Antechamber and, on the other side, built the Music Room (see green 1 below), which was frescoed by Giuseppe Terreni. The ceiling was modified in order to adapt it to the new subdivision, but the rest of the room was left substantially unchanged. Otherwise, architecturally, the rooms were left virtually unchanged.
After the death of Ferdinando III, the rooms were assigned to his widow, Maria Ferdinanda. Work continued on the redecoration of the rooms.
After the end of the Lorraine Grand Duchy and the annexation of Tuscany to the Kingdom of Italy and during the period when Florence was the country's capital (1865-1869), the Pitti Palace became the residence of the Savoys. The Winter Quarters were among the apartments given to Vittorio Emanuele II and hence became called "His Majesty the King's Apartment". No major work was done on the apartment during this period, except for one radical transformation. Cardinal Leopoldo's 17th century chapel, renovated at the end of the 18th century, was made into a spacious bathroom connected to the King of Italy's bedroom.
Giusti, Laura Bandini, "The Winter Quarters or Apartment of the Duchess of Alba", Pitti Palace: all the museums, all the works, 2001, Sillabe, Livorno, pp.121-124.
Maria de'Medici, daughter of Francesco I and Joanna of Austria, was the first to live in these apartments at the end of the 16th century. At the time, the apartment included the large Drama Room, the same size of the Sala Bianca on the floor below. Ottovio Runuccini's Eurdice was performed here for the first time, with music by Jacopo Peri, in honor of Maria's marriage to Henry IV of France.
After Maria's departure, the apartment was given to her half-brother, don Antonio, the natural son of Francesco I and Bianca Cappello. Later, it was occupied by Ferdinando II and Vittoria della Rovere and, later still, from 1658 on, by Prince Cardinal Leopoldo, brother of the grand duke.
Leopoldo, a man of culture as well as a scientist, founded the Cimento Academy. He arranged his enormous collection of manuscripts, rare books, mathematical instruments, sculptures, drawings, and paintings in this apartment. Its appearance was luxurious. The walls of the drawing room (partitioned to create the Footmen's Antechamber) were covered in red taffeta and its ceiling was painted red and embellished with gilded intaglios. In the other rooms, adorned with fine objects and works of art, the wall coverings were of brightly colored silk, embellished with silver and gold thread.
Under Pietro Leopoldo, after the end of the Medici dynasty and the period of the Lorraine Regency, the apartment was given over to Archdukes Francesco and Ferdinando and then later, in 1775, to the archduchesses. These arrangements did not require any major work on the apartment. A limited amount of restoration work was done, the more worn wall coverings were replaced, and the furnishings were adapted to the needs of the new tenants. The only significant intervention was the subdivision of the drawing room above the Bona Room (see green 1,2, & 3 below), under the direction of Niccolò Gaspare Paoletti.
The first major changes were not made until 1790. Once again, Ferdinando III entrusted the project to Paoletti, who began his work in the old Drama Room. He eliminated the Footmen's Antechamber and, on the other side, built the Music Room (see green 1 below), which was frescoed by Giuseppe Terreni. The ceiling was modified in order to adapt it to the new subdivision, but the rest of the room was left substantially unchanged. Otherwise, architecturally, the rooms were left virtually unchanged.
After the death of Ferdinando III, the rooms were assigned to his widow, Maria Ferdinanda. Work continued on the redecoration of the rooms.
After the end of the Lorraine Grand Duchy and the annexation of Tuscany to the Kingdom of Italy and during the period when Florence was the country's capital (1865-1869), the Pitti Palace became the residence of the Savoys. The Winter Quarters were among the apartments given to Vittorio Emanuele II and hence became called "His Majesty the King's Apartment". No major work was done on the apartment during this period, except for one radical transformation. Cardinal Leopoldo's 17th century chapel, renovated at the end of the 18th century, was made into a spacious bathroom connected to the King of Italy's bedroom.
Giusti, Laura Bandini, "The Winter Quarters or Apartment of the Duchess of Alba", Pitti Palace: all the museums, all the works, 2001, Sillabe, Livorno, pp.121-124.
1. The Guards' Room
2. The Ballroom or Drama Room
3. The Music Room
4. The Muses' Gallery
5. The Red Room
6. The King's Studio
7. The King's Bedroom
8. The Bathroom (formerly the Chapel)
9. The Bedroom
2. The Ballroom or Drama Room
3. The Music Room
4. The Muses' Gallery
5. The Red Room
6. The King's Studio
7. The King's Bedroom
8. The Bathroom (formerly the Chapel)
9. The Bedroom
See also:
Enrico Colle; Palazzo Pitti: il quartiere d'inverno, Milano, 1991
Enrico Colle; Palazzo Pitti: il quartiere del Principe di Napoli, Livorno, 1992
Enrico Colle; Il recupero di un percorso monumentale : il Quartiere d'Inverno e gli Appartamenti reali a Palazzo Pitti, Quaderno, 5.1993, 1994, pp. 44 - 46.
Enrico Colle; Palazzo Pitti: il quartiere d'inverno, Milano, 1991
Enrico Colle; Palazzo Pitti: il quartiere del Principe di Napoli, Livorno, 1992
Enrico Colle; Il recupero di un percorso monumentale : il Quartiere d'Inverno e gli Appartamenti reali a Palazzo Pitti, Quaderno, 5.1993, 1994, pp. 44 - 46.