The Stove Room
Sala della Stufa
The room was originally an open loggia and was later converted to a room for a stove, really the grand duke's bathroom, and it was always reserved for the grand duke's private use. The room was decorated in two successive phases. In the third decade of the 17th century, Michelangelo Cinganelli, Matteo Rosselli, and Ottavio Vannini painted the ceiling and lunettes, using images of great kings from antiquity and allegorical figures. The stuccos are the work of Antonio Novelli and Sebastiano Pettirossi.
In 1637, Pietro da Cortona was assigned the task of decorating the walls, with the Four Ages of Man, themes inspired by Ovid and suggested by Michelangelo Buonarroti il Giovane. The Age of Gold alluded to the reign of Ferdinando II and the Medici-Della Rovere marital union. The Age of Silver was executed during the painter's first visit to Florence (1637), while the Age of Bronze and the Age of Iron were completed in 1644 on the basis of a prior plan.
The maiolica pavement, realized in 1627 and manufactured in Montelupo from cartoons by Giulio Parigi, was almost completely redone in the beginning of the 20th century by the Florentine firm of Cantagalli, reproducing faithfully the 17th century design. The remaining original part shows Victory in the center of the room. Other fragments of the 17th century pavement are exhibited nearby in the Del Moro staircase.
In 1637, Pietro da Cortona was assigned the task of decorating the walls, with the Four Ages of Man, themes inspired by Ovid and suggested by Michelangelo Buonarroti il Giovane. The Age of Gold alluded to the reign of Ferdinando II and the Medici-Della Rovere marital union. The Age of Silver was executed during the painter's first visit to Florence (1637), while the Age of Bronze and the Age of Iron were completed in 1644 on the basis of a prior plan.
The maiolica pavement, realized in 1627 and manufactured in Montelupo from cartoons by Giulio Parigi, was almost completely redone in the beginning of the 20th century by the Florentine firm of Cantagalli, reproducing faithfully the 17th century design. The remaining original part shows Victory in the center of the room. Other fragments of the 17th century pavement are exhibited nearby in the Del Moro staircase.
Vitzthum, Walter & Campbell, Malcom; 'Pietro da Cortona's Camera della Stufa'; The Burlington Magazine, Vol 104, No. 708 (Mar. 1962), pp. 120-123+125.