CITY CENTRE EAST - Florence and Tuscany - page 73

Exploring the Uffizi's Collection

Lippi's Madonna and Child
with Angels (1455-66), in
room 8, is a masterpiece of
warmth and humanity. Like
so many Renaissance artists,
Lippi uses a religious subject
to celebrate earthly delights,
such as feminine beauty and
the Tuscan landscape.

The Uffizi offers an unrivalled opportunity to see some
of the greatest works of the Renaissance. The collection
was born from the immense wealth of the Medici
family (see pp50-51) , who commissioned work from
many great Florentine masters. Francesco I housed the
family collection at the Uffizi in 1581. His descendants
added to it until 1737, when Anna Maria Lodovica, last
of the Medici, bequeathed it to the people of Florence.

between the characters'
expressions, their medieval,
rather than Biblical, style of
dress and the blood, still
fresh on the cross.

GOTHIC ART

Following the collection
of antiquities in room 1, the
gallery's next six rooms are
devoted to Tuscan Gothic art
from the 12th to 14th centuries.
Giotto (1266-1337) intro-
duced a degree of naturalism
that was new in Tuscan art.
The angels and saints in his
Ognissanti Madonna (1310),
in room 2, express a range
of human emotions, from awe
and reverence to puzzlement.
The throne in this painting,
and the temple in Lorenzetti's
Presentation in the Temple
(1342) in room 3, show a
concern for three-dimensional
depth quite at odds with the
flatness of much Gothic art.
Giotto's naturalism extends
throughout the works in room
4, devoted to the 14th-century
Florentine School. One of the
most obvious examples is the
Pietà (1360-65), attributed to
Giottino. Look at the difference

EARLY RENAISSANCE

A better understanding of
geometry and perspective
allowed Renaissance artists
to create an illusion of space
and depth in their works.
Paolo Uccello (1397-1475)
was obsessed with perspective;
witness his nightmarish The
Battle of San Romano (1456)
(see p48) in room 7.
Also in this room are two
panels by Piero della Francesca
(1410-92), depicting the Duke
and Duchess of Urbino on
one side and representations
of their virtues on the other.
Painted between 1465 and
1470, these are two of the
first Renaissance portraits.
If these works seem coldly
experimental, Fra Filippo

Madonna and Child with Angels
(1455-66) by Fra Filippo Lippi

BOTTICELLI

The Botticelli paintings in
rooms 10-14 are the highlight
of the Uffizi's collection. The
brilliant colours and crisp
draughtsmanship of, for
instance, The Birth of Venus
(about 1485) (see p81) , are a
reminder that Renaissance
artists often experimented with

Primavera (1480) by Botticelli