Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
new pigments to achieve
striking colour effects. The
subject of this painting, the
Roman goddess Venus, is
also significant. By painting
Venus instead of the Christian
Virgin, Botticelli expressed
the fascination with Classical
mythology common to many
Renaissance artists.
The same is true of his other
famous work,
Primavera
(about 1480). It breaks with
the tradition of Christian
religious painting by illustrating
a pagan rite of spring. Other
works to see here include the
Adoration of the Magi
(about
1475), a thinly disguised Medici
family portrait
(see p51)
.
HIGH RENAISSANCE
AND MANNERISM
Michelangelo's
The Holy
Family
(1506-8), in room 25,
is striking for its vibrant
colours and the unusually
twisted pose of the Virgin
(see p81)
. This painting
proved to be enormously
influential with the next
generation of Tuscan artists,
notably Bronzino (1503-72),
Pontormo (1494-1556) and
Parmigianino (1503-40). The
latter's
Madonna of the Long
Neck
(about 1534) in room
29, with its contorted
anatomy and bright, unnatural
colours, is a remarkable
example of what came to be
known as the Mannerist style.
Two other masterpieces
of the High Renaissance are
located nearby. Raphael's
tender
Madonna of the Gold-
finch
(1506), in room 26, still
shows signs of earthquake
damage dating to 1547.
Titian's
The Venus of Urbino
(1538), said to be one of the
most beautiful nudes ever
painted, is in room 28.
Portrait of
Bia
(1542) by Bronzino
early death in 1542.
The
Medici Venus
, probably
dating to the 1st century BC,
is a Roman copy of the Greek
original by Praxiteles. A small
room off the Tribune contains
a copy of the Hellenistic
sculpture,
The Hermaphrodite.
LEONARDO DA VINCI
NON-FLORENTINE ART
The works in rooms 19 to 23
show how rapidly the artistic
ideas and techniques of the
Renaissance spread beyond
Florence. Umbrian artists like
Perugino (1446-1523) and
Northern European painters
such as Dürer (1471-1528)
are well represented.
Detail from
The Annunciation
(1472-5) by Leonardo da Vinci
THE ARNO CORRIDOR
Room 15 contains works
attributed to the young
Leonardo. Still under the
influence of his teachers, he
was already developing his
own masterly style, as in
The
Annunciation
(1472-5) and
the unfinished
Adoration of
the Magi
(1481).
The corridor overlooking the
Arno, which links the east
and west wings of the Uffizi,
offers fine views of the hills
to the south of Florence.
The ancient Roman statues
displayed here were mainly
collected by the Medici
during the 15th century. Their
anatomical precision and
faithful portraiture were much
admired and copied by Ren-
aissance artists, who saw
themselves as giving rebirth
to Classical perfection in art.
The Roman statues were
equally popular during the
17th and 18th centuries with
visitors on their way to Rome
on the Grand Tour
(see p55)
.
The Renaissance works,
which attract visitors today,
were largely ignored until
John Ruskin, the art historian,
wrote about them in the 1840s.
THE TRIBUNE
Madonna of the Goldfinch
(1506)
by Raphael
The octagonal tribune, with
its mother-of-pearl ceiling,
was designed in 1584 by
Buontalenti so that Francesco I
could display all his favourite
works from the Medici collec-
tion in one room.
Notable paintings include
Bronzino's portrait (1545) of
Eleonora di Toledo with her
son, Giovanni
(see p51)
, and
the same artist's portrait of Bia,
Cosimo I's illegitimate daughter.
It was painted just before her
LATER PAINTINGS
Works by Rubens (1577-1640)
and Van Dyck (1599-1641)
are in rooms 41 and 42 (some-
times closed), while Rembrandt
(1606-69) can be found in
room 44. New rooms on the
ground floor hold paintings
by Caravaggio (1573-1610)
and his school, as well as by
Guido Reni (1577-1642).
