Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The central section of the 15th-century
Cassone Adimari
by Scheggia
Galleria
dell'Accademia
9
Via Ricasoli 60.
Map
2 D4 (6 E1).
Tel
055 238 86 09 (information);
055 29 48 83 (reservations).
the most famous of all
dominates the collection:
Michelangelo's
David
(1504).
This colossal Classical statue
(5.2 m/17 ft) depicts the
biblical hero who killed
the giant Goliath. It was
commissioned by the
city of Florence and
positioned in front
of the Palazzo
Vecchio. This
established
Michelangelo,
then aged 29,
as the foremost
sculptor of his
time. In 1873
it was moved to
the Accademia, to
protect it from the
weather and pollution.
One copy of
David
is
now to be found in
its original position in
Piazza della Signoria
(see pp76-7)
and a
second stands in the
middle of Piazzale
Michelangelo
(see p131)
.
Michelangelo's
other masterpieces
include a statue of St
Matthew finished in 1508, and
the
Quattro Prigionieri
(the
four prisoners) which were
sculpted between 1521 and
1523 and intended to adorn
the tomb of Pope Julius II.
Presented to the Medici in
1564 by Michelangelo's cousin,
the muscular figures struggling
to free themselves from the
stone are among the most
dramatic of his works. The
statues were moved to the
Grotta Grande in the Boboli
Gardens in 1585, where casts
of the originals can now be
seen
(see pp124-5)
.
The gallery contains an
important collection of
paintings by 15th- and
16th-century local artists:
contemporaries of
Michelangelo such
as Fra Bartolomeo,
Filippino Lippi,
Bronzino and
Ridolfo del
Ghirlandaio. There
are many major works
including the
Madonna
del Mare
(Madonna of
the Sea), attributed to
Botticelli (1445-1510),
and
Venus and Cupid
by Jacopo Pontormo
(1494-1556), based
upon a preparatory
drawing by Michel-
angelo. Also on
display is an
elaborately painted
wooden chest,
the
Cassone
Adimari
, by
Scheggia,
Masaccio's
step-brother. Dating from
around 1440, it was originally
used as part of a bride's
trousseau, and is covered with
details of Florentine daily life,
clothing and architecture. The
bridal party are pictured stand-
ing in front of the Baptistry.
Pacino di Bonaguida's
Tree
of Life
(1310) is a prominent
painting among the collections
of Byzantine and late 13th-
and 14th-century religious art,
8:15am-6:50pm Tue-Sun (occasional
extended hours in summer).
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The Academy of Fine Arts in
Florence was founded in 1563
and was the first school in
Europe set up to teach the
techniques of drawing, paint-
ing and sculpture. The art
collection displayed in the
gallery was formed in 1784
with the aim of providing the
students of the academy with
material to study and copy.
Since 1873, many of
Michelangelo's most
important works have been
in the Accademia. Perhaps
David
by Michelangelo
Madonna del Mare
(c.1470)
by Sandro Botticelli
