Palazzo Pitti

The history

Originally the residence of the wealthy Florentine banker Luca Pitti, this magnificent palace was purchased in 1550 by Grand Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici, who established his court there with his wife Eleonora of Toledo. Two centuries later, from 1737, the palace was to be the home of the Lorraine family, who succeeded the Medici in the Grand Duchy, and later of the Savoy family during the five years that Florence was capital of Italy.

The collection

Palazzo Pitti has come down to us as an extraordinary casket filled with the wealth, art and power left by the three dynasties that inhabited it. After being donated by Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy to the Italian state in 1919, this historic residence officially became the home of no less than four different museums: The Treasure of the Grand Dukes, which houses the Medici collections of fine furnishings; the Palatine Gallery and the Imperial and Royal Apartments, still fitted out with furniture and works of art from the historic residence; the Gallery of Modern Art, with its splendid collection of works from 1800 onwards; and the Museum of Fashion and Costume, which displays rich garments from the 18th century to the present day.

The artworks

Palatine Gallery

• Lamentation over the Dead Christ, 1495, Pietro Perugino (1448 circa-1523)
• The Concert, 1510 – 1511, Titian (1488/90-1576)
• Woman with a Veil, 1512 – 1515 c., Raphael (1483-1520)
• Judith with the Head of Holofernes, 1610-1612, Cristofano Allori (1577-1621)
• St. Mary Magdalen, 1620 c., Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1652/53)
• Venus Italica, 1812, Antonio Canova (1757-1822)

Treasury of the Grand Dukes

• Japanese lacquered and painted plate featuring a river landscape with plants, 17th century, Japanese Manufacture
• Chinese plate with three figures and a small dog, Chinese manufacture, last quarter of the 18th century, Period of Qianlong (1736-1795)
• Elector Palatine’s cabinet, 1709, Giovanni Battista Foggini (1652-1725 ) and Galleria dei Lavori
• Allegories of the Seasons (Spring, Summer, Winter), 1775, Vienna Porcelain Manufactory
• The Centaur Chiron and Achilles, 1785 c., Filippo Tagliolini and Real Fabbrica Ferdinandea
• Portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte, 1811, Sèvres Manufactory

Museum of Costume and Fashion

• Burial clothes of Cosimo I de’ Medici: Doublet, stockings with codpiece, Cappa Magna cope of the Order of St. Stephen Made in Florence, 1574, Florence manufacturing
• Men’s formal suite, 1720-1740, Italian manufacture
• Train for courtly gown, 1880-1890, Italian manufacture
• The Spring (Evening gown), 1906, Rosa Genoni
• Minaudière, 1920-25, French manufacture
• Evening gown, F/W 1992-93, Gianfranco Ferré,
• Evening Dress, Early 20th century, Made in Rome, label: “Maria Berardelli/ via del Corso 79/Milano”
• Evening gown, S/S 2005, Yohji Yamamoto

Imperial and Royal Apartments

• Oval Cabinet in the Royal Apartments, 1763-1765, Ignazio Pellegrini (Verona, 1715 – 1790) and Francesco Visetti (recorded in Florence in 1765)
• Blue Room
• The Queen’s Bedroom
• The King’s Bedroom
• Chapel
• Round Cabinet, 1775, Niccolò Gaspare Paoletti (1727-1813), Domenico Ruschi, known as ‘il Portogalli’ (news from 1762 to 1782) and Giuliano Traballesi (1727-1812)
• Green Room
• Hall of “Parrots”
• King’s Study
• Queen’s Salon
• Red Salon
• Throne Room

Gallery of Modern Art

• Cousin Argia, 1861 c., Giovanni Fattori (1825-1908)
• At the fountain, 1879, Egisto Ferroni (1835-1912)
• Self-portrait of Montorsoli, 1892, Giovanni Boldini (1842-1931)
• Confidences, 1919-1920 c., Armando Spadini (1883-1925)
• The Stranger, 1930 c., Felice Casorati (1886-1963)
• Metaphysical composition, 1950-1960, Giorgio De Chirico (1888-1978)

Palatine Chapel

• Adoration of the Magi, before 1637 and 1705, Workshops of the Grand Duchy and Giuseppe Antonio Torricelli
• Chigi Crucifix, 1670-1672, Lorenz Rues and Antonio Raggi
• Entry of Christ into Jerusalem, 1791-92, Luigi Ademollo (1764-1849)

Museum of Russian Icons

• The Beheading of St John the Baptist, 1590-1610 c., Muscovite workshop
• “All creatures rejoice in You”, 1575-1600, Muscovite workshop
• Annunciation, 1725-1750, Yaroslavl or Kostroma workshop
• The Annunciation (Inv. 1890 no. 9304), 1725-1750 , Central Russia

Artists

• Pietro Perugino (1448 circa-1523)
• Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520)
• Tiziano Vecellio (1488/90-1576)
• Cristofano Allori (1577-1621)
• Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1652/53)
• Antonio Canova (1757-1822)
• Giovanni Fattori (1825-1908)
• Egisto Ferroni (1835-1912)
• Giovanni Boldini (1842-1931)
• Armando Spadini (1883-1925)
• Felice Casorati (1886-1963)
• Giorgio De Chirico (1888-1978)

Photo: View of Piazza de’ Pitti and Pitti Palace, Florence