Bargello museum

Description

The museum is located in the majestic Bargello Palace in Via del Proconsolo in the historic center of the city.


The building, inaugurated in 1255, over the centuries was the political seat of important figures such as the Podestà and subsequently the Captain of the People. Finally, in 1574, it became the seat of the "Bargello", or the Justice Captain.


Between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries the palace was expanded and modified  while still maintaining its severe and imposing appearance which is immediately evident from the entrance courtyard. On one side of the courtyard there is a large stone staircase where, on the wall, the coat of arms of the various Podestàs are clearly visible.


On 22 June 1865, by royal decree, it was turned into the first Italian National Museum dedicated to the arts of the Middle Ages and of the Renaissance. Subsequently, the museum collections were enriched with splendid bronzes, majolicas, medals, ivories, tapestries, terracottas and armors coming for the most part from the Medici collections and private bequests.


Subsequently to the opening of the museum, some of the most important Renaissance sculptures were moved here. For instance masterpieces by Donatello which were also given a special room in which to display works such as the "Saint George" or the "David-Mercury". Inside the same room there are also works by Luca della Robbia, Andrea del Verrocchio and the famous panels by Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti made for the 1401 competition for the northern baptistery door which, according to scholars, decrees the beginning of the Renaissance.


The room adjacent to the entrance courtyard is dedicated to Michelangelo Buonarroti. Here you can find important works by Michelangelo such as Bacchus, the Pitti tondo and the controversial torso of the Brutus. We also find works by other great Florentine artists such as Benvenuto Cellini, whose giant bust of Cosimo I we can admire, and Giambologna whose vibrant Mercury was influenced by Michelangelo.


Among the most important legacies found at the Bargello, there is the "Carrand Collection", a donation by Louis Carrand, an antique dealer from Lyon, who in 1888 donated his collection of over 2500 pieces to the Bargello, including numerous works of decorative arts.


Where is it?

Via del Proconsolo, 4, 50122 Firenze FI


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