After the completion of the installation work and the making of the protective case
Pontormo ’s (Jacopo Carucci; Pontorme
recently transferred from the Pieve di Carmignano
will be on public display again from tomorrow
The painting will be placed in the Hall of the Frieze of the Villa of Poggio a Caiano
where another of the artist’s masterpieces
the General Directorate of Museums has allocated a grant of 35,000 euros for operations related to the installation of The Visitation in the Hall of Frieze
including adjustments to the microclimatic conditions necessary to protect the work
In the Sala della Giostra of the Municipality of Poggio a Caiano
which provided a significant financial contribution for the transportation and handling of The Visitation
as well as the creation of its protective case
other altarpieces from the Pieve have also been on display since September
These include the Madonna of Mount Carmel and Saints by Giovan Pietro Naldini
theAnnunciation and Nativity by the Florentine school
the Madonna of the Rosary by Cosimo Lotti and theEcstasy of St
part of the new autonomous institute of the MiC - Florentine Villas and Monumental Residences
was painted by Pontormo between 1528 and 1529 for the chapel of the Pinadori
a family of wealthy anti-Medicean apothecaries within the Pieve di Carmignano
Although the work was never mentioned by Vasari
it made a comeback thanks to Carlo Gamba’s attribution in 1924
The attribution is based on a passage in the 1677 Bocchi-Cinelli that mentions a preparatory model for the Pinadori
already at the time associated with Pontormo
Although traces of the model have been lost
some preparatory drawings are preserved in the Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe degli Uffizi
From the testamentary dispositions of Bartolomea del Pugliese
we learn that the work had already been completed and intended for the family altar in the Pieve di Carmignano
Paolo Pinadori’s death in 1526 probably provided an opportunity to renovate the family chapel and commission the new altarpiece
The Pinadori family were also suppliers of colors for artists and had the opportunity to get to know Pontormo through Ludovico Capponi and the Confraternita di San Sebastiano
the latter also known to have painted a portrait of Pinadori
The altarpiece depicts the encounter between Mary and her cousin Elizabeth
representing the human soul in a moment suspended between the real and the unreal
reflect a complex and tormented interiority
create a mystical atmosphere that transcends the earthly dimension
with tall palaces characterized by pietra serena ashlar and string-course cornices
Pontormo was an artist “of singular ingenuity and very proper manner,” capable of translating the subtlest nuances of the human soul into images
is today considered almost a manifesto of the restlessness of Mannerism
because of its figures with elongated and ovoid shapes
and search for a restless and tormented beauty
after accidentally seeing the work on the cover of a volume
was so impressed by it that he created The Greeting
an audio-video installation paying homage to the painting
To emphasize the mystery of the encounter between the two women
dilating a forty-five-second action into a ten-minute video
The impact of Pontormesque poetics was such that
Viola wanted to dedicate a sentence to the great Florentine master
concluding with the touching expression “with gratitude and respect.”
“The agreement between the relevant institutes of the Ministry of Culture
the Diocese of Pistoia and the Parish of Carmignano
and the municipalities involved,” says Stefano Casciu
regional director National Museums of Tuscany
"has produced a result with which we are very pleased: exhibiting Pontormo’s celebrated masterpiece
in the conditions of maximum safety and accessibility
in the Villa that was once Lorenzo the Magnificent’s and which houses another equally famous masterpiece by the artist
I am certain that the whole territory will benefit greatly from this temporary placement in Poggio a Caiano
in the hope that the Pieve di San Michele Arcangelo will be able as soon as possible to return to host a work that is identifiable to the entire community of Carmignano."
“It is a great honor for the Medici Villa of Poggio a Caiano and for the Autonomous Museum of Florentine Villas and Monumental Residences to be able to return Pontormo’s Visitation to the public,” says Federica Bergamini
director of the Florentine Villas and Monumental Residences
visitors will be able to immerse themselves in rare as well as unpublished short-circuits between the great painting of the 16th century and many other enigmatic works
Poggio a Caiano thus becomes a fascinating museum itinerary
even richer and certainly unexpected.”
“The choice of the Villa of Poggio a Caiano,” comments Superintendent Antonella Ranaldi
“seemed the most opportune and convincing dictated by historical and artistic affinities and above all by the Visitation’s connection to the territory to which it belongs
while thinking about bringing the Pieve di San Michele Arcangelo in Carmignano back to the safety conditions that will allow the return of the works to that location.”
“Making Pontormo’s Visitation and the artistic heritage housed in the Pieve di San Michele Arcangelo available for the enjoyment of the entire community,” emphasizes the Bishop of Pistoia and Pescia
I am certain that this placement at the Villa Medicea in Poggio a Caiano
which guarantees accessibility and security and which has seen full collaboration among the institutions involved
but will also be a valuable driving force to maintain a high level of attention and interest in the recovery and enjoyment of the Pieve di San Michele
returning its church to the community of Carmignano as soon as possible.”
“As the Municipality of Poggio a Caiano
we cannot but say we are proud to have carried out such an important cultural operation,” stresses Culture Councillor Diletta Bresci
“The works that have arrived in Poggio a Caiano add to the luster of our territory and go to enrich our already vast artistic and cultural heritage
A great satisfaction for us that also comes from the fact that the Visitation and the altarpieces have remained within the Medici communes
what we can define as their natural habitat.”
It is 80 years since the Liberation of Florence from Nazi-Fascist occupation and the Uffizi Galleries commemorate the history of cultural heritage during the war.We retrace those years and events through the collection of images from the Photographic Department
We also invite you to learn more about the history of Pitti Palace as a shelter for displaced persons in the city centre with the hypervision '29 July - 4 August 1944
The Republic of Pitti' and the information sheet dedicated to the 'War Damage' photographic collection
Italy entered the war on the side of Germany
Emergency protocols for the protection of works of art were immediately triggered in museums
transportable works were packed up to protect them from bombing and taken to shelters considered safer: underground storerooms such as the one under the Loggia dei Lanzi that housed Cellini's Perseus
the Medici villas of Poggio a Caiano and Petraia
or even places requisitioned for the purpose (the Oratory of Sant'Onofrio in Dicomano
the Sant'Antonio railway tunnel in Incisa Valdarno
the Medici villa in Cafaggiolo or Villa Demidoff in Pratolino)
550 paintings and sculptures from the Uffizi
left the museum to find shelter at Poggio a Caiano
Revisione delle casse contenenti opere d'arte fiorentine
The works that could not be moved (frescoes and decorations in churches and palaces
fountains...) were enveloped to contain the damage from possible explosions
sandbag barriers held up by scaffolding or even brick walls
as in the case of the David at the Accademia
superintendent of the Galleries (as the ministerial institute was then called) from 1925 to 1949
at that time an official and head of the Restoration Laboratory
were the protagonists of this massive work of prevention
Lavori di protezione antiaerea del David di Michelangelo
with the advance of the Allied troops from the south
was occupied by Nazi troops as early as 11 September 1943
The Anglo-American allied troops arrived in Florence in August 1944; Allied bombing had already destroyed the railway lines and several neighbourhoods near the centre (Campo di Marte
while German mines destroyed the bridges over the Arno
Attempts by Cardinal Elia Dalla Costa and the German consul in Florence to spare at least the 16th-century Ponte Santa Trinita were futile
and on the night between 3rd and 4th August
the neighbouring areas were razed to the ground
Ponte Santa Trinita, Agosto 1944. Costruzione del ponte di ferro
Ponte Santa Trinita distrutto dalle mine del 4 Agosto 1944 con la costruzione del ponte di ferro
A large number of shots testify to the destruction of those months
from Pitti Palace and Piazzale Michelangelo
the moment of the mine explosion that destroyed the bridges and an important portion of the historic centre on 4th August: Por Santa Maria
along with the destruction of the ancient medieval towers..
28 shots taken by an AMG (Allied Military Government) aircraft follow the entire course of the Arno from above after bombardments and mines
Lungarno Acciaiuoli dopo le mine tedesche, agosto 1944. Foto Squadra Aerea Alleata
Ponte Santa Trinita dopo le mine tedesche
German troops seized works of art from museums and shelters and transported them on military trucks to two warehouses beyond Bolzano: this involved 58 crates with works of all kinds
more than 300 paintings stolen from the Uffizi and the Palatine Gallery
as well as works raided from the shelters in Montagnana
Poppi and Barberino for a total of 527 stolen paintings
They were destined to form the Führermuseum in Linz
Trafugamento delle opere d'arte fiorentine da parte dei tedeschi. Allegoria di Dosso Dossi. Bolzano, San Leonardo in Val Passiria
Trafugamento delle opere d'arte fiorentine da parte dei tedeschi. Bolzano, San Leonardo in Val Passiria
Trafugamento delle opere d'arte da parte dei tedeschi
On 11 August at 6.45 am the bell of Palazzo Vecchio rang and the partisans attacked the Germans at Campo di Marte and the Cascine: it was the beginning of the end of the occupation
400 crates with works were handed over to the Allies and returned to Florence
The return was supervised by Uffizi Director Filippo Rossi and Lieutenant Frederick Hartt
an American art historian who had played a leading role
in the preservation and recovery of the heritage and left a record of that period in the volume 'Florentine Art under Fire' (1949)
a solemn ceremony in Piazza della Signoria welcomed the works
Numerous shots by Lieutenant Hartt himself document these moments
just as others recount the operations to recover the works from city shelters
Estrazione del Perseo di Benvenuto Cellini dal ricovero sotto la Loggia dell'Orcagna, 25 giugno 1945
Ricollocamento del Perseo di Benvenuto Cellini nella Loggia dell'Orcagna, 25 giugno 1945
Ricollocamento del Perseo di Benvenuto Cellini
A large amount of documentation also concerns the removal of rubble and the recovery of fragments of the Ponte Santa Trinita
which soon became the symbol of the city's desire to emerge from the tragedy of war
After the emergency management of the refugees (many housed inside the Pitti Palace: ‘29 July - 4 August 1944
The Republic of Pitti') and the construction of temporary bridges over the Arno
the reconstruction of the cultural heritage was addressed
A commission dedicated to the artistic parts of the destroyed areas made an appeal for photographs and drawings of the buildings before August 1944; the collected material was displayed in an exhibition inaugurated on 11th August 1945 at Palazzo Strozzi
a committee was formed for the reconstruction 'as it was
where it was' of the Santa Trinita Bridge
which was to be inaugurated on 16 March 1958
The four early 17th-century statues representing the Seasons
a work by Pietro Francavilla (1590-1610c.)
missing its head: the search for it went on for another three years until it was found in the bed of the Arno river and reintegrated in 1961
the Palatine Gallery and the Royal Apartments in the Pitti Palace
the Bargello and the Accademy Gallery reopened
the war damage was substantial and mainly affected the part of the east corridor towards the Arno river and the adjoining rooms
Major renovation and restoration work began
which is also documented in the archives of the Photographic Department
Corridoio Vasariano. Danni prodotti dalle mine dei tedeschi del 4 Agosto 1944
Frammenti della Primavera di Pietro Francavilla durante il restauro - Ponte Santa Trinita
Primavera di Pietro Francavilla, da Ponte Santa Trinita, 1945
Primavera di Pietro Francavilla 1948 - Ponte Santa Trinita
Primavera di Pietro Francavilla: particolare della testa recuperata
tips and exclusive itineraries in Florence
the work had been kept in the Church of Carmignano for security reasons
which will protect the work both physically and microclimatically
the Visitation will be displayed in the Sala del Fregio
next to the famous glazed terracotta attributed to Bertoldo and in the vicinity of the Leone X hall
the fresco with Vertumno and Pomona from 1520-21
in the Sala della Giostra of the Municipality of Poggio a Caiano
the church’s altarpieces will be on display: the Madonna del Carmine and Saints (Giovanni Pietro Naldini)
the Saints also by Giovanni Pietro Naldini
theAnnunciation and the Nativity of Jesus by the Florentine ambit
the Sala della Giostra will be accessible to the public during the evenings of the Siege of the Villa (Sept
is preparing to present the new layout of the Sala del Fregio
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The Estorick opens its 20th anniversary year with a major exhibition of works from one of the world’s most important collections of modern..
it was often difficult to appreciate the political complexity of modernism
The work in question is a portrait on wood (64x48 cm.)
coming from the Medici Villa of Poggio a Caiano (inv
64) and featuring an enigmatic and captivating princess
supported by the eighteenth-century inventory number still visible on the back of the painting (fig
Gallery of the Statues and Paintings of the Uffizi
reverse side) led somewhat surprisingly to the identification of the young woman as a “Queen of Armenia”
Yet this did not explain the precise description of the elaborate Medici necklace
which as mentioned above is precisely documented as belonging to Camilla Martelli before being passed on to her daughter Virginia
Portrait of Camilla Martelli or Virginia de’ Medici
liberally embellished with imaginative lace trimming and frills
the artist completely invented the face and headgear that had already alerted the most perceptive critics
In fact, in the upper part of the picture there are certain stylistic elements that offer clear indications as to the artist who painted it. Since the 1990s, the painting was thought to be the work of Jacopo Ligozzi and was usually dated somewhere in the 1580s [6]
certain exquisite aspects of the work could be attributed to the Veronese artist who arrived in Florence in the previous decade; in any case the work appeared to originate from that era because of the decidedly sixteenth-century gown
The work's provenance from the Florentine Galleries is clear from the reappearance of an unusual painting on wood executed by Balassi in 1660
now in the Haukohl collection in Houston (fig
Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl collection); equally refined and realized with the same unique technique on wood
it represents the Virgin’s face featuring the same idealized beauty of the Queen of Armenia
and of many other saints and heroines painted by his hand
The painting at the Gallery of the Statues and Paintings of the Uffizi can be dated with reasonable certainty to around the same time as the Madonna in the United States; dated to 1661 and with unknown location, the sensational Portrait of Vittoria della Rovere was also produced in the same period [9]
characterized by archaism and an affected elegance: a period of great originality which eluded critics for a long time but was noted by biographer Baldinucci
who recalled how Balassi “as he advanced in age
began to develop a new style and new ideas of colour”
[1] F
Da ‘ritratto mediceo’ di Jacopo Ligozzi a Regina d’Armenia di Mario Balassi
Un caso storico-artistico tra fortuna critica
indagini documentarie e osservazioni ‘morelliane’
Catalogo completo dei dipinti e dei disegni
[2] The discovery of the document containing this precise description was noted in the description of the work by C
Goldenberg Stoppato in I gioielli dei Medici
[3] R
Orsi Landini in I volti del potere.La ritrattistica di corte nella Firenze granducale
[4] Florentine State Archive
[5] Sotheby’s
[6] See L
[7] For more information on this painter
[8] F
Notizie de’ professori del disegno da Cimabue in qua (1681-1728)
[9] Previously part of the Koelliker collection in Milan
the painting was transferred to London by Sotheby’s on 4 December 2008
News about a Painting at the Uffizi: the Queen of Armenia by Mario Balassi
The porch has a heated lime-stone floor and can be screened in or glassed in, depending on the weather, by flicking several switches. William and Patricia Anton, the founders of Anton Airfood, the second-largest airport restaurant company in America, also asked White for three kitchens: There is a family kitchen and a catering kitchen on the first floor and an outdoor kitchen overlooking the lake. "We're in the hospitality business, and we like to entertain," says Patricia Anton.
A grand entrance was another wish. White obliged, creating a dramatic main hall on axis with the living room. Crowning the space is a vaulted, trompe l'oeil ceiling. It is a hand-painted vision of blue sky, multicolored flowers and vines, and fanciful gold-leafed ribbon floating through clouds, inspired by the ceiling in the billiard room of the Medici villa of Poggio a Caiano in Tuscany.
A room at the top of the stairs is known as the Break O Day room, after the original cottage on the property. In this vivid space, convenient to the guest rooms and the master bedroom, family and friends gather for coffee, biscotti and casual conversation in the morning.
The Antons are in Harbor Springs from early June to October. "Out here we're on the western edge of the eastern time zone," William Anton says. "The summer sun sets at 10 p.m., so a big part of the day is planned around the sunset. This is a magical place."
An anthological exhibition dedicated to Amighetto Amighetti
a Genoese artist of Poggio a Caiano origin (both parents were born in Poggio)
who died when he was only 28 years old (1902-1930)
after a painting career that began at an early age
is being held at the Scuderie Medicee in Poggio a Caiano until June 3.In 1924 he had his first exhibitions in Genoa
received unanimous critical acclaim that allowed him to take his works to the 1928 Venice Biennale.Although listed by critics and the art market among Ligurian painters
Amighetti is actually of Tuscan origin and it is in Poggio a Caiano that he rests in the cemetery
There is no certain information about the frequentation in life of the two artists
despite the fact that Amighetti spent the long summers at his father’s house in Loretino
along the road from Comeana to Poggio a Caiano
but a significant circumstance brings them close: in 1928 at the Venice Biennale Soffici was part of the jury accepting the works
Amighetto was one of the painters admitted with the work “Still Life” that today can be found in the exhibition itinerary
for his remarkable capacity for formal synthesis
in the tender consistency of gestures and smaller figures and for family scenes
is the church of San Michele Arcangelo in Comeana (open daily from 9 a.m
to 1 p.m.) in which to admire the altarpiece that Amighetti made
A copy from Guido Reni in which the solid and mature painter precociously formed can already be traced