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The Museum |
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Since l983 the diocesan Office for sacred art, has used these sites to keep in a good state all the works of arts belonging to the churches suppressed throughout the years. In l995 having solved the problems of security, the warehouse became a real museum, little but very precious. Other similar collections can be visited in the Diocese of Florence (f.i. Empoli, Castelfiorentino, Montespertoli etc. Personnel can inform you about.)
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Percorso museale
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The Museum develops on three levels. At the entrance: the Cloister of Ancient Monastery. (The Agostiniani Monks lived here from XVI to XVIII cent.) In the courtyard of the cloister a well and a fountain of XVII cent. On the walls around you can see the windows of the old cells of the monks. Today the rooms are used by jeweller’s workshops. On the left under the “portico” a series of tomb’s slabs coming from various Florentine churches shut down in XIX cent..
After the cloister on the right two rooms: the first one is the Chapel of the ancient monastery with its original altar (l568). On the sides two wooden sculptures representing the “Annunciation”; a work of a artist Sienese: Mariano Romanelli (about l385).
Next room was the
old refectory, usually named
“goldsmith gathering room”; because the
government of Goldsmith Company meet here to manage their organisation
(from XVIII cent. till XX century).
Many paintings from XIV to
XVI century, coming from many churches of the Diocese, painted by
different Florentine Artists (Giovanni del Biondo, Bicci di Lorenzo, Cenni
di Francesco, Maestro della Madonna Straus) are exposed here.
There are also two paintings on canvas: “Rebecca al
pozzo” by Santi di Tito (l602) and
“St Jean Baptist’s martyrdom” by
Filippo Paladini, an artist in the area of “manierismo” (1544 – 1614).
Going up some steps from the cloister, you enter the “Monumental Corridor” rebuilt at the beginning of XVII century in the same style of the interior of the church, under the direction of Bartolommei. Here you can appreciate many paintings in oil and in tempera of XIV and XV cent. by: Maestro di Santa Verdiana, Lorenzo di Niccolò Gerini, Maestro della Cappella Medici, Puccio di Simone, Giovanni Del Biondo. Inside some little rooms are exposed precious works of goldsmiths among which the “Croce Astile” by Parri Spinelli (1387-1443) and a little sculpture in marble by Nino Pisano – Madonna col Bambino (XIV cent.).
At last from the Corridor you enter in the Ancient Sacrestia where you can admire two large rinascimental inlaid wooden sideboards. On them there are some works of jewellery and two busts, one in silver, representing San Cresci (1702) by Holzmann (design by Foggini) and one in bronze of Beato Davanzato by Pietro Tacca (1630). On the walls many masterpieces. First of all: “Madonna col Bambino e Angeli” by Giotto’s early work (1288-1290). A “predella” by Paolo Uccello XV cent. A painting by Masolino (1420), representing “San Giuliano l’Ospitaliere”. As an exceptional crown for these masterpieces; you can admire numerous paintings of XIV, XV and XVI century, that represent Madonne (by Domenico di Michelino, Lorenzo di Niccolò Gerini, ecc.) and two “Annunciazioni” by Bicci di Lorenzo and Maestro della Madonna Straus. At the end of the above said Corridor there are four wooden sculptures belonging to the area of Orcagna, representing “I Dolenti” (XIV cent.).
Going up few steps, on the right, inside a niche there is a terra-cotta Crib, a rinascimental work by Buglioni School XV cent.. On the left little paintings of ecclesiastic gowns fashion-plates, XVII cent., and a “Paliotto” of baroque period, a Missal of XVIII century and an illuminated Choral of XIV century. |
The goldsmith gathering room
The Corridor
The Sacrestia
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