Archive note: this exhibition has ended. It was held at the Treasury of the Grand Dukes in Pitti Palace from 18 September 2019 to 12 January 2020.
Bronze sculpture in Florence under the later Medici
Shaped by Fire. Bronze Sculpture in Florence under the Last Medici offered a broad survey of the Florentine bronze tradition that began in the sixteenth century with Giambologna and continued into the first half of the eighteenth century.
Bronze works played an important role at the Medici court: they could become diplomatic gifts, prestigious commissions and objects of exchange between European courts. The exhibition brought together more than 170 works from major collections, including the Hermitage and the Louvre.
Alongside Giambologna, the exhibition featured masters such as Giovan Battista Foggini, Massimiliano Soldani Benzi, Pietro Tacca, Giuseppe Piamontini, Giovacchino Fortini and Antonio Montauti. Among the highlights were works rediscovered or restored for the occasion.
The exhibition was curated by Eike Schmidt, Sandro Bellesi and Riccardo Gennaioli.
