Full Description
This book provides an insight into the history and beauty of Palazzo Medici Riccardi, one of the most important palaces in Florence. Through its pages it is possible to delve into the events that led to the birth of the building commissioned by Cosimo de' Medici and designed by Michelozzo. The text is therefore a fascinating journey through settings, characters and historical periods, offering useful elements for understanding the history of a palace that is still a legend and for appreciating its famous masterpieces. These include the marvellous Chapel of the Magi, skilfully frescoed by Benozzo and the Galleria degli Specchi from the Riccardi period, with a vault painted by Luca Giordano. The book accompanies the reader in the discovery of all the marvels of the palace, beginning with the façade and the exterior elevations, continuing with the refined courtyard, the garden, the archaeological itinerary in the basement. Then climbing the monumental staircase to reach the "piano nobile" with the Chapel of the Magi, the Charles VIII Room and the other rooms up to the splendid Hall of Bas-reliefs and the Riccardi Gallery.
Contents
Introduction
1 The Façade and external elevations
The Medici coat of arms and Heraldic Insigna
2 The courtyard of the columns or Michelozzo's
3 The courtyard of mules
4 The archeology trail and the museum of marbles
5 The walled garden
6 The loggia or ground-level gallery
Lorenzo the Magnificent's home: The Inventory of 1492
7 The monumental staircase
8 The Chapel of the Magi
9 The Sala of Charles VIII and other rooms
Filippo Lippi's Madonna and Child
10 The Room of the bas-reliefs
11 Luca Giordano's Gallery or Sala
The Biblioteca Riccardiana and the Biblioteca Moreniana
