What to see in Accademia Gallery: A detailed guide to the top artworks

Artist: Giambologna

Year:* *1582

Location: Hall of Colossus

The Rape of Sabines is widely regarded as Giambologna’s masterpiece. Giambologna was greatly inspired by Michelangelo, and towards the end of the sixteenth century, he became famous for his intertwined figural compositions. The statue depicts three figures connected by a serpentine-shaped movement. One man is lifting the woman in the air and the other man crouches below. The most fascinating thing about this sculpture is that it was carved from a single block of marble.

Artist:* *Jacopo di Cione

Year:* *1372

Location:* *The Orcagna Room

The Coronation of the Virgin by Jacopo di Cione is another famous panel painting at the Accademia Gallery. Commissioned by the magistrates of the Mint, the painting is also referred to as the ‘Altarpiece of the Mint’. Coronation of the Virgin is heavily embellished with gold and inspires strong religious feelings. The abundant use of gold also makes the painting ‘glow’ from the base. The fabrics and drapery of each of the figures painted by Cione are incredibly detailed, and this adds to the overall impact of the painting.

Artist:* *Michelangelo

Year: 1520

Location:* *Hall of Prisoners

Another Michelangelo marvel that you can see at the Accademia Gallery is his famous Slaves sculptures. Each of these four unfinished statues has been given different names by scholars. They are known as the Awakening Slave, Young Slave, Bearded Slave, and Atlas or Bound. It is believed that Michelangelo deliberately did not complete these sculptures because he wanted them to symbolize the eternal struggle of human beings to free themselves from materialistic things.

Artist: Pacino di Bonaguida

Year:* Created between *1310-1315

Location:* *13th and Early 14th-century Room on the Ground Floor

The Tree of Life by Pacino di Bonaguida (tempera on a wooden panel) depicts a complex tree-shaped cross which, according to the Apocalypse, represents Salvation and offers gifts to humankind. These ‘gifts’ are represented by the fruits painted alongside the twelve branches of the tree. The roundels hanging from each of the branches in the painting represent episodes from Christ’s life and his Passion and Glory.

Artist:* *Lo Scheggia

Year:* *1450

Location:* *Hall of the Colossus

Lo Scheggia’s Cassone Adimari was painted on the front panel of a wooden chest that is often used by brides to carry their belongings to their new house. Scheggia’s painting depicts an elegant wedding parade taking place in downtown Florence. The white and green building in the background is the Baptistry of St. John the Baptist. In the center of the painting, Scheggia painted noblemen and noblewomen dancing gracefully under a colorful drapery. The artist’s eye for refined detail can also be seen in the long Florentine garments adorned by the people.

Artist:* *Narco di Cione

Year: 1365

Location:* *The Orcagna Room

The Trinity by Narco di Cione is one of the most famous artworks housed in the Accademia Gallery. The monumental depiction of the Trinity is inserted inside the central panel of a polyptych, surrounded by two Saints. This precious panel was originally painted for the Monastery of St. Mary of the Angels in Florence but eventually found its way to the Accademia Gallery. On either side of the main central cusp of the Trinity, Cione has painted two angels spreading incest, whereas the main cusp depicts the ‘Agnus Dei’-the symbol of human salvation.

Artist: Lorenzo Bartolini

Year:* *19th century

Location:* *Gipsoteca Bartolini Hall

Most Russian, Polish, and English noble families requested busts from Lorenzo Bartolini, primarily because of his ability to express grace and beauty in his sculptures. You can admire these casts at the Gipsoteca Bartolini Hall in the Accademia Gallery in Florence. Not only do these plaster casts showcase how Florentine Art evolved from neoclassicism to romanticism, but they also showcase the nineteenth-century aesthetic that was characteristic of artworks made during this time.