What to see in Accademia Gallery

• Artist: Giambologna
  
• Year: c. 1580 (plaster model); 1582 (final marble version)

This dynamic spiral of three figures was the first statue of its kind carved from a single marble block. The plaster shows Giambologna’s original vision, later completed in marble and displayed at Piazza della Signoria.

Pro tip: Sit near the sculpture for a 360° view—it’s designed to be appreciated from all angles.

• Artist: Alesso Baldovinetti
  
• Year: 1470

Painted for Florence’s Santa Trinita church, this work explores the mystery of the Holy Trinity with a dramatic curtain backdrop and ethereal angels.

Pro tip: Look for the tiny skull at the base—symbolizing redemption through Christ’s sacrifice.

• Artist: Sandro Botticelli
  
• Year: Late 15th century

A Holy Conversation featuring Mary, Christ, and six saints, including Cosmas and Damian (patron saints of the Medici).

Pro tip: Spot the refined details in the saints’ robes—visual clues tying the work to its Medici patrons.

• Artist: Domenico Ghirlandaio
  
• Year: 1493

Three sculptural saints in architectural niches. Ghirlandaio’s clean lines and Michelangelo-inspired forms make this a prelude to High Renaissance style.

Pro tip: Ghirlandaio was a mentor to young Michelangelo—note the shared aesthetic DNA.

• Artist: Pietro Perugino
  
• Year: 1500

Commissioned for Vallombrosa Abbey, this grand work features Mary ascending among a choir of angels and musicians.

Pro tip: From below, you can actually see the original wood beam outlines used to mount the panel.

• Artists: Filippino Lippi (upper), Perugino (lower)
  
• Year: 1504–08

Started by Lippi, finished by Perugino, this two-part painting captures the drama of Christ’s descent from the cross.

Pro tip: Compare the fluttery motion in the upper half to the calm realism of the lower section—two masters, two visions.

• Artist: Raffaellino del Garbo
  
• Year: Early 16th century

Less famous but visually compelling, this panel showcases the moment of Christ’s triumph over death in a serene but powerful scene.

• Artist: Workshop of Lo Scheggia (likely)
  
• Year: c. 1450

A wedding chest panel showing a lavish Florentine wedding procession.

Pro tip: Look for the Baptistery and Renaissance fashion details—miniature snapshots of 15th-century life.

• Artist: Attributed to Botticelli
  
• Year: Late 15th century

A symbolic seascape Madonna with star and pomegranate motifs.

Pro tip: “Stella Maris” (star of the sea) is a poetic reference to Mary—watch for the glinting gold star on her robe.

• Artist: Michelangelo
  
• Year: Early 16th century

The most finished of the four, with powerful musculature and a downward gaze. Some interpret this as an allegory of intellectual or spiritual captivity.

Pro tip: Look closely at the legs—Michelangelo nearly completed the anatomy here, revealing his mastery of male form and marble.

• Artist: Michelangelo
  
• Year: Early 16th century

Appears to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders—hence the name. His form is barely carved out, yet the burden is palpable.

Pro tip: Stand diagonally to view how the figure emerges diagonally from the block—like a giant pushing his way out.

• Artist: Michelangelo
  
• Year: Early 16th century

A twisting, rising figure—this is the most dynamic of the four. Often read as a symbol of spiritual awakening or liberation from ignorance.

Pro tip: Observe the chisel marks across his chest and thighs—Michelangelo’s tools feel frozen mid-action.

• Artist: Michelangelo
  
• Year: Early 16th century

The most abstract and least defined, suggesting a youth still emerging from chaos. The pose is restrained, almost fetal.

Pro tip: Walk past slowly—this sculpture shifts dramatically from different angles.

• Artist: Fra’ Bartolomeo
  
• Year: c.1515

These vibrant, volumetric figures were painted for a private Florentine chapel. Inspired by Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel prophets, they echo the sculptural weight and expressive drapery of his work.

Pro tip: Spot the scroll reading “ECCE DEVS SALVATOR MEVS”—a nod to the patron’s name, Salvatore.

• Artist: Andrea del Sarto
  
• Year: c. 1515–20

A rare fresco on this theme in Florence, showing Christ in the grotto, displaying his wounds. Powerful yet serene, it captures the spiritual vulnerability of the Passion.

Pro tip: Note the haunting balance of sorrow and strength in Christ’s expression.

• Artist: Michele di Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio
  
• Year: 1560–70

An elegant female profile interpreted as Zenobia, the warrior queen. With stylized hair and soft gaze, it reflects Michelangelo’s drawing style.

Pro tip: Look for the star-shaped earring—a subtle nod to the sitter’s power and femininity.

• Artist: Michele di Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio
  
• Year: 1560–70

A pendant to the Zenobia portrait, this idealized woman wears ornate braids and jewelry—highlighting the decorative flair of Florentine Mannerism.

Pro tip: Compare this portrait with the first—one is bold and strong, the other more delicate and ornamental.

• Artist: Pontormo (after a Michelangelo cartoon)
  
• Year: ca. 1533

Based on a drawing by Michelangelo, this panel shows Cupid embracing Venus—a Renaissance meditation on divine and sensual love.

Pro tip: The figures’ positioning symbolizes two types of love: earthly passion and spiritual devotion.

• Artist: Daniele da Volterra
  
• Year: mid-16th century

Cast after Michelangelo’s death, this bust shows the master in old age—weathered, thoughtful, and defiant. Volterra, a close friend, sculpted several busts in tribute.

Pro tip: This bust was sculpted by the very man who "censored" Michelangelo’s Last Judgment. Notice the dignity he still gives him here.

• Artist: Michelangelo
  
• Year: 1501–1504
  
• Material: Carrara marble
  
• Height: 17 feet (5.17 meters)

Carved from a single block of marble, Michelangelo’s David captures the tense moment before battle—alert, focused, and alive with detail. His stance and expression reflect inner struggle and divine purpose, not just physical perfection.

***Pro tip: View David* from all sides. His shifting gaze, twisted torso, and subtle tension reveal more emotion the longer you look. He's not posing—he's preparing.

• Artist: Francesco Salviati
  
• Year: mid-16th century

Bright, iridescent colors typical of Mannerism bring warmth to this Holy Family scene. Salviati’s figures twist with dynamic motion—a clear homage to Michelangelo’s sculptural bodies.

Fun Fact:**** Salviati helped rescue the broken arm of David after it was shattered in 1527.

Pro tip**:** Look for shimmering blues and greens—revived during a 2003 restoration.

• Artist: Santi di Tito
  
• Year: c.1590

This moving scene of lamentation blends Renaissance structure with Baroque emotion. A Spanish knight, Ernando Sastri, kneels beside the Virgin Mary, linking the sacred moment to the viewer.

Pro tip: Notice how the crosses of Golgotha subtly frame the lamentation, drawing your eyes into the space.

• Artist: Bronzino (with Alessandro Allori)
  
• Year: 1561

Commissioned by Cosimo I for the island of Elba, this dramatic composition leads the eye from Christ’s removal from the cross to his mourning followers below.

Fun detail:**** Bronzino inserted his self-portrait—a bearded man gazing outward from the left.

Pro tip:**** The fortified background city may depict Portoferraio, tying the artwork to its intended home.

• Artist: Alessandro Allori
  
• Year: c.1572–78

A calm, intimate setting for a divine message. Gabriel floats on a cloud, offering Mary a white lily as angels shower flowers from above.

Pro tip: Look for the sewing basket and embroidered pillow—charming domestic details that humanize this sacred moment.

• Artist: Alessandro Allori
  
• Year: 1593

A riot of botanical detail surrounds Mary’s crowning in heaven. Over 20 flower species represent her virtues.

Fun fact: Thanks to the Medici’s botanical gardens, Allori painted many of these flowers from life.

Pro tip: Spot Allori’s signature hidden on the rim of the dark flower vase.

Notable works:

- *Bust of Niccolò Machiavelli*<br/>
- *Portraits of foreign aristocrats*<br/>
- *Sepulchral figures commissioned by European nobility*

Bartolini was known for his psychological realism and ability to subtly reflect emotion, status, and character through careful facial modeling. His clientele—ranging from Russian, Polish, and English nobility to local elite—commissioned elegant busts, medallions, and idealized portraits.

Pro tip: Pay attention to the hairstyles and clothing details—they mirror the fashion ideals of the Empire and Neoclassical periods, showcasing vertical lines and restrained elegance.

Notable works:

- *Busts of Brunelleschi and Arnolfo di Cambio*<br/>
- *Portraits of children commissioned by aristocratic families*

Pampaloni specialized in rendering childhood innocence and idealized femininity with a gentle, lyrical tone. His sculptures are more delicate and emotionally resonant—especially the infant portraits, which are rich with charm and symbolic detail.

Pro tip: Look for Pampaloni’s signature soft modeling of cheeks and hands—he was celebrated for his ability to animate even the stillest forms with a sense of life.

The Gipsoteca doubles as a lesson in 19th-century sculptural technique:

• Models were first sculpted in clay, then cast in plaster.
  
• Nails inserted in precise positions helped artists transfer proportions onto marble.
  
• Some casts were patinated to mimic marble, bronze, or terracotta.
  
• A video inside the Gipsoteca shows the step-by-step plaster casting process—don’t miss it if you're curious about how marble masterpieces come to life.

Pro tip: These aren’t “just copies”—they are working blueprints, filled with measurement marks and texture tests that reveal the sculptor’s hand at work.

• Title: The Hospital Ward of St. Matthew
  
• Artist: Jacopo Carrucci (Pontormo)
  
• Year: c.1514
  
• Medium: Fresco with “terra verde” pigment

Tucked along the left wall, nestled between plaster models, is a small but historic fresco—Pontormo’s first known work. Using green earth pigments, the fresco offers a “photographic” glimpse into the hall’s former life as a women’s hospital ward.

What to look for: Modest wooden beds arranged in rows; Nuns tending to the ill; Acts of charity, prayer, and foot washing; A rare narrative of daily life in early 16th-century Florence.

Highlight: Pacino di Bonaguida’s Tree of Life

• Date: c. 1305–10
  
• Medium: Tempera on panel
  
• Origin: Convent of Clarissa nuns, Florence

This monumental tree-shaped crucifix symbolizes the Tree of Life, its branches filled with roundels illustrating the life, Passion, and Resurrection of Christ. Below, scenes from Genesis and key saints (Moses, St. Francis, St. Clare, and St. John) create a layered theological narrative. Above, the pelican feeding its young with blood is a symbol of Christ’s sacrifice.

Highlight: Bernardo Daddi’s Crucifix

• Date: c. 1345
  
• Origin: Church of San Donato in Polverosa
  
• Style: Follows Giotto’s expressive “Christus Patiens” format

Christ hangs lifeless on the cross, flanked by the Virgin and St. John, with scenes of his passion at the arm ends. The inscription “DICEST IESUS NAZARENUS REX IUDAEORUM” (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews) affirms the Gospel narrative. This work exemplifies Giotto’s legacy in combining emotion and structure.

• Subject: Scenes from the lives of Christ and St. Francis
  
• Format: Trefoil-shaped panels
  
• Origin: Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence

Created for choir stalls, these small-scale panels show Gaddi’s narrative clarity and are an excellent example of 14th-century devotional storytelling.

Pro tip: Many works in this room were portable devotional objects, carried by pilgrims. Try to imagine them in private chapels or on long journeys—art as a spiritual companion.

Highlight: Andrea di Cione (Orcagna), Pentecost Triptych

• Date: 1365
  
• Commission: Church of SS. Apostoli, Florence
  
• Iconography: Descent of the Holy Spirit on Mary and the Apostles

The central Virgin is monumental, flanked by flying angels and kneeling Apostles, each reacting individually to the event. One Apostle even gazes directly outward, inviting the viewer into the sacred narrative.

Pro tip: Originally adorned with Gothic cusps, this triptych had a towering vertical presence in its church—note how even without them, its symmetry draws your eye upward.

• Date: 1365
  
• Commission: Monastery of St. Mary of the Angels

A solid, enthroned God the Father holds the crucified Christ, with the Holy Spirit as a dove between them—a rare and powerful depiction of the Trinity. The predella scenes illustrate episodes from the life of Saint Romuald, founder of the Camaldolese order, while the golden cusps frame incense-bearing angels and the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God).

• Restored: 2011
  
• On view: Since 2014

This glowing, newly restored altarpiece shows the Coronation of the Virgin Mary in Heaven, surrounded by saints and angels in adoration. Jacopo’s strong lines, luminous color palette, and use of gold create a celestial harmony.

• Maker: Antonio Stradivari
  
• Date: 1690
  
• Material: Red spruce and maple
  
• Decoration: Inlaid Medici crest (mother of pearl, ebony, ivory)

This is the only surviving instrument from the famed Medici Quintet still in pristine condition. Commissioned by Grand Prince Ferdinando, the viola showcases both Stradivari’s unmatched artistry and the court’s lavish musical taste.

• Inventor: Bartolomeo Cristofori
  
• Period: Late 1600s–early 1700s
  
• Patron: Grand Prince Ferdinando de’ Medici

Cristofori, a brilliant instrument maker from Padua, was hired by the Medici in 1688 and went on to invent the “pianoforte”—the first version of the modern piano. The museum houses early examples of his spinets and harpsichords, alongside documentation of his groundbreaking work.

🎧 Visitors can compare the sound of the first piano with earlier instruments like the harpsichord via interactive displays.

Did you know? Unlike the harpsichord, Cristofori’s piano could vary in volume depending on touch—a revolutionary leap in music history.

The Medici court not only collected instruments—they curated a musical elite. This section features a striking cycle of portraits by Anton Domenico Gabbiani (1685–1690), portraying real-life court musicians with astonishing accuracy.

• Look for famed composers Pietro Salvetti and Francesco Veracini, identified by their instruments and attire.
  
• Also on view: 17th-century still-life paintings depicting elegant musical settings—tables decked with fruit, music sheets, and baroque instruments, reflecting the sensorial richness of Medici cultural life.

• Artist: Workshop of Jacopo di Cione
  
• Year: Late 14th century

A tragic yet theatrical retelling of three key Biblical moments:

1. Massacre of the Innocents (upper register)
   
2. Adoration of the Magi
   
3. Flight into Egypt: The detail in expressions, costumes, and action was meant to communicate with the illiterate. Note the fashionable garb of the kings and nobles, and the blindfolded falconer—common in noble hunting scenes.

Pro tip: Watch for the small patron figure kneeling near St. Joseph—it personalizes the scene, a common late-Gothic trait.

• Artist: Don Silvestro Gherarducci
  
• Year: Late 14th century

A seated Madonna on a cushion, symbolizing humus (earth). The infant Christ seeks Mary’s breast—a gesture full of intimacy.

Pro tip: Examine the intricate punchwork in the robes and blue mantle—a mark of Don Silvestro’s monastic skill as a manuscript illuminator.

• Location: Right side

Commissioned by the Guild of Silk. St. John defeats Greed, Pride, and Lust. Look for the gate symbol—a nod to the Guild’s original home and its secretive silk trade.

Pro tip: This is an early example of using allegory and guild identity in public religious art.

• Location: Left side

Patron saint of winemakers, shown with a symbolic cup in the predella. Its tall, narrow shape suited the pillars of Orsanmichele church.

Pro tip: Note how gothic architecture and painting worked hand in hand—frames mimicked buildings!

• Artist: Giovanni del Biondo
  
• Year: Late 14th century

One of the grandest altarpieces. Set in multiple levels, with saints flanking the Virgin and a host of angels. Saints are labeled—important when most viewers were illiterate.

Pro tip: Look for symbolic attributes—Mary Magdalene’s red cloak, St. Catherine’s wheel, etc.

• Artist: Lorenzo Monaco
  
• Year: Early 15th century

Elegant and ethereal, this Gothic triptych glows with gold and vibrant colors. Archangel Gabriel glides in; the Virgin recoils with divine awe.

Pro tip: Spot the wild pig at St. Anthony’s feet—a nod to the Antonian monks’ healing traditions.

• Artists: Spinello Aretino, Niccolò di Pietro Gerini, Lorenzo di Niccolò di Martino
  
• Year: 1401

A collaborative masterpiece showing the Virgin crowned in Heaven. Meant for a female monastery, it symbolizes the heavenly reward for piety.

Pro tip: Don’t miss the angels playing medieval musical instruments like bagpipes and drums.

• Artist: Jacopo Cambi
  
• Year: 1336

A dazzling textile embroidered with gold, silver, and silk, originally covering the altar of Santa Maria Novella.

Pro tip: This is a rare surviving liturgical textile, showcasing Florence’s world-renowned embroidery tradition.