Florence
October 14–15, 2019
We headed back to the Duomo and went around behind it to find the museum. In it are items from the Duomo moved there to preserve them. Copies were then placed out in the weather to retain the original appearance. The original of the Gate of Paradise bronze doors from the Baptistery is shown below. There is also a lot of statuary and some liturgical garb and books of music.
On Tuesday we went back to the Medici-Riccardi Palace. It was commissioned in 1444 by Cosimo "the Elder" Medici. It later became the home of Lorenzo the Magnificent. In 1659 it was sold to the Riccardi family who over time enlarged and modernized the building.
The Chapel of the Magi was the private chapel for the Medici. (Cosimo the Elder also met dignitaries there to impress them.) The three walls around the altar depict the journey of the Three Kings. The largest wall is pictured below. A young king in gold is followed by an entourage. The man behind him on a light gray horse and wearing a red hat is Lorenzo's dad Piero. Next on a brown horse is his dad, Cosimo the Elder. Toward the back, also in a red hat, and looking to our right is the 10-year-old Lorenzo. The two red-hatted figures right behind him are the painter Gozzoli himself and Pope Pius II. Of course my photo hardly does it justice. Various rooms of the palace have magnificent ceilings, art works, and furnishings.
Family trees
The original of Fra Filippo Lippi's Madonna and Child is displayed in glass so that you can view the drawing on the back.
The Luca Giordano reception hall was added by the Riccardi.
The building also functions as a county office building. The council meeting room has tapestries depicting the four seasons.
In the basement is another museum that has rare busts from antiquity. Here are some of the Caesars and an athlete from the Riccardi family:
Next we headed back to the Duomo to visit the interior of the Baptistery.
