Florence: Home of the ancient masters

Thanks to one very wealthy family, Florence became the cradle of an art movement that is arguably still the finest 500 years on

Few families have done more to influence the course of history than the Medici family. Hailing from Tuscany the family first made their money from the textile trade in the early 15th century and soon rose to political power in the Tuscan capital of Florence. Their wealth allowed them to open the Medici bank—the largest bank in Europe at the time—which further grew their financial and political clout.

Over the next two hundred and fifty years the Medici dynasty were as powerful as kings, they produced four Catholic Popes, two French Queens and ruled the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. As well as amassing vast wealth and power they also bankrolled artists, thinkers and scientists to create a new genre known as the Renaissance.

Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Galileo, Botticelli and Machiavelli were among dozens of ‘renaissance men’ funded by the Medici family, who went on to invent the piano, create opera, build the Basilica of Saint Peter, and create innumerable artworks of historical significance.

Florence as the birthplace of the Renaissance became the cradle of this art boom and still stands today as the home of so many world-famous masterpieces. The galleries and museums of Florence are an art lovers dream, where visitors can see some of the most important works in just a small number of places.

Michelangelo’s David (1501-1504)

Galleria dell’Accademia

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (known today just by his first name) is still one of the most celebrated artists in the western world. His marble sculpture of David probably the most recognisable sculpture on earth. It depicts a young David just before entering with Goliath. At an incredible 5.2 metres tall, David has extra-large hands, designed so that when the viewer looks up at the statue he looks almost god-like. The attention to detail and anatomical accuracy shows how Michaelangelo—at only 26 years old when he created this work—was a scientist as well as an artist.

Donatello’s David (1440s)

Bargello National Museum

Unlike Michelangelo's David, Donatello’s portrayal of David is made out of bronze and looks girlish and young rather to emphasise the true battle between the 16-year old David and the Philistine giant. Goliath’s bearded head sits under his feet and his sword rests in the boys hand. David’s fully nude boy has caused controversy over the centuries with some implying that Donatello may have been expressing his homosexuality but it is thought the sculpture was originally displayed in a public space would not have been as shocking as has been received in more contemporary eras.

Fra Angelico’s San Marco frescoes (1450s)

The Church of San Marco

The Church of San Marco is packed full of art, frescos and other holy relics but it is the Fra Angelico frescos that draw the crowds. There are around 50 frescos in the church with the Annunciation being the more widely recognised. The painting shows the archangel Gabriel visiting the Virgin Mary—a typical annunciation scene painted by many masters but this one uses space and light in a way that reflects the end of the gothic period and the start of the renaissance.

Brunelleschi’s Dome (1420s)

Florence Cathedral

Building work on Florence Cathedral (or Duomo) begun at the end of the 13th century but it was the structurally complex dome, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi that has astounded art historians and architects alike. A complex herringbone pattern has enabled the building to stand strong centuries later, was meant to be covered in gold leaf. However, it was whitewashed after Brunelleschi died leaving a blank canvas for Giorgio Vasari to paint an incredible fresco on. Vasari’s Last Judgement started in 1568 but he was unable to complete it before his death in 1574. Design to instil both reverence and fear, 24 elders of the Apocalypse sit at the top above choirs of angels, groups of saints and the virtues and beauties. The lowest tier depicts grisly visions of hell.

The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli (1480s)

Uffizi Gallery

It is fitting that one of the finest paintings in the world should sit in one of the finest galleries in the world. Established in 1581 and designed Vasari the Uffizi Gallery is home to far too many Renaissance masterpieces to list here. But Botticelli’s Birth of Venus is stand out wonder among plenty of gems. Venus—the god of love, sex and beauty—stands naked on a shell by the sea. Her hands covering her modesty and her long golden hair tangles around her body. Unlike Botticelli’s other famous work Allegory of Spring, which also hangs in the Uffizi, Venus was painted on canvas rather than wood, implying that the work was commissioned for a private house—most probably a Medici mansion.

Venus of Urbino by Titian (1534)

Uffizi Gallery

Another Venues but this time by the 16th century Venetian master Titian. Venus of Urbino is arguably the most famous nude painting and regarded as one of the most alluring women in art history. The eroticism of the art work was probably very shocking at the time and has gone on to influence artists for the next five centuries. The nude reclining woman has a dog at her feed, which symbolises fidelity and was painted to celebrate the marriage of the Duke of Urbino Guidobaldo II Della Rovere. The female figure stares directly at the viewer whilst holding a flower, almost inviting the viewer to join her in bed giving the impression Titian painted it to be intentionally erotic.

Medusa by Caravaggio (1598)

Uffizi Gallery

So much of the Renaissance art we’ve described here features nubile youths, nude goddesses and the warm flesh of youth. Caravaggio’s Medusa shows the gorgon whose hair is made of snakes, mouth agape—screaming in shock—as blood spurts from her freshly decapitated head. Anyone that looked directly at Medusa would turn to stone so Perseus used a mirrored shield to take his sword to her neck. The shocking artwork, painted in grimdark colours marvellously depicts horror to the viewer in the same way a horror movie might today. The writhing snakes, open mouth and terror-filled eyes is simply hypnotic.