A Good Mix November 24, 2006
Today was a museum day. We walked from the pension to the Piazza della Signoria. In 1497 the fanatical friar Savonarola induced his followers to hurl their possessions into the flames of a fire built in the piazza. We know this today as the “bonfire of the vanities”. Anyone that exhibits that much control over people tends to make the powers that be nervous so a year after the celebrated inferno Savonarola himself was hanged and then burned on the same spot. Today a plaque marks the spot. At the edge of the piazza stand several famous statues including Cellini’s “Perseus” holding the head of Medusa, “The Rape of Sabines” and “Hercules and the Centaur”.
Next on the list: the Uffizi Museum. The Uffizi houses some of the greatest Renaissance art. The collection was first brought to what is today the museum in 1581 and the collection grew through the support of the Medici family. The collection was bequeathed to the people of Florence by the last Medici, Anna Maria Lodovica, in 1743. The most famous painting here is the “Birth of Venus” by Botticelli, as well as other works by the artist. Paintings by Raphael, Michelangelo, Rubens, van Dyck, Titian and da Vinci. These along with a host of other artists make up this huge collection that spans almost 400 years of art. A bonus at the Uffizi was a special da Vinci exhibit that gave an overview of his work both art and science. The theme was to get you to think about how his mind worked in both fields. It was well done and interesting not only for the insight into the man but also machinery and techniques of his day.
We moved to the Piazza dei Giudici and to the Musea di Storia Scienza (Museum of Science History) which is next door to the Uffizi. Here are displayed early scientific instruments representing several disciplines. The most exciting being instruments owned and used by Galileo; telescopes, astrolabes, compasses, lenses, machines for measuring the movement of mass and of all things one of his finger bones that was kept as a nearly scared relic and is housed in a crystal case. Globes of all types, meteorological instruments, early electrical experiments and medical instruments make up the bulk of the collection. The telescopes dating from the 14th century were fascinating as well as some of the first models of the human body. The body models were used to train surgeons in obstetrics and common maladies of the day.
Last but not least on the tour du jour was the Galleria dell’ Accademia (Accademia Gallery). The pride and joy of this museum is the original Michelangelo’s “David”. Not being an artist or a student of art I will not try to explain what makes this work considered by many as the definitive work of the High Renaissance in sculpture. I would just say that to see this statue in person is to understand why it has received the adoration of people since Michelangelo completed it in 1504. There are several other works by Michelangelo also at the Accademia as well as works from other artists of the period.
Our last day in Florence was laid allowed us to see both some of the world’s great art masterpieces but also some of the important scientific tools used by men defining the physical world in a time when it was still considered to be a black art by a large portion of the population. The two fields together help to give us a better understanding of how and why our society has evolved into what we have today.
Unfortunately we ended the day doing laundry. Fortunately we did it at a Laundromat right around the corner from our pension.
Next on the list: the Uffizi Museum. The Uffizi houses some of the greatest Renaissance art. The collection was first brought to what is today the museum in 1581 and the collection grew through the support of the Medici family. The collection was bequeathed to the people of Florence by the last Medici, Anna Maria Lodovica, in 1743. The most famous painting here is the “Birth of Venus” by Botticelli, as well as other works by the artist. Paintings by Raphael, Michelangelo, Rubens, van Dyck, Titian and da Vinci. These along with a host of other artists make up this huge collection that spans almost 400 years of art. A bonus at the Uffizi was a special da Vinci exhibit that gave an overview of his work both art and science. The theme was to get you to think about how his mind worked in both fields. It was well done and interesting not only for the insight into the man but also machinery and techniques of his day.
We moved to the Piazza dei Giudici and to the Musea di Storia Scienza (Museum of Science History) which is next door to the Uffizi. Here are displayed early scientific instruments representing several disciplines. The most exciting being instruments owned and used by Galileo; telescopes, astrolabes, compasses, lenses, machines for measuring the movement of mass and of all things one of his finger bones that was kept as a nearly scared relic and is housed in a crystal case. Globes of all types, meteorological instruments, early electrical experiments and medical instruments make up the bulk of the collection. The telescopes dating from the 14th century were fascinating as well as some of the first models of the human body. The body models were used to train surgeons in obstetrics and common maladies of the day.
Last but not least on the tour du jour was the Galleria dell’ Accademia (Accademia Gallery). The pride and joy of this museum is the original Michelangelo’s “David”. Not being an artist or a student of art I will not try to explain what makes this work considered by many as the definitive work of the High Renaissance in sculpture. I would just say that to see this statue in person is to understand why it has received the adoration of people since Michelangelo completed it in 1504. There are several other works by Michelangelo also at the Accademia as well as works from other artists of the period.
Our last day in Florence was laid allowed us to see both some of the world’s great art masterpieces but also some of the important scientific tools used by men defining the physical world in a time when it was still considered to be a black art by a large portion of the population. The two fields together help to give us a better understanding of how and why our society has evolved into what we have today.
Unfortunately we ended the day doing laundry. Fortunately we did it at a Laundromat right around the corner from our pension.
posted by Gary and Holly Davis @ 10:32 AM
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