The palace was designed by Michelozzo di Bartolomeo for Cosimo de' Medici, head of the Medici
banking family, and was built between 1444 and 1484. Michelozzo di Bartolomeo
was influenced in his building of this palace by both classical Roman and Brunelleschian principles. During the
Renaissance revival of classical culture, ancient Roman elements were often
replicated in architecture, both built and imagined in paintings. It was well
known for its stone masonry, which includes architectural elements of rustication and ashlar.
The palace is characterized
by clearly defined floors and a huge cornice crowning the roofline, the palace
stands out for the arched windows arranged along its front and the partially
closed loggia on the corner of the building. Two asymmetrical doors led to the
typical fifteenth century courtyard. In 1517, the original building was altered
by closing the loggia and adding the two "kneeling" windows per
Michelangelo's project. Originally designed as a sort of cube with ten windows
for each ground and three big doors in the façade.
The most
important section of the palace is the Chapel frescoed in 1459 by Benozzo
Gozzoli representing the Procession of the Magi. The frescoes explicitly
referred to the train of the Concilium that met in Florence in 1439. Many of
the personalities portrayed are wealthy the protagonists of the time and
members of the Medici family.
Since 1972 the exhibition area of Palazzo Medici
Riccardi has become a tourist attraction of temporary exhibitions dedicated to
the modern and contemporary art. Now the exhibition has been focused on giving
the public a greater understanding of the historic and artistic context,
consequently proposing exhibitions which are consistent with the Renaissance
and Baroque identity of the palazzo.
Source:
Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. London: DK, 2006. PrintWatkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.
"Medici Riccardi Palace - Florence." Medici Riccardi Palace - Florence.Web.
Watkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.
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