Splendour of the Medici Florence and Europe 4 December 1998 – 21 February 1999 Among the many famous Italian dynasties, the Sforza, Este, Gonzaga, Borgia or Farnese, the Medici occupy a special position. As wealthy bankers, they settled in Florence in the late 14th century, became regents with Cosimo il Vecchio in 1434, then dukes of Florence with Alessandro in 1531 and grand dukes of Tuscany with Cosimo I in 1569. With Gian Gastone the last Medici died in 1737. Splendor and splendor surround this ruling house, for which the best artists have worked. The exhibition showed selected examples of the passion for collecting of the individual representatives through paintings by artists such as Botticelli, Raphael, Bronzino, Allori, Furini, Dolci and Sustermans, sculptures by Cellini, Giambologna, Soldani or Foggini, through precious objects, art chamber pieces, gems, ceremonial armor and through an entire cabinet with the highly famous Pietre Dure works (elaborate stone inlays), which have not yet left Florence in this quality and number. As the subtitle “Florence and Europe” indicated, the kinship relations to France, Austria and Germany were also shown and evidenced by decorative arts, some of which reached the various courts as gifts or dowries. To this end, the most precious loans from the Alte Pinakothek, the Bavarian National Museum in Munich, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna and from private collections were also included in the exhibition. A total of nearly 200 exhibits were on display. More Less Exhibition Leaflet Past exhibitions of the Kunsthalle
