Florence, Pitti Palace, Palazzina della Meridiana May 16 – November 5, 2006.

From the Decline of the Medici to the Empire (1732-1815) - the approximately 180 works of art selected for the exhibition embracing painting, sculpture, the goldsmith’s craft, jewellery, porcelain, scagliola and, of course, semiprecious stones, come from both national and international institutions.

They connect the “guideline” of the court manufactory with articulated and correlated themes such as Louis Siries’ activity as goldsmith for the last Medicis and as maker of cameos for Maria Theresa of Austria, Giuseppe Zocchi as painter and decorator, and his successors; neoclassicism under Pietro Leopoldo and its manifestations in the applied arts; the decorative splendour of the Empire style.

These are the period and context that the exhibition proposes to illustrate, delineating a picture that for quality and variety of works selected, is enjoyable, targeted, and representative of the Florentine cultural and artistic milieu in the course of almost a century, until today neglected by exhibition initiatives.

The Palazzo Pitti

Renaissance palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present palazzo dates from 1458 and was originally the town residence of Luca Pitti, an ambitious Florentine banker. It was bought by the Medici family in 1539 as the official residence of the ruling families of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.

For more information visit

• Firenze 2006
• Firenze 2007