Magnifico 1492

From December 3 to March 1, the Treasury of the Grand Dukes in Palazzo Pitti in Florence is hosting a major exhibition dedicated to Lorenzo the Magnificent and his extraordinary art collection.

Through a selection of over one hundred works, the exhibition recreates the artistic heritage contained inside the Medici Palace on Via Larga - now Palazzo Medici Riccardi - the family’s first residence in Florence. 
One of the starting points for the research is the inventory drawn up in 1492, the year of Lorenzo's death.

The exhibition explores the Medici collection through paintings, sculptures, coins, cameos, gemstones and illuminated manuscripts, revealing the tastes and cultural interests of one of the most iconic figures of the Renaissance.

One of the highlights of the exhibition is the reuniting of the three panels from Paolo Uccello’s “Battle of San Romano”, now kept at the Uffizi Gallery, the Louvre in Paris and the National Gallery in London. 
For the exhibition, they will be displayed together again, recreating their original arrangement.

Other masterpieces include the “Spiritello” (Sprite) by Donatello, on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and a precious illuminated manuscript of Francesco Petrarca’s “Triumphs”, kept at the National Library of France.

The exhibition thus offers an opportunity to delve into the role of Lorenzo de' Medici (1449–1492) - a leading figure in Florentine political and cultural life and a patron of artists like Botticelli and Michelangelo - at a time when Florence established itself as one of the main centers of the Renaissance.