Antonio del pollaiolo, ercole e anteo, 01

The Bargello, also known as the Palazzo del Bargello, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, or Palazzo del Popolo (Palace of the People), was a former barracks and prison, now an art museum, in Florence, Italy.

Terminology

The word ''bargello'' appears to come from the late Latin ''bargillus'' (from

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

''bargi'' and German ''burg''), meaning "castle" or "fortified tower". During the Italian Middle Ages it was the name given to a military captain in charge of keeping peace and justice (hence "Captain of justice") during riots and uproars. In Florence he was usually hired from a foreign city to prevent any appearance of favoritism on the part of the Captain. The position could be compared with that of a current Chief of police. The name Bargello was extended to the building which was the office of the captain.

The palace

Construction began in 1255. The palace was built to house first the Capitano del Popolo and later, in 1261, the ' podestà', the highest magistrate of the Florence City Council. This Palazzo del Podestà, as it was originally called, is the oldest public building in Florence. This austere crenellated building served as model for the construction of the

Palazzo Vecchio The Palazzo Vecchio ( "Old Palace") is the City hall, town hall of Florence, Italy. It overlooks the Piazza della Signoria, which holds a copy of Michelangelo's ''David (Michelangelo), David'' statue, and the gallery of statues in the adjacent ...

. In 1574, the Medici dispensed with the function of the ''Podestà'' and housed the ''bargello'', the police chief of Florence, in this building, hence its name. It was employed as a prison; executions took place in the Bargello's yard until they were abolished by Grand Duke

Peter Leopold , house =Habsburg-Lorraine , father =Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor , mother = Maria Theresa of Hungary and Bohemia , religion =Roman Catholicism , succession1 =Grand Duke of Tuscany , reign1 =18 Au ...

in 1786, but it remained the headquarters of the Florentine police until 1859. When Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor Peter Leopold was exiled, the makeshift Governor of Tuscany decided that the Bargello should no longer be a jail, and it then became a national museum. The original two-story structure was built alongside the Volognana Tower in 1256. The third storey, which can be identified by the smaller blocks used to construct it, was added after the fire of 1323. The building is designed around an open courtyard with an external staircase leading to the second floor. An open well is found in the centre of the courtyard. The Bargello opened as a national museum (''Museo Nazionale del Bargello'') in 1865, displaying the largest Italian collection of

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

and Renaissance sculptures (14–17th century).

Art collection

The museum houses masterpieces by

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...

, such as his ''Bacchus'', ''Pitti Tondo'' (or ''Madonna and Child''), ''Brutus'' and ''David-Apollo''. Its collection includes Donatello's '' David'' and ''St. George Tabernacle'' , Vincenzo Gemito's ''Pescatore'' ("fisherboy"),

Jacopo Sansovino Jacopo d'Antonio Sansovino (2 July 1486 – 27 November 1570) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and architect, best known for his works around the Piazza San Marco in Venice. These are crucial works in the history of Venetian Renaissance archi ...

's ''Bacchus'',

Giambologna Giambologna (1529 – 13 August 1608), also known as Jean de Boulogne (French), Jehan Boulongne (Flemish) and Giovanni da Bologna (Italian), was the last significant Italian Renaissance sculptor, with a large workshop producing large and small ...

's ''Architecture'' and his ''Mercury'' and many works from the Della Robbia family.

Benvenuto Cellini Benvenuto Cellini (, ; 3 November 150013 February 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. His best-known extant works include the ''Cellini Salt Cellar'', the sculpture of ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'', and his autobiography ...

is represented with his bronze bust of Cosimo I. There are a few works from the Baroque period, notably

Gianlorenzo Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, , ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 159828 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor of his ...

's 1636-7 '' Bust of Costanza Bonarelli''. The museum also has a fine collection of ceramics ( maiolica), textile, tapestries, ivory, silver,

armour Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...

and coins. The formerly lost right-hand panel of the Franks Casket is held by the museum. It also features the competing designs for ''The Sacrifice of Isaac'' (''Sacrificio di Isacco'') that were made by Lorenzo Ghiberti and

Filippo Brunelleschi Filippo Brunelleschi ( , , also known as Pippo; 1377 – 15 April 1446), considered to be a founding father of Renaissance architecture, was an Italian architect, designer, and sculptor, and is now recognized to be the first modern engineer, p ...

to win the contest for the second set of doors of the Florence Baptistery (1401). Honolulu Hale's interior courtyard, staircase, and open ceiling were modeled after the Bargello. The Islamic Hall at the Bargello was set up in 1982 by

Marco Spallanzani Marco Spallanzani is an economic historian who previously taught economic history at the University of Florence. For some time he has conducted research in the Tuscan archives on the production and trade of goods considered to be ‘minor arts,’ ...

and

Giovanni Curatola Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * '' Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend ...

at the direction of Paola Barocchi and

Giovanna Gaeta Bertelà Giovanna is an Italian feminine first name. It is the feminine counterpart of the masculine Giovanni, which in turn is the Italian form of John; it is thus the Italian equivalent of Jane, Joanna, Jeanne, etc. In Brazil, the feminine name Giovann ...

, then the director.

Gallery

File:Ghiberticompetition.jpg, Lorenzo Ghiberti's ''Isaac's Sacrifice''. File:Niccolo da Uzzano by Donatello - cast.jpg, ''Bust'' (attributed to Donatello) File:Tullio lombardo, busto di cristo, 1520, donazione eredi de carlo al bargello 01.JPG, ''Bust of Christ'', (

Tullio Lombardo Tullio Lombardo (c. 1455 – November 17, 1532), also known as Tullio Solari, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor. He was the brother of Antonio Lombardo and son of Pietro Lombardo. The Lombardo family worked together to sculpt famous Catholic ...

). File:Benedetto da maiano, busto di pietro mellini.JPG, ''Bust of Pietro Melllini'' ( Benedetto da Maiano). File:Coronation of Ferdinand II of Aragon.jpg, ''Coronation of

Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand II ( an, Ferrando; ca, Ferran; eu, Errando; it, Ferdinando; la, Ferdinandus; es, Fernando; 10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), also called Ferdinand the Catholic (Spanish: ''el Católico''), was King of Aragon and Sardinia from ...

''. File:Musicisti.jpg, ''Musicians from program for Coronation of Ferdinand II'', (Benedetto da Maiano). File:03 2015 Giovan Francesco Rustici da la Battaglia di Anghiari di Leonardo da Vinci-Museo nazionale del Bargello (Firenze) Photo Paolo Villa FOTO9233.JPG, ''Anghiari Battle'',

Giovan Francesco Rustici Giovan Francesco Rustici, or Giovanni Francesco Rustici, (1475–1554) was an Italian Renaissance painter and sculptor. __NOTOC__ He was born into a noble family of Florence, with an independent income. Rustici profited from study of the Medi ...

after Leonardo da Vinci File:03 2015 Madonna di Santa Maria Nuova-Luca della Robbia-Museo nazionale del Bargello (Firenze) Photo Paolo Villa FOTO9230.JPG, ''Madonna di Santa Maria Nuova''- Luca della Robbia File:Crocifisso attribuito a Michelangelo.jpg, ''Crucifix'' attributed to Michelangelo. File:Impératrice Ariane.JPG, ''Empress Ariane'' (Byzantine). File:St George Donatello Orsanmichele n2.jpg, ''St George'', ( Donatello). File:Florence - David by Donatello.jpg, '' David'', (Donatello). File:Michelangelo Bacchus.jpg, ''Bacchus'', (

). File:FloArch0.jpg, ''Architettura'', (

). File:Gianlorenzo bernini, ritratto di costanza bonarelli, 1637-38, 02.JPG, '' Bust of Costanza Bonarelli'', (

Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, , ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 159828 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor of his ...

). File:03 2015 Pescatorello-Vincenzo Gemito-Museo nazionale del Bargello (Firenze) Photo Paolo Villa FOTO9229.JPG, ''Il Pescatorello'' (little fisher boy), Vincenzo Gemito File:Aquamanile - Bargello Mac' Hornu.JPG, Aquamanile representing St George and his horse (Mosane or Rhine region - ca. 1400-1410).

References

External links