The Palazzo Bartolini Salimbeni is a

High Renaissance In art history, the High Renaissance was a short period of the most exceptional artistic production in the Italian states, particularly Rome, capital of the Papal States, and in Florence, during the Italian Renaissance. Most art historians stat ...

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

palace located on Via de Tornabuoni on Piazza Trinita in central

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

History

The palace arose at the site which once held the residence of the Soldanieri and later Dati families, which was bought by Bartolomeo Bartolini-Salimbeni. The current edifice was erected by the architect Baccio d'Agnolo between 27 February 1520 and May 1523, as testified by a diary kept by Bartolini. The architect was paid two

florins The Florentine florin was a gold coin struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains (3.499 grams, 0.113 troy ounce) of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a purcha ...

per month. The structure represents one of the earliest buildings in Florence expressing the High Renaissance style of Rome, where Baccio had spent several formative years. Another palace partially designed by Baccio is the

Palazzo Antinori Palazzo Antinori is a Renaissance palace located at the north end of Via de' Tornabuoni, where it makes an odd corner with Via dei Pecori, Via del Trebbio, and converts into Via dei Rondinelli, in Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. History The pa ...

. The Bartolini-Salimbeni lived in the palace until the early 19th century. In 1839 it became the Hotel du Nord, where figures such as the American writer

Herman Melville Herman Melville (Name change, born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American people, American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance (literature), American Renaissance period. Among his bes ...

sojourned. In 1863 it was acquired by the Pio di Savoia princes and split between different owners. The palace was restored in 1961 and it is now a private property.

Description

Palazzo Bartolini Salimbeni is the first palace in Florence built according to the "Roman" Renaissance style: details new to the city included the portal with columns at the sides, the use of

pilaster In classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the ...

s, the square windows with a triangular

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...

and the corners with rustication. The singular new style, according to the Renaissance art historian

Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculpt ...

, caused much criticism. Though a generation later Vasari praised it as ''gentile di membra'', "noble in its detail", in response to contemporary Florentine criticisms Baccio had the Latin inscription set over the door ''Carpere promptius quam imitari'', ""Criticizing is easier than imitating".Touring Club Italiano, ''Firenze e dintorni'' 1964:307. The windows bear another inscription, in Italian, ''Per non dormire'' (" rewardFor not sleeping"), the motto of the Salimbeni family that is also recalled by the Bartolini-Salimbeni coat of arms in the frieze at the first floor, featuring three

poppies Poppies can refer to: *Poppy, a flowering plant *The Poppies (disambiguation) - multiple uses *''Poppies (film)'' - Children's BBC remembrance animation *"Poppies", a song by Patti Smith Group from their 1976 album ''Radio Ethiopia'' *"Poppies", th ...

. The palace has a central court in pure

Classical style Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the works of the Roman architect V ...

. It has a portico on three sides, with columns and round arches in traditional ''

pietra serena Pietra serena is a blue-gray sandstone used extensively in Renaissance Florence for architectural details. It is also known as Macigno stone. The material obtained at Fiesole is considered the best and is also quarried at Arezzo, Cortona, and Volt ...

''. The ground and first floors have

grotesque Since at least the 18th century (in French and German as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...

monochrome decorations. The first floor has a

loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns ...

with a

coffer A coffer (or coffering) in architecture is a series of sunken panels in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault. A series of these sunken panels was often used as decoration for a ceiling or a vault, also c ...

ed ceiling. This is surmounted by another smaller loggia.
The ''San Romano Battle paintings'', painted by

Paolo Uccello Paolo Uccello ( , ; 1397 – 10 December 1475), born Paolo di Dono, was an Italians, Italian (Florentine) Florentine painting, painter and mathematician who was notable for his pioneering work on visual Perspective (graphical), perspective in art. ...

, were commissioned by a member of the Bartolini Salimbeni family; they are dispersed and now displayed in the Uffizi, National Gallery and Louvre museums:

Notes

Sources

* * Lingohr Michael: ''Der Florentiner Palastbau der Hochrenaissance. Der Palazzo Bartolini Salimbeni in seinem historischen und architekturgeschichtlichen Kontext''. Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft, Worms 1997. {{Coord, 43, 46, 12.68, N, 11, 15, 6.09, E, type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures completed in 1523 Houses completed in the 16th century Bartolini Salimbeni Renaissance architecture in Florence 1523 establishments in Italy