The Palazzo Nonfinito (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: lit. ''Unfinished Palace'') is a

Mannerist Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, ...

-style palace located on Via del Proconsolo #12, (corner with Via del Corso) 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 ...

, region of

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. Begun in 1593 using designs by the architect

Bernardo Buontalenti Bernardo Buontalenti (), byname of Bernardo Delle Girandole ( 1531 – June 1608), was an Italian stage designer, architect, theatrical designer, military engineer and artist and inventor of italian ice cream. Biography Buontalenti was born in ...

, only the first floor was completed, and additional construction was added later by different architects. The Palace is presently the home of the Anthropology and Ethnology section of the

Museum of Natural History of Florence The Museo di Storia Naturale di Firenze is a natural history museum in 6 major collections, located in Florence, Italy. It is part of the University of Florence. Museum collections are open mornings except Wednesday, and all day Saturday; an adm ...

History of Palace

In 1592, Alessandro

Strozzi Strozzi is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Numerous members of the Strozzi family, an ancient later ennobled family from Florence ** Alessandra Macinghi Strozzi (c. 1408–1471), an Italian businesswoman and aristocr ...

commissioned construction at the site on lands that had originally belonged, among others, to the

Pazzi family The Pazzi were a noble Florentine family. Their main trade during the fifteenth century was banking. In the aftermath of the Pazzi conspiracy in 1478, members of the family were banished from Florence and their property was confiscated; the ...

. This palace is separated by an alley from the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

-style

Palazzo Pazzi The Palazzo Pazzi, also known as the Palazzo della Congiura or Palazzo Pazzi-Quaratesi is a Renaissance-style palace. It is located on Via del Proconsolo 10 at the corner with Borgo Albizzi in Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. The palace is betwe ...

. The architect

and his pupil

Matteo Nigetti Matteo Nigetti (ca. 1560/1570 – 1648) was an Italian architect and sculptor. He is an important Baroque architect in Florence. Biography Born in Florence, he was the pupil and assistant of Bernardo Buontalenti, with whom he collaborated on ...

worked on the ground floor (1592-1600), which is characterized by Mannerist touches in the window cartouches and brackets, as well as the side portal. The facade has a heraldic shield of the Strozzi family. The recruitment of the artists

Santi di Tito Santi di Tito (5 December 1536 – 25 July 1603) was one of the most influential and leading Italian painters of the proto-Baroque style – what is sometimes referred to as "Counter-Maniera" or Counter-Mannerism. Biography He was born in Flor ...

to construct the entrance staircase, prompted the other architects to resign the enterprise. The main entrance on Via Proconsolo was built by

Giovanni Battista Caccini Giovanni Battista Caccini or Giovan Battista Caccini (24 October 1556 – 13 March 1613) was an Italian sculptor from Florence, who worked in a classicising style in the later phase of Mannerism. Life Giovanni Battista Caccini was born at Mon ...

, with designs by

Vincenzo Scamozzi Vincenzo Scamozzi (2 September 1548 – 7 August 1616) was an Italian architect and a writer on architecture, active mainly in Vicenza and Republic of Venice area in the second half of the 16th century. He was perhaps the most important figure th ...

(1600-1612).

Ludovico Cardi Lodovico Cardi (21 September 1559 – 8 June 1613), also known as Cigoli, was an Italian painter and architect of the late Mannerist and early Baroque period, trained and active in his early career in Florence, and spending the last nine years ...

helped design the courtyard (1604). After Caccini's death, construction was continued by Negretti, but the palace remained incomplete and thus garnered its name of ''nonfinito''. The palace became property of the Guasti family, and in 1814, it became property of the Government, and was used for offices of the state. During the brief period Florence was the capital of Italy, it served as the home of the Council of State. In 1919, it was made the house of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology, founded by

Paolo Mantegazza Paolo Mantegazza (; 31 October 1831 – 28 August 1910) was an Italian neurologist, physiologist, and anthropologist, noted for his experimental investigation of coca leaves into its effects on the human psyche. He was also an author of fictio ...

, and pertaining to the University ''degli Studi di Firenze''. Mantegazza's bust, by

Ettore Ximenes Ettore Ximenes (11 April 1855, Palermo 20 December 1926, Rome) was an Italian sculptor. Biography Son of Antonio Ximenes and Giulia Tolentino, a Sicilian noble woman, Ettore Ximenes initially embarked on literary studies but then took up scu ...

is located near the entrance.

Nello Puccioni Nello as a name may refer to: *Nello Carrara (1900–1993), Italian physicist and founder of the Electromagnetic Wave Research Institute *Nello Celio (1914–1995), Swiss politician representing Canton Ticino *Nello Ciaccheri (1893–1971), Italia ...

and Aldobrandino Mochi also contributed to the monument.

Anthropology and Ethnology Section of Museum of Natural History

The museum was founded in 1869 by the anthropologist and collector Paolo Mantegazza. The collection includes objects from the Medici inventories, some donated by explorers to the corners of the world. The eclectic items include

Inca mummies The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...

from Peru; kimono from Japan; skull trophies from New Guinea, and other objects. A collection of objects from India were collected by the orientalist

Angelo De Gubernatis Count Angelo De Gubernatis (1840–26 February 1913), Italian man of letters, was born in Turin and educated there and at Berlin, where he studied philology. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature fourteen times. Life In 1862 he wa ...

.Museum official website
.

References

{{Authority control Nonfinito Mannerist architecture Renaissance architecture in Florence Museo di Storia Naturale di Firenze