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Palazzo Medici-Riccardi |
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In Florence, the model for
domestic palace design was established not by the renowned Renaissance
architect Filippo Brunelleschi, but by Michelozzo, the favoured
architect of the Medici family. The Palazzo Medici-Riccardi,
commissioned by Cosimo de' Medici the Elder, was designed by Michelozzo,
with construction beginning in 1444. It served as the Medici family's
home for a century, until 1539, when Cosimo I de' Medici moved to the
Palazzo Vecchio and later to the larger Palazzo Pitti. During its time as the Medici residence, the palace hosted an array of influential figures, including popes, emperors, kings, merchants, scholars, and artists, all drawn by the Medici’s wealth, power, and patronage of the arts. The building, which is 300 feet long and 90 feet high, reflects Florence’s austere architectural style—reminiscent of mediaeval palaces—with a ground storey containing offices and small windows, and upper storeys featuring tiered windows that illuminate the piano nobile and the chambers above. Inside, the cortile is surrounded by columns and arches, and the façade has three storeys, the lowest rusticated and featuring five arches. The design also includes smooth masonry on the first and second floors, crowned by a grand cornice. Donatello’s David once stood at the centre of the cortile, and the palace effectively functioned as Europe’s first museum, housing bronzes, antique gems, sculptures, tapestries, and works of art—many collected by Cosimo and Lorenzo. The Magi Chapel within the palace features Benozzo Gozzoli’s Journey of the Magi fresco, completed in 1459. In 1659, the Medici sold the palace to the Riccardi family, who expanded the building; it was later sold to the state in 1814. Today, the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi serves as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Florence. |
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