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TheBargello, also known as thePalazzo del Bargello orPalazzo del Popolo ("Palace of the People"), is a former public building and police headquarters, later a prison, inFlorence,Italy. Mostly built in the 13th century, since 1865 it has housed theMuseo Nazionale del Bargello, a national art museum.
It is the primary national collection forItalian Renaissance sculpture, of which its collection of Florentine works is unequalled, and for the decorative arts of Florence, especially from the Renaissance period. There are also works from earlier and later periods.
The medieval building is relatively well preserved, and includes theCappella della Maddalena (Magdalen Chapel) with extensive but damagedfrescos byGiotto, including a full-length portrait ofDante.
In 2023 it was the 12th most visited museum in Italy, with 610,203 visitors;[1] it generally lacks the long queues to enter theUffizi.
The wordbargello appears to come from the lateLatinbargillus (fromGothicbargi and Germanburg), meaning "castle" or "fortified tower". During the ItalianMiddle 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.
Construction began in 1255. The palace was built to house first theCapitano del Popolo and later, in 1261, the 'podestà', the highest magistrate of the FlorenceCity Council. This Palazzo del Podestà, as it was originally called, is the oldest public building in Florence. This austerecrenellated building served as model for the construction of thePalazzo Vecchio. In 1574, theMedici dispensed with the function of thePodestà and housed thebargello, the police chief of Florence, in this building, hence its name.[2] In 1479Bernardo Bandini Baroncelli, one of the movers of thePazzi conspiracy against theMedici family was hanged from the building, an event witnessed and sketched byLeonardo da Vinci.
It was employed as a prison; executions took place in the Bargello's courtyard until they were abolished by Grand DukePeter Leopold in 1786, but it remained the headquarters of the Florentine police until 1859. After an interval, it then became a national museum.
The original two-storey 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 dating from 1280-1285. An external staircase leading to the second floor was added between 1345-1367 under master builder Neri di Fioravante. An open well is found in the centre of the courtyard.[2]
After centuries of modifications to its architecture, the building was restored to its original form between 1858 and 1865. The Bargello opened as a national museum (Museo Nazionale del Bargello) in 1865,[2] displaying the largest Italian collection ofGothic and Renaissance sculptures (14–17th century). Administratively, the museum heads a group, theMusei del Bargello, with four smaller museums in Florence: theMedici Chapels,Orsanmichele,Palazzo Davanzati, andCasa Martelli.[3]
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There is a good selection of medieval sculpture. The museum has both themodelli of the finalists' designs forThe Sacrifice of Isaac (Sacrificio di Isacco), for the contest for the second set of doors of theFlorence Baptistery in 1401. That byLorenzo Ghiberti won, withFilippo Brunelleschi's the runner-up.[4]
The most famous sculptures are several by both Michelangelo and Donatello. Large sculptures byMichelangelo are hisBacchus,Pitti Tondo (aMadonna and Child),Brutus andDavid-Apollo.[5] A woodCrucifix attributed to his early years was acquired in 2008.
Its collection includes bothDonatello'sbronze andmarble statues ofDavid, as well as hisAmore-Attis,Saint George,[4] with itsrelief for the base ofSaint George Freeing the Princess, and his heraldicMarzocco. Other sculptures includeJacopo Sansovino'sBacchus,[5] theDavid andDama col mazzolino byAndrea del Verrocchio.
Other works of sculpture include several by theDella Robbia family workshop.[4][6][7][8] and byAntonio Rossellino,Bartolomeo Ammannati,Bertoldo di Giovanni,Baccio Bandinelli, and most other Florentine masters of the period.Benvenuto Cellini is represented by his bronze bust of Cosimo I.[5]
The final phase of the Renaissance is represented byGiambologna's marbleFlorence Triumphant over Pisa,Architecture,[9]TheDwarf Morgante Riding a Sea Monster, and hisMercury.[5] The courtyard and the arcades around it have been used to display numerous reliefs and other works.
There are a few works from the Baroque period, notablyGianlorenzo Bernini's 1636-7Bust of Costanza Bonarelli.Vincenzo Gemito'sPescatore ("fisherboy"),[10] is a popular 19th-century sculpture.
The museum has a number of paintings, though nothing like the primary Florentine collection in theUffizi, including the eponymous work by the 15th-centuryMaster of the Bargello Tondo, and many paintedcassoni (wedding chests) anddesci da parto (painted birthing trays).
In thedecorative arts, the museum has a fine collection of ceramics, especiallymaiolica, textiles, tapestries, ivory,nielli,medals, silver,armour and coins. The right-hand panel of theAnglo-Saxon boneFranks Casket is in the museum. Some of these are of international importance: the Italian nielli are arguably the best collection in the world, as is the collection of Italian Renaissance medals. TheBargello style of needlework has no actual connection with the museum, except that the best collection of early examples is there.
The Islamic Hall at the Bargello was set up in 1982 byMarco Spallanzani andGiovanni Curatola at the direction ofPaola Barocchi andGiovanna Gaeta Bertelà, then the director.[11]
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43°46′13.34″N11°15′30.06″E / 43.7703722°N 11.2583500°E /43.7703722; 11.2583500
