Late Gothic Halls

Florence between 1370 and 1430

The Accademia's first floor (or second, depending on your location) is for sure less crowded than the grounded floor. Completely reorganized in 2013, this level is dedicated to a collection of Florentine paintings of the late 14th century, from 1370 to 1420. With new lighting, the atmosphere is no longer tepid but rather placid and charming— just right for appreciating late Gothic Florentine masterpieces recently returned after restoration.

Vestibule

The first floor journey starts with works of art that express religiousness towards late 14th-century Florence. In the tiny vestibule were some panels by Jacopo di Cione and an exquisite Madonna and Child with Gold Background by Don Silvestro of Gherarducci.

Of the greatest pathos is "Massacre of the Innocents" by the workshop of Jacopo di Cione. This piece comes from the monastery of St. John the Evangelist Boldrone, Florence: three episodes from the early life of Christ on a single panel. The upper register presents a most touching "massacre of innocents," narrated with much detail through clothes and expressions of mothers, here seen either trying to save their already dead children or mourning them while some at least appear to have been put in activities with a paintbrush known also as entirely for friendliness. In the lower register, from left to right, is The Adoration Of The Magi And The Flight Into Egypt, painted with much life so that its didactic value might be easily appreciated by illiterate masses. The three magi, the females and soldiers are depicted in rich clothes, while a little patron figure stands before St. Behind the Magi is identifiable as a handmaid who holds a hoodwinked falcon, one of the common motifs found in hunting scenes of Florentine nobles.

Silvestro Gherarducci's 'Madonna of Humility' is very gentle. She is not enthroned high above on a grand seat but seated on the floor over some cushions. The Latin term for humility has its roots in the word humus, meaning earth. The Virgin Mary holds the Child gently looking at His mother's breast in a gesture. Don Silvestro Gherarducci lived in the Camaldolese monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Florence and worked as a painter of small pictures. Pops produced with punches abound in the delicate robe and exquisite ultramarine mantle border, a device that reads preciousnesssuffusing the work with an aura of luxury and technical perfection.

Main Hall

In the central room, guests can see large commissions from Florentine Guilds and the richness of altarpieces produced at the end of the 14th and beginning of 15th century. The socio-economic and devotional dimensions of Florentine society are illustrated through these large altar pieces. Evoking refined Gothic architecture, these vast altarpieces are encircled by gilt pinnacles, spires, pillars and shrines. When fashion began to be a sign of distinction, clothes for saints in painted works also became more stylish — even princely — as a result of an increasing number of figures squeezed into compositions that had become more crowded. Some of the most important artists on display in the central hall include Giovanni del Biondo, Mariotto di Nardo, Spinello Aretino and works by Lorenzo Monaco.

The two patrons of the Guilds are what one sees on entering: Saint John the Evangelist on the right is portrayed in triumph over the allegories of greed, pride, and lust, serving as the patron saint of the Guild of Silk. Beneath this figure, the coat of arms can be made out quite clearly; at its center is a gate that symbolizes where the guild was headquartered on Via Por Santa Maria and underscores their vow to protect and keep private those secrets regarding silk production— secrets handed down from one member to another amidst tight circles. To please complete your left side stands prominently St. Martin panel with his emblem a cup depicted in predella painting made Saint's tall come patron winemakers. The slender vertical shape corresponds well with other vertical accents like pilasters at Orsanmichele Church where artifacts were funded by guild money.

One of the most intricate and magnificent altarpieces bears the hand of Giovanni del Biondo; it features the Annunciation surrounded by the Blessing Father, a choir of angels, and various saints located at different pinnacles of the altar. It is a very large piece that comes from the convent of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, where it adorned a burial chapel specifically dedicated to the Virgin of the Annunciation. A great number of saints in rich clothing on either side of the central panel—easily identifiable by their names inscribed at base—were portrayed. Owing to widespread illiteracy among viewers and patrons but for a few clergy, notaries, and aristocrats, straightforward language was crucial for communicating to all subjects depicted within a painting. Painters therefore strictly adhered to their specific repertoire of symbols for indicating each saint's martyrdom (including particular objects, gestures, colors) so that attributes represented on saints were well-recognized signs denoting them.

St. John the Baptist is identified by a camel hair - and cross, St. Peter with keys, Mary Magdalene with flowing hair and red garment, Saint Catherine with a wheel representing her martyrdom.

The lovely Annunciation by Lorenzo Monaco comes from the monastery of the Florentine Abbey across from the Bargello. At first, this triptych was for the altar in the parish church of St. Proculus, which no longer exists. Of the saints depicted here, one may recognize Catherine, Anthony Abbot, Proculus, and Francis of Assisi; with God the Father appearing in the cusp. The composition is enlivened by graceful figure representation: Archangel Gabriel in flight contrasted with anxious gesture on Virgin clothed in richest draperies. To the right of archangel (who is adorned with a shimmering punched halo and divine flames on his forehead), stands St. Anthony - robed figure reaching to his ankles - while holding staff under one arm and book under other hand; joining him is small wild piglet at his feet. This derives from the tradition of the Antonian monks who raised pigs and used their fat as an ointment for patients afflicted with painful stinging sores referred to as “shingles.” Only very recently did a meticulous restoration bring out the vibrant colors used by Lorenzo Monaco.

A notable polyptych produced in 1401 by a group of artists including Spinello Aretino, Niccolò di Pietro Gerini, and Lorenzo di Niccolò di Martino is interesting. Their work from the church of Santa Felicita in Florence is an example par excellence of the period practice that saw painters come together in partnerships which were actual “companies” or “workshops.” The likely leader among them was Spinello Aretino in concocting the subject of “The Crowned Virgin,” who is the Queen of Heaven receiving her crown from the Redeemer. This rich symbolism quickly became a metaphor for the Church's triumphant glory. Often present in female monastic church altarpieces, it preaches about how these nuns shall also be rewarded with heavenly bliss for their constant devotion involving prayers and penances. What catches one's attention most in this painting is the large variety of musical instruments placed at the feet of angels beside those of Virgins— drums, bagpipes, other wind instruments— all depicted quite realistically being played nowhere adds some life into scene!

At the end of the room, it welcomes people with a magnificent textile masterpiece. The sacred vestment, referred to as the paliotto, greets viewers with its former glory as a vast embroidered cloth now displayed on walls — its gold and silver threads of polychrome silk having once shimmered at the high altar of Santa Maria Novella in Florence. Executed by Jacopo Cambi in 1336, this work embodies the very high regard that embroidery held in Florence: during the 14th century, this craft was highly esteemed far beyond the borders of the Florentine Republic. On the far wall hangs a large altarpiece that has recently been restored. One's attention is immediately drawn to it because of the vibrant hues restored to their original brilliance in Rossello di Jacopo Franchi's “Coronation of the Virgin,” which is surrounded by Saints and Angels from the monastery of Santa Maria delle Campora in Florence. The backs of the three main sections of the polyptych show a marble facade decoration, revealing that the altarpiece was for behind view. The cusps are adorned with seraphim angels in blue and cherubim angels in red.

International Gothic

At the final staircase. Two painted crosses from the early 15th-century borders it. The final section of the museum contains the Hall of the International Gothic.

The collection is rich in masterpieces by Lorenzo Monaco, the prominent Florentine painter who was active at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries. He was a monk in the Florentine monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli of the Camaldolese Order and also a gifted miniaturist who worked mainly on the illumination of codices.

In the hall is also the Madonna and Child with Saints, by Gherardo Starnina, who was one of the major representatives of the International Gothic style in Florence. Although he was a Florentine by birth, he stayed for a long period at the royal court in Valencia in Spain. It was during this time that he developed a more vivid and individualistic figurative style which, upon his return to Florence just after 1400, had a strong influence on his contemporaries including Lorenzo Monaco. The lithe figures in his highly wrought paintings breathe an air fragrant with religious fervor: pearly blues, pinks and violets paint delicate forms, light seemingly emanating from them divine hues luminous within heavenly realms.

In this space, one can see the development of the altarpiece form: from complex polyptychs studded with spires and finials to rectangular panels. Among these is a work recently attributed to the Master of St. Agnes, who in spite of not being so famous in Florence was working closely under the influence of Agnolo Gaddi and Lorenzo Monaco at the start of the fourteenth century. Created from the workshops on some Community within the Palazzo party in Florence, this work would be an allegory for Virtue—Justice specifically. Ivo dispensing justice to his right as patron-to-the-poor,  orphans and widows saint who went about The poor he is with handouts on left Weaving through well-dressed wealthy donors on his right. Watch the rich brocade hats and vests of the nobles versus the poor clothes or socks of the orphans. A 1366 canonization decided that St. Ives should be represented as a lawyer, underlining his function as an ecclesiastical judge as well as his commitment to protecting the entitlements of the underprivileged.

Within the hall, you will have the opportunity to view the very captivating video described above, showing in sequence, with great accuracy and following word for word the stages of Tempera Panel Painting techniques according to Cennino Cennini's “Book of the Art” at the close of the 14 century Florentine painter and miniaturist. This video explains how a small model of an altarpiece is made, right from wood preparation and gilding up to final painting using egg tempera. The term polyptych (from the Greek Polu- many, and ptyche- folds) refers to a painting consisting of several painted panels arranged together in one frame composition. When a work is divided into three sections, it is called a triptych. Ordinarily, those paintings presented decorative elements such as cusps at the top or pilasters on the sides and rested on a painted 'step''predella.' The carpenters skillfully joined together the different parts of altarpieces before passing them to painters for gilding and painting. A practice that dates back to antiquity is still very much alive in Florence today thanks to those charming workshops on art restoration!