Saturday, May 31, 2014

Chapel of Eleanor of Toledo

Fresco decoration by Bronzino, chapel of Eleanor of Toledo, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence

Fresco decoration by Bronzino, c. 1540
“Deposition of Christ” (1553 replica of the 1545 original by Bronzino)
Chapel of Eleanor of Toledo
Palazzo Vecchio
Piazza della Signoria
Florence, October 2013

“The dialogue between the altarpiece with its Deposition and the three walls with their stories of Moses presaging Christ's sacrifice and the mystery of the Eucharist, points to the link between the Old and New Testaments. Bronzino himself changed the three oil-on-panel paintings on the back wall over time (1545-1564). The present Deposition replaced an earlier, almost identical version which Cosimo gave to Emperor Charles V's secretary (Besançon, Musée des Beaux-Arts); the panels with the Annunciation replaced a St John the Baptist (Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum) and a St Cosmas (fragment in a private collection).” (Chapel of Eleonora, Civic Museums of Florence)

2 comments:

Lowell said...

The artistry is superb.

cieldequimper said...

A replica 8 years after the original? Hmmmm.

One week in Florence isn't enough...