Renaissance overload
This tiny study (above) was decorated by Florence’s leading Mannerist painters in 1569-1573.
Take any one of these paintings on its own and it would be breathtakingly amazing…but throw hundreds of them together into the one building and after the first few minutes of oohing and ahhing, you start to lose steam and wander around, viewing them all in a stunned silence.
There’s paintings and ornate decoration on the ceilings…
the walls…
more ceilings…
…and cornices.
And not on a small scale either. The budget for this place must have been massive.
The room below is the Sala dei Gigli (Lily Chamber) – named for the gold fleur-de-lys on the walls. I think it was my favourite room, simply for its classical restraint…