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In a way, most of (downtown ) Florence is a museum. You can see it as a architectural
museum with a vast collection of old buildings, or as an ethnographical museum with an even vaster collection of present-day
ethnographies, traipsing around in awe of what they see. A lot of the old buildings are museums proper, exhibiting art of
one kind or another. There are also lots working churches. They are thus not officially museums but it amounts to the same
thing. In any case, if you want to go inside any of the more popular buildings, you stand in line. If not for tickets, for
the security check. |
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Going inside is always worth the wait - provided you have the slightest interest
in world-famous art and possibly some knowledge of what hides behind the catch-words "renaissance"
and "enlightenment
". If your interest lies exclusively with rusty iron or other more or less corroded metals, you are in for a disappointment.
Here is about the best I could come up with in this respect (from the Archeological Museum) |
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| Rusty iron in Florence Museums; about all of it (Archeological Museum) |
| Source: Photographed in Florence March 2018 |
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There is, however, a lot of art dedicated to the use of swords. The
most famous one is this: |
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Benvenuto Cellini; Perseus with the Head of Medusa; ca. 1550;
Loggia dei Lanzi
One of the most famous sculptures around. Note how lovingly the spurting blood is modelled |
| Source: Photographed in Florence March 2018 |
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Everybody except Medusa loves this bronze sculpture. Medusa was having a bad
hair day, a topic also lovingly shown in one of the most famous art museums in the world, the Uffizi: |
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| Annibale Carracci; Medusa, 1587; Uffizi |
| Source: Photographed in Florence March 2018 |
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Innumerous other paintings show swordplay; here is a small part of a particularly
busy one: |
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 | Florence is winning
Small part of monstrous painting in the Palazzo Vecchio, probably showing how Florence clobbered Siena |
| Source: Photographed in Florence March 2018 |
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You will have a great time to hunt for art involving swords, especially
if you focus on the "Dead Christian" school of art. As I have pointed
out before, medieval art can be roughly divided into two genres featuring either dead Christians or naked women, with
a few heroes or mythical topics thrown in for a bit of diversity.
Personally, I prefer the naked women genre or the
occasional still living Christian like this one: |
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Maria Magdalena. Donatello; 15th century, Duomo Museum
This lady is more than
500 years old and like new! Worth a sin or two. |
| Source: Photographed in Florence March 2018 |
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I know I kept you waiting - so here are the naked women: |
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 | | Venus; Tizian, 1538 (Uffizi) |
| Source: Photographed in Florence March 2018 |
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| Giambologna; The Rape of the Sabine Women (1574–82), Loggia dei Lanzi
| | Source: Photographed in Florence March 2018 |
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Don't miss the Galleria dell'Accademia! It contains Michelangelo's David and
his girl friends. Lots of them : All naked, here is one of them: |
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 | | One of many in the Galleria dell'Accademia
| | Source: Photographed in Florence March 2018 |
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I even made a scientific discovery while studying a naked marble
woman in the Boboli gardens (behind Palazzo Pitti): Boobs induced pattern formation or BIPF: |
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| Boobs induced pattern formation with respect to the growth of algae. Boboli Garden |
| Source: Photographed in Florence March 2018 |
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Quite exciting, considering that pattern formation was one of my scientific specialities. |
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It goes without saying that there are plenty of dead Christians too
in all those museums. In Santa Croce, you don't just find the tomb of Galileo
but a masterpiece of Bronzini that merges the two genres: |
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| Bronzini: "The descend of Christ into limbo"; 1552. |
| Source: Photographed in Florence March 2018 |
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It appears that there are lots of admiring groupies in limbo, ready for whatever
one does there. |
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Enough! Florence is not noted for its contribution to the history
of iron and steel by displaying relevant artifacts in its museums. It is noted for showing breathtaking beauty in many expressions.
Enjoy it and hunt for your particular favorites like Ledas
or whatever. |
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© H. Föll (Iron, Steel and Swords script)
With frame
Critical Museum Guide