Museums: The Uffizi #3

Let's visit the Uffizi art gallery again. 

Here are some fun facts about the Uffizi:

     •     Construction:  Began 1560, completed 1581

     •     Purpose:  Government offices (uffizi in Italian) and art gallery

     •     Location:  Next to the Arno river an connected to the Palazzo Vecchio by an enclosed walkway for easy, safe passage above the street

     •     Art Collection:  In 1737, the last Medici gave the entire Medici collection to the Tuscan state. There was one condition, that the collection amassed over three centuries never leave Florence.  The goal was to preclude the foreign rulers of Tuscany from scattering the collection elsewhere in Europe.

During our visit, we saw more works of art that had escaped our attention during earlier visits.

Greg especically likes allegorical seascapes, like the one below.  The painting tells a simple story: "Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans." 

In a hard-to-find floor of the gallery, there is a wonderful collection of European paintings. Below is a Rembrandt self-portrait. 

In an easy-to-find room with extra security are a couple of Italian masterpieces, including the one below.

Baptism of Christ by Leonardo da Vinci and his teacher Andrea del Verrochio (1470-1475) (Some art historians attribute the figure of Christ in the center to da Vinci.  Da Vinci may also have painted the landscape and one of the angels at left.)

And now for some snakes:

Susan is not a fan of snakes and hopes that St. Patrick visits the Uffizi and leads the snakes away. 

Thanks for joining our tour.