Museums: Museo Stibbert (Part 1 of 2)

Of the many museums in Florence, one is especially unique and seems to be out of place, the Stibbert Museum. 

Museo Stibbert houses a vast collection of armour and weaponry.  Frederick Stibbert was a 19th century wealthy Florentine with a passion for collecting and sometimes wearing suits of armour from all over the world, especially Europe, Japan and the Middle East.  To house his collection, he acquired and then doubled the size of a villa overlooking Florence.  The villa was his home and also became his private museum, which he gave to the city of Florence upon his death in 1906. 

The museum exceeded our expectations.  We anticipated seeing some suits of armour and a few swords in a couple of rooms in a house.  We saw much more than that--a vast collection in a beautiful villa. 

Introduction:  The museum is located in a very large villa a couple of miles from the center of Florence.  The villa, first built in the 15th century and expanded in the 19th century, sits atop a hill with views of Florence and is bordered on three sides by a large park. 

The Stibbert Museum, on the hill Montughi (Florence)

Frederick Stibbert, the only son of an Englishman and a Florentine, inherited a fortune, which he devoted to amassing and housing his collection.

 

On an outside wall of the villa, a glazed terra depiction of St. George slaying the dragon.  And some dude.

European Armour and Arms:  The best room in the in the museum is the Hall of the Cavalcade, a very long room with a high ceiling filled with soldiers in armour on horseback and standing around the room.

The Hall of the Cavalcade

The suit of armour pictured above, known as anima amour, is unique because it emphasized mobility over protection.  Instead of large plates of metal, the arms and legs consist of smaller connected plates that allow the wearer to bend and twist arms and legs more easily.   

The funeral armour of Giovanni dalle Bande Nere (born Lodovico de'Medici) (1498-1526).  Giovanni was a professional soldier, a condottiero, who led a private army for hire in Italy.  The soldiers of his company wore a black sash, bande nere.   He was the son of Caterina Sforza and the father of Cosimo I de'Medici, the first Grand Duke of Tuscany.

More armour with paintings in a large hall.

The mounted soldier pictured above is a replica of a fresco in the Florence cathedral, pictured below.

Funerary monument to Sir John Hawkwood, an Englishman who served in Italy in the 1300's as a condottiero, a private mercenary with his own army.  He fought for and against Florence and was paid handsomely to sometimes fight and sometimes refrain from fighting. 

Islamic Armour and Arms:

Next Up:  Much more to see at Museo Stibbert.