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From March the 25th to June the 6th 2010 at the Museo degli Argenti at Palazzo Pitti in Florence, the exhibition "Precious and Beautiful: Cameos and Intaglios of the Medici" will take place.

Gem collecting was one of the most fascinating aspects of the rediscovery of antiquity which characterised the Renaissance. As of the first half of the XV century, cameos and intaglios were much sought after by popes, princes and cardinals, on several occasions indeed giving rise to harsh disputes between admirers who were even ready to spend large sums to secure themselves the desired piece.
The reasons for this success were manifold. First and foremost, the art of carving gems required the use of rare and very costly materials, as well as master artisans with extraordinary technical capabilities, considering that the slightest error, in point of fact irreversible, could vilify months or even years of hard work. Secondly, special magical and mysterious virtues were attributed to cameos and intaglios depending on the type of material utilised and on the subject of the depiction. Moreover, their small dimensions and ease of transport made them ideal gifts for illustrious personages, as well as an excellent form of investment, a capital to draw on in moments of great difficulty.
All of these factors explain the special liking that as of the XV century the Medici developed for carvings on precious and semiprecious stones, which they actively collected, forming one of the most important collections in history, and the source of great prestige for the entire family, which through the centuries continued to increase with new acquisitions.
Presenting a select number of pieces of exceptional quality from the most important Italian and foreign museums, the exhibition will illustrate the complex history of this treasure, starting from its formation by Cosimo, Piero and, especially, Lorenzo de’ Medici who reserved a special place to cameos and intaglios in his art collections, and also purchased many prestigious specimens such as the so-called Seal of Nero, a splendid cornelian depicting Apollo and Marsyas, which was celebrated and admired by a host of men of letters and artists.

Lorenzo Ghiberti, Donatello and Sandro Botticelli are only three of the artists who found important creative suggestions in the diaphanous depictions of the Medici gems.  This aspect will be documented by a great variety of works, illuminated codices, medals, drawings, paintings and sculptures, which show the great fortune enjoyed by the specimens that belonged to the Medici.  In many cases, these are faithful translations of selected iconographic models, but there are also original specimens in which the elements drawn from the carved stones are enriched with totally new aspects, as we can find in several drawings by Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti who in the Medici gems not only found a heterogeneous repertory of forms but also an effective instrument for the recovery of the sense of balance and the measure of proportions characteristic of classical art.

Opening hours:
Daily:
8.15 – 16.30 (November February)
8.15 – 17.30 (March)
8.15 – 18.30 (April, May, September and October)
8.15 – 17.30 (in the month of October when Daylight Saving Time ends)
8.15 – 18.50 (June August)
Entry is permitted up to half an hour before closing time.
Closed on the 1st and the last Monday of each month, New Year's Day, May 1st and Christmas Day.