riginally
from Arezzo, Stefano Bardini came to Florence to study, where he
attended the Accademia delle Belle Arti and thought of being a painter.
But his real talent was seeking out antique pieces and so, following
his instinct, he soon came to be the most authoritative - and rich
- antique dealer in the city.
In Piazza de' Mozzi he had a kind of palace built over an ancient
convent with the aim of creating a sumptuous antiques gallery, and
he collected innumerable treasures which he left to the city of
Florence on his death in 1922. His many merits included setting
up the first real school of restoration in Florence and establishing
a photographic collection.
Besides his formidable artistic 'nose', Bardini's fortune lay in
the fact that he lived in a very particular historical period. When
the historic Tuscan families with extensive land holdings were overtaken
by the events of the Industrial Revolution, they had to rid themselves
(often at a derisory price) of their properties and the furnishings
of their buildings, which at the time were not considered to have
great artistic or commercial value. The pulling down of the Mercato
Vecchio was also providential for Bardini, and he was able to obtain
many pieces of particular interest.
The Museo Bardini is an extraordinary collection with works from
nearly all the schools from the early Middle Ages to the Baroque,
and including a range of different objects: sculpture, paintings,
tapestries, ancient wooden chests, ceramics, rugs, arms, musical
instruments, etc. They are displayed in an almost 'lived-in' way
so as to make a visit to this enchanting museum even more pleasurable.
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