Orsanmichele

Photo from inside the museum of Orsanmichele

2011-11-04T16:10:26Z

Here is another photo sent in by a user. This is the museum main floor, with all the original sculptures (the primo piano). The photo is take from the staircase leading to the second floor (third American floor) which is mostly empty but has some great views of Florence.

You will also notice that the statue of St. George is missing from the presentation - this is a question I have been trying to get answered for years. Supposedly the original sculpture is in the Bargello, but there was a copy here at one point, and it has been gone for a while.

Also a note on getting in - the museum is still open on Mondays and is free, but lately instead of entering across the street from the church, you enter from the church and get to go up a spiral staircase in the northwest corner pillar. It is actually pretty cool!

Florence Segway Tour

2011-06-08T15:21:35Z

Glide through the streets of Florence on the coolest ride of the 21st century - a Segway! You'll have the time of your life while discovering the many wonders of this wonderful Renaissance city, including an external visit of Orsanmichele. This tour is available from our partners at Florence Journal via Viator.

Orcagna's Tabernacle in Orsanmichele, Florence

2011-06-08T14:36:38Z

Not sure how I missed this title in the past, but I just came across it on a Twitter search. It was originally published in September of 1994.

I recently got a decent photo of the tabernacle recently (photography is prohibited inside the church but the doors where open and there was a good amount of light):

Gareth Pugh at Orsanmichele

2011-01-26T17:00:04Z

Art, history, and fashion recently collided in Florence as designer Gareth Pugh presented a video inside Orsanmichele:

Tabernacle of St. John Restoration Complete

2010-07-21T10:20:30Z

I returned to Florence to find the restoration work on the Gothic tabernacle (Albizzo di Piero, 1414) housing Ghiberti's St. John finished. It is a job very well done - the missing piece of stone under the base of the statue has been replaced, and the carvings of the tabernacle have been beautifully cleaned. The work on the small eagle emblems is especially fine. There is always a battle to leave things "as is" in restoration, and just clean, without ever adding anything new - but surely these eagles were very brightly painted at one time. The restoration work gives a glimpse to the trained eye of what must have been.

There is also a garland hanging under the tabernacle now, in celebration I suppose, and a new plaque has been put in place crediting the Rotary Club of Florence for the work.

It is important to remember that beside the tabernacle of St. George, all of these tabernacles are the originals. It is a testament to the craftsmanship and materials of the various times (the original construction dates span hundreds of years!) that they still survive the centuries. Pretty amazing.

The first photo below is the "before" picture:

Restoration of the Tabernacle of St. John

2010-05-20T13:56:07Z

At the same time as the window replacement project, there is also conservation being done on the tabernacle of St. John the Baptist. All of the tabernacles except for St. George (in the Bargello) are still the original works. All the statues are copies.

New Windows on Orsanmichele

2010-05-20T13:40:13Z

You don't know where and how the money comes together for projects like this - the authority of the museum can not even afford to keep it open (that is why it is only open on Mondays by a volunteer staff) - but somehow they are replacing all the glass in the windows. This is great news - the views are excellent and the old glass is in bad shape. I am still amazed however that more isn't done ahead of time to protect the tabernacles and the sculptures when work is performed on the building.

Smuggled photos of Orsanmichele

2009-11-24T08:14:33Z

It seems pretty silly that you can't take snapshots inside the museum of Orsanmichele, but I follow the rules. However people obviously can and do (I have witnessed this myself while visiting). Here are a few that someone has anonymously passed on to us:

Historic photographs of Orsanmichele

2009-10-20T16:02:56Z

Here are a couple of older photos of Orsanmichele - I think from just before 1900. The picture of the sculpture of St. George is very interesting - it is in the tabernacle of the Madonna of the Rose:

And here is a view of the north east corner of the church from Via Calzaiuoli:

New Photo of Orsanmichele

2009-09-28T17:10:50Z

A friend had access to the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio and got an amazing panorama of Florence. This is just a crop from the larger photo:

Orsanmichele, Top Floor Video

2009-09-28T14:22:17Z

This is the top (third American floor) floor of the museum of Orsanmichele. In Italian this is the piano secondo. The space is huge, the ceiling is soaring, and the views of Florence and the hills are amazing. Make sure to climb the stairs up here if you get the chance to visit the museum, which is now open on Mondays. Admission is free. This is a perfect spot to sit and meditate for a moment, for a quiet conversation, and to catch some views of Florence you won't find anywhere else.

The Mystery of The Missing St. George

2009-09-28T13:10:27Z

It is great to report that the Orsanmichele Museum is indeed reopened, and better yet, admission is free! I got a chance to stop by this morning and there was another welcome surprise - the piano secondo is also open. You can access the top floor from the contemporary stair case that is built between the primo piano (the museum room with all the sculptures - or in English, the second floor) and the piano secondo (or third floor).

The top floor is mostly empty, but there are some spectacular views in all directions, as well as what really can only be described as the near ruins of the smaller sculptures that originally adorned the openings/windows of the church. The architecture is fantastic, with meter wide or more wooden beams spanning the width of the building and original stone work.

The scale of Orsanmichele is simply amazing - to walk up to the primo piano is four flights of huge stairs. I think floor to ceiling must be over 40 feet.

One thing that hasn't changed unfortunately is that no photos are allowed - which just seems sort of silly in this day and age.

The only missing sculpture in the museum is the one of St. George. I inquired about it with both guards but neither had a real answer. At least there is some clarity to the situation - the original marble is the one in the Bargello, and a marble copy is in the niche on the outside of the church. But at the moment, the bronze copy, which was in the niche until at least a year or two ago is nowhere to be seen. I have a feeling it must be in for restoration, probably at the Opificio Delle Pietre Dure. I am going to try to contact the museum administration for and answer to this mystery, and for permission to photograph the statues in the museum for this website.

Orsanmichele Museum Reopens

2009-09-24T14:27:21Z

In some very welcome and exciting news the museum of Orsanmichele, the primo piano with all the original sculptures, will now be opened on Mondays from 10 AM to 5 PM. The museums director, Antonio Goldoni, has been quoted as saying that, "It's a gift for all - both residents and tourists. For this we thank the Amici dei musei fiorentini". (The Florentine article goes on to say that the museum has been closed for 4 years which is not exactly accurate - when all the original sculptures were finally in place the museum was briefly opened again and was open several other times when special exhibits were on display).

The museum will be staffed by volunteers from the Amici dei Musei Fiorentini Association. We will be sure to visit as soon as possible and hope to have more to report.

Concerts at Orsanmichele

2009-08-25T21:11:30Z

Simone Stella, aspiring to revive interest in baroque composer Dietrich Buxtehude, has initiated a series of concerts in the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance - the city of Florence. The concert series, called "Complete Organ Works by Dietrich Buxtehude", is being performed in the historic Orsanmichele Church in Florence. On August 30th the fourth of a series of ten free concerts will be held at 5:30 PM.

You can read more about Simone Stella and his thoughts on Buxtehude here.

More dates in the series: 2009 - October 11th, November 22nd. 2010 - January 31st, March 7th, April 25th, and June 6th.

St. George

2009-08-24T14:03:10Z

St. George by Donatello is a classic example of the early renaissance - the return of the human figure, "rendered as a self-activating, functional organism... shown with a confidence in its own worth⁽¹⁾". St. George is shown as the clear eyed vanquisher of the dragon, calmly and confidently assuming his pose. Their are several marble copies of this sculpture - including the current one in the niche, as well as a bronze. The original now appears to be in the Orsanmichele museum - but at one point (when it was first removed from the church in 1892) was placed in the Bargello, as was the predella (the predella at Orsanmichele is a copy - the only copy of all the tabernacles and predellas as far as I have learned).

This sculpture was commissioned by the Armorer's and Sword Makers Guild and completed c. 1417-18. It is on the north side of the church on Via Orsamichele. Though the tabernacle was also done by Donatello it lacks any renaissance style and is much more in line with some of the other gothic tabernacles of the church. The statue probably once also had a sword or spear in George's right hand, as well as a helmet. When these were lost is not well documented.

¹Encyclopedia Brittanica