LA NATURA MORTA A PALAZZO E IN VILLA

The exhibition required a great deal of effort due to the large number of paintings of this subject that have come down to us and largely preserved in the deposits of Palazzo Pitti. The book accurately traces the Medici collecting and patronage of this particular pictorial genre between the 17th and early 18th centuries. It opens with the famous Bacchus by Caravaggio (Florence, Uffizi), a gift from Ferdinando I de’ Medici, and continues with over 90 works by Italian and Dutch painters, many unknown, some recently restored and all of great artistic interest. Among the authors are: Willelm van Aelst, Bartolomeo Bimbi, Margherita Caffi, Giuseppe Maria Crespi, Carlo Dolci, Giovanna Garzoni, Davids de Heem, Nicola van Houbraken, Marseus van Schrieck, Andrea Scacciati. It is a unique publication as it represents an brand new chapter in the history of collecting and Italian painting.