Over Spring break we had a wonderful trip to Italy. We took the train from Paris, to Turin, on to Florence, then to Milan and finally back to Paris. I highly recommend travelling Europe by train - they’re fast, on time, well maintained and convenient.
While I liked Turin and Milan, I adored Florence. The gorgeous golden buildings, the river, the bridges, the history; it’s a beautiful city. While also being home to some of the greatest works of art, including the Birth of Venus and Primavera by Botticelli. It was magical to see them both in real life. I don’t have any background in art, but I thought I’d share a few of the things I liked in the gallery.
Firstly, the colours are extraordinary, especially in the religious paintings, the reds and blues and yellows are so vibrant it’s hard to believe they are so old.
This is the Virgin Mary being told by Gabriel that she’ll be blessed with a child, and that child will be the son of God. We were slightly surprised at how displeased she looks. As we progressed through the ages and the many pictures of this moment, we noticed Mary gradually did start to smile. Perhaps it was custom to paint people unsmiling? In the same way the Edwardians didn’t smile in photographs.
The next thing that completely fascinated me was the creature in this picture.
Was it a dog? But if it was, what kind and why were the proportions so strange? It would be massive if its body was as big as its head. I was so intrigued by the monster dog I googled it and the internet came to the rescue!
It is not a dog but a dragon meant to portray the devil. The women and child in the foreground are Maria Baroncelli, and her daughter Margherita, behind them are Saint Margaret and Mary Magdalen. The dragon is under Saint Margaret’s feet to show her victory over it. Apparently, the devil in the form of a dragon swallowed her whole, but she re-emerged unscathed from its mouth. It’s fascinating to think that this reference would have been obvious to the people viewing the painting in the 15th century.
The other piece that caught my eye was this gorgeously creepy wooden cover that accompanies a portrait called The Veiled Women. The cover was designed to be kept over the portrait so only the chosen few could see it. The inscription on the front is Latin and translates as “to each his own mask’. Which is very mysterious.
Finally, there was the room of statues. We walked in without reading the information and wandered among the white marble statues. I’m always amazed at how sculptors can get stone to look so fluid, as if a breeze could move the folds of a dress. After admiring a few we realised they all looked scared or as if they were fleeing something terrible. When we read the information, we realised they were all scared and fleeing. The fourteen statues are the seven sons and seven daughters of Niobe. Niobe angered the goddess Leta by claiming she was a better mother as she had fourteen children and Leta only had two. In revenge, Leta sent her children Apollo and Artemis to kill all of Niobe’s children. The room is very unsettling. I imagine that the statues were commissioned to counter the sin of hubris but I can’t imagine having to walk past them every day in my garden!
Wow, so interesting, Alix! I now want to go back to Florence! 🤔