ecoexplore_tuscany

Yesterday I proposed you this magnificent statue in the stories and as most of you asked to know more about it here we go, I'll tell you a bit more about our Giant.

The statue it's situated in the Demidoff park, just outside Florence. Once the property was occupied by a beautiful renaissance villa belonging to the Medici family, later destroyed by Peter Leopold of Lorena as the maintenance costs were extremely high and the gran ducate of Tuscany wasn't able afford it.

The giant instead was built right in front of the villa (nowadays the villa doesn't exist anymore as said before) was like a private shelter for Francis I de Medici Who commissioned it to Gianbologna (Jean de Boulogne) in 1580 Who once he finished it, has realised that it was too beautiful for the place it was built in.

Today it can still be visited. It can be reached by bus from Florence and it's certainly a "must" if you visit Florence for more days and want to see a place that's off the touristic tracks 😉

Exploring Florence 💚🧡

Today I want to tell you something interesting about The Tondo Doni, the only depicted work of Michelangelo we still have. And no, I will not tell you the pictorial technique, the typical historical events that was made for the birth of the daughter... (I already got bored) I leave the boring details for those who want to hear them when I make a lead some visits at the Uffizi gallery 😌

But I'm going to tell you an anecdote about the payment of this painting.

It is said that one day Agnolo Doni introduced himself to Michelangiolo and asked him for a painting representing the family. Miky accepts (not so willingly as he preferred to work chisel, not brush) they agree on the price and Michelangelo starts to think on something.

Michelangiolo then takes a sheet, a charcoal, he starts to realize what he had in mind. Finished, satisfied with the work goes to the "old market" , the one which was demolished together with the ghetto to leave the place to piazza della repubblica (there is also a painting of Telemaco Signorini if you are curious to see what it was like. The painting is entitled "Mercato vecchio") buys poplar boards , starts to work on it with resin and hacksaw, put them together to form a round and copies on it what he had done before on paper.

After the work is finished, he wraps it well in wool cloths and entrusts it to a boy who takes it to Agnolo Doni. This, however, only gave the boy half of what he had agreed with the Buonarroti at the beginning.

When the boy returns, Michelangelo gets furious and so angry goes to the Doni, brings the money back to him and takes back the painting. He also tells him that if he wants it now the price is double the amount agreed at the beginning.

A few days after, Agnolo Doni, stingy but not foolish, goes with his tail between his legs in Michelangelo's parlor and pays The Buonarroti twice the price they had agreed because he knew so much that having a work of that value was a once on a lifetime occasion.

But then the family portraits (him and his wife) were commissioned to Raphael... Who knows why? 🤔

Did you know this anecdote?