MAGI CHAPEL, MEDICI PALACE

 FLORENCE, ITALY


In my search for a work of visual art or architecture for this assignment, I kept feeling drawn to this photo of the  Magi Chapel located inside the Medici Palace, 1445-60 located in Florence, Italy. To avoid appearing ostentatious to the public, the patron of the Palazzo, Cosimo de’ Medici (“il Vecchio”), wanted the family home to have a modest appearance on the exterior while strategically placing displays of wealth inside such as this chapel. I have included a link that shows the palace's modest exterior.

It wasn't one specific thing that drew me to this, it was everything. The murals, the painting of the Madonna with the Christ child, the angels on the far wall, the altar, and the seclusion that it might give. It looks and feels like a place one could easily slip into for a few minutes of solitude, silence, and prayer when feeling overwhelmed with life. I cannot see myself owning the painting of the Madonna, but rather a print of this entire room so I could gaze at it while imagining myself sitting inside taking advantage of a much-needed escape. 


 Dr. Rebecca Howard, "Benozzo Gozzoli, The Medici Palace Chapel frescoes," in Smarthistory, April 11, 2022, accessed February 19, 2024, https://smarthistory.org/benozzo-gozzoli-magi-chapel-medici-palace-frescoes/.

Comments

  1. Carlos J. CastanedaFebruary 22, 2024 at 11:09 PM


    Lisa; The colors in this room are amazing. I saw this and was automatically drawn in by the gold trim and what appears to be a sun in the center of the room . The gold in those days was a sign of not only wealth but also power. Most of these rooms were inspired by the church as they had major influence all throughout Italy. The beautiful murals and the humble pictures surrounding it really was a sign of them trying to show and hide the power that they had within the community. I lived in Italy for 4 years and went to Florence many times. This is one of the rooms and palaces I will have to add to a long list of places to still see . Great architecture and great pictures of the room

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  2. KristinaFebruary 23, 2024 at 7:52 PM

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  3. KristinaFebruary 23, 2024 at 8:03 PM

    Wow, this is a beautiful Chapel mural. This artwork must have taken a long time. And definitely has the Renaissance theme that you think of when you hear Renaissance. The colors are just stunning and the painting has a procession of knights that you can see but this also has many portraits of members of the Medici family which is interesting. The Fresco also has allies and people who helped to collaborate at the bank in the paintings. I could definitely find myself in this chapel for hours looking at everything and trying to capture the work and love that was put into this type of artwork. I think it would be nice to have a print of some portions of this. Great choice for your blog this week. I love it!! On the Visit Florence website they have some up close pictures of parts of the mural and the detail is just fascinating to me. They also give some history on the building.
    https://www.visitflorence.com/florence-museums/chapel-of-magi-benozzo-gozzoli.html

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