The Studiolo, 1570, a private room

In Florence, Italy, The Palazzo Vecchio, as it is called today, is a secular building once again. The stone foundation of 1299 supports three successive building stages of the 13-16th centuries. The building is asymmetrical with the bold masonry fortress crowned with a columned gallery that cradles a medieval tower. Politics, court proceeding and meetings of the ruling council took place in the building. When Cosimo I de’ Medici came to power, he moved his family into the palace, shifting political importance to the new Pitti Palace and the Uffizi. Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574) came to Florence to work on a series of projects for the Medici Family. Vasari was a successful artist, critic, writer (“Lives of the most excellent architects, sculptors and painters...” first edition 1550, second edition 1568) architect and founded an Academy of design. One commission included preparing Palace Vecchio as a residence. The interior is filled with important masterpieces of the Mannerism school and contributes to the Medici mission of the encouragement of fine and decorative arts. A room of interest is The Studiolo (Little studio, 1570-75), a study commissioned by the Grand Duke Francesco I de’ Medici (1541-1587), son of Cosimo I. This room was a hidden vaulted chamber with concealed doors, no widows and secret passages. The principal theme of the studio was the relationship between art and nature. The interior, created by a collaboration of artists, related to the four elements, the four seasons and the four temperaments. A highly intellectual iconographic program that included representations of earth, fire, water and air on each of the four walls. The room provided the demeanor for private worship and meditation, evident in the displayed art of allegorical subjects as well as a laboratory setting to conduct experiments of applied science. The walls had 19 cupboards that stored numerous devices for study in medicine, alchemy, geology, glassmaking and metallurgy. Small, precious, unusual, and rare objects and materials were collected and stored. Each cupboard door depicts religious, mythological, historical or industrial scenes to reference the contents. Pearls and coral were kept on the water wall, while the chemical alum that was used to treat boiling wool was kept on the fire wall. This mysterious room is Francesco’s legacy. The Studiolo had a short life due to the religious pressures and strict rules of the Reformation. Ferdinand, Francesco’s brother, ordered the chamber dismantled in the late 16th century. The dispersed paintings and sculptures were reassembled in the early 20th century but incorrectly. Today, The Palazzo Vecchio contains the offices of the city council but can still be visited so the interior halls can be admired. Interest in reconstructing The Studiolo as it was continues to be of importance.