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Arte & Culto | Lighting of statues and monuments
Project study:
Loggia de’ Lanzi
There is a key place in a city of
art like Florence that does not go
unnoticed. Close to the Galleria degli
Uffizi in Piazza della Signoria, next to
Palazzo Vecchio and in front of the
Fountain of Neptune. It is the Loggia
dei Lanzi, or Loggia della Signoria
or dei Priori, built between 1376
and 1382 by the two artists Benci
di Cione and Simone Talenti. The
exterior is made up of three arches
resting on pillars, with two marble
lions at each side of the staircase,
the right one an original ancient
Greek sculpture, and the other the
work of Flaminio Vacca. Inside is
the triumphant Perseus, majestically
looking downwards towards the
viewer and holding the severed
head of Medusa in one hand and
a sword in the other. It is a bronze
masterpiece by artist Benvenuto
Cellini. On the opposite side you can
admire Giambologna’s sculptural
masterpieces the Rape of the Sabine
Women and Hercules and the
Centaur Nessus. The structure of the
Loggia is a perfect example of the
Gothic style of the time, although the
use of the round arches anticipates
the Renaissance style. The building
houses many more works of art,
including ancient Roman sculptures
such as Menelaus supporting
the body of Patroclus, a Flavian-
era copy of a Greek original from
230-240 BC, donated by Pius V to
Cosimo I, and the six female figures
near the back wall.
Lighting project: Arch. Claudio Dini
Sponsor: Stefano Ricci
Photo: Fabio Gambina
Products: custom projectors
