10 | ABOUT
In the history surrounding the origins of the
kitchen, cooking food has been elevated
from necessity to art form with the honing
of technological and mechanical expertise,
united in the pursuit of utility that is equally
discernible as beauty. Florence and Tuscany
played a crucial role in this, given that
research and studies were conducted in
the field by figures such as Leonardo da
Vinci, Leon Battista Alberti, and Francesco di
Giorgio Martini, as well as blacksmiths and
chimney manufacturers, all representatives
of a culture in which technical and artistic
interests have always been inextricably linked.
Since the Renaissance, metalworking
has always been one of the excellences
in Florentine art and craftsmanship, as
evidenced by the bronze masterpieces at
the Bargello Museum, in the Loggia del
Lanzi, and in the city’s churches. Florence
was a place where artists such as Ghiberti,
Donatello, Cellini, and Giambologna forged
their bronze showpieces. Bronze sculpture
reached its height in Florence between
Florence and the origins of the kitchen.
