The 28 statues in the Courtyard of the Uffizi Gallery

Let's take a closer look at the statues celebrating the protagonists of Tuscan history

Giorgio Vasari, commissioned in 1559 by Cosimo I to create a building that would bring together all the arts and at the same time distinguish them, created a masterpiece that today symbolises Florence as much as the Dome. Among other things, he had to redevelop a notorious and unhealthy area known as the Baldracca, wedging himself into a small space on the unstable banks of the river.

And so, following in the footsteps of Jacopo Sansovino, the most illustrious architect of the time, who worked in the fragile Venetian lagoon, the brilliant Arezzo-born architect invented that row of bright, light, airy columns: a colonnade on the ground floor and an open loggia on the second floor (which Francesco I would later have Buontalenti close). For Florence, this light Venetian-style lacework was a novelty and remained unique. The narrow “U” shape, worked in white lime and pietra serena, was not only lightened by the columns, but the loggias on the ground floor were further lightened by twenty-eight niches, almost certainly intended to house a cycle of sculptures in the Greco-Roman style.

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Between 1842 and 1856, 28 marble statues were placed in the niches of the pillars outside the Gallery, representing illustrious Tuscans from the Middle Ages to the 19th centuryBetween 1842 and 1856, 28 marble statues were placed in the niches of the pillars outside the Gallery, representing illustrious Tuscans from the Middle Ages to the 19th century

This is confirmed by the crowning of the large Serliana on the Arno with statues representing Equity and Rigour, created by Ignazio Danti and inspired by Michelangelo's New Sacristy, with Cosimo I dressed as Emperor Augustus, but which his son Francesco immediately replaced with a sculpture by Giambologna depicting Cosimo dressed as a simple 16th-century knight.

Thus, the grand project, which was supposed to replicate the series so dear to Cosimo I, remained on the drawing board until 1834, when the printer Vincenzo Batelli finally decided to give voice to those blind and mute niches. The idea appealed to Grand Duke Leopold II, who, together with his wife Maria Antonia, contributed by donating some of the statues that were to be created, representing the last great Florentine grand ducal work.

But it was also a project in which all Florentines would participate, much like their ancestors had done at the end of the 13th century with the cathedral. The statues, which were to be made of marble, were too expensive even for the Grand Duke. So a subscription was launched, followed by various lotteries in the form of public tombola games, which were held for several years, strictly on St John's Day, under the loggia of the Uffizi. And, as usual, despite various interruptions and even a cholera epidemic, the ambitious project saw the light of day before the Lorraine dynasty came to an end.

The idea was to represent a group of illustrious men who had made Tuscany great over the centuries. It was by chance that, a few years later, the nascent Italian state found in those very figures the founding roots of national unity. But for the Florentines, they did not represent the spirit of the Risorgimento that they would later assume. The bourgeoisie already felt free and proud of its illustrious ancestors. And so did the people, who were usually critical but enthusiastically participated in the initiative.

Cortile degli Uffizi

Illustrious men... But how could they all fit into just 28 niches? The special commission was categorical: no statues for those who already had one.

So both Arnolfo and Brunelleschi, who had been placed in front of the Duomo, were immediately discarded. Artists, writers, scientists... the crème de la crème of Tuscan high society. Reduced to the bare bones, however. In fact, Vasari also fell victim to the axe, with only a bust dedicated to him. A team of the most famous (but not only) artists of the time was created to produce the sculptures which, in the end, as you can imagine, received more criticism than praise.

And no holds were barred.

Thus, Saint Antoninus appeared to be asleep, Giotto, although donated by Maria Antonia, was too realistic, even though they bore the signature of Giovanni Dupré: Dantetroppo resigned.

And for Guicciardini, the artist commissioned even refused to do it because he considered the historian to be evil. On the other hand, Lorenzo Bartolini's Machiavelli, with his intense expression, was well received, and Nicola Pisano opened the doors of success to a very young Pio Fedi, whom the Grand Duke had chosen from among the students of the Academy, while Torello Bacci abandoned his artistic career after sculpting Pier Capponi.

Between 1842 and 1856, 28 marble statues were placed in the niches of the pillars outside the Gallery, representing illustrious Tuscans from the Middle Ages to the 19th century

We begin on the long side on Via della Ninna with Cosimo the Elder, the only one without attributes, and Lorenzo the Magnificent, followed by Orcagna intent on looking at his precious Loggia. Then we continue with Nicola Pisano, Giotto with the bell tower and Donatello represented with a San Giovannino but now attributed to Desiderio, Leon Battista Alberti with the design of Santa Maria Novella, then Leonardo, forced for eternity to stand next to Michelangelo, and then Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio and Machiavelli by the increasingly appreciated Lorenzo Bartolini.

Under the Serliana is Amerigo Vespucci, sculpted by Gaetano Grazzini (also the creator of Lorenzo il Magnifico) and paid for by his colleague Enrico Danti, and Galileo by Aristodemo Costoli on the other side, donated by Grand Duke Leopold. In the four niches towards the Arno are military and political heroes of the homeland: Francesco Ferrucci, Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, Pier Capponi and Farinata degli Uberti.

We then return to the west side with less famous figures linked to science, such as Francesco Redi, who refuted the theory of spontaneous evolution of species, the botanist Pier Antonio Micheli, the haematologist Andrea Cisalpino, the archbishop Sant'Antonino and the medieval jurist Accorso. This is a relatively unknown name, but he was paid for by a group of fifty citizens. Finally, there is Benvenuto Cellini di Ulisse Cambi, who concludes the series on the side of the old Mint with his bronze Perseus.