Palazzo Capponi alle Rovinate
Encyclopedia
Palazzo Capponi alle Rovinate is a residential palace in Florence
, Italy
.
(although other scholars have attributed it to Filippo Brunelleschi
) for Niccolò da Uzzano. It was finished around 1426. After his death a few years later, it was acquired by the Capponi family
It has a 15th century late-Gothic façade with a sober rustication
at the lower floor, surmounted by irregular rows of mullioned windows (some closed and replaced by rectangular openings). The plan is nearly square, with a central courtyard in Renaissance style. This has porticoes on each side, with graffiti decorations dating to the 1450s and octagonal capitals in a still late medieval style. The porticoes are cross-vaulted.
The entrance on Via de' Bardi has fresco, attributed to Lorenzo di Bicci himself, with two flying figures holding the Uzzano coat of arms. Internally, at the feet of the main staircase, is a porphyry
lion, an ancient Roman sculpture from the 2nd century AD. In the piano nobile
is a small chapel with an altarpiece by Pontormo
, perhaps taken from the Barbadori Chapel
of the church of Santa Trinita
. There is also a stained glass window, with the Deposition from the Cross, by Guillaume de Marcillat
(1526).
The rear façade, added in the 19th century, overlooks the Arno River.
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Description
The palace was built perhaps by Lorenzo di BicciLorenzo di Bicci
Lorenzo di Bicci was an Italian painter of the Florentine school, traditional in outlook. He is believed to have learned his trade from his father, about whom little other than his name, Bicci, is known. By 1370, Lorenzo was a member of the Guild of Saint Luke, the painters' guild of Florence...
(although other scholars have attributed it to Filippo Brunelleschi
Filippo Brunelleschi
Filippo Brunelleschi was one of the foremost architects and engineers of the Italian Renaissance. He is perhaps most famous for inventing linear perspective and designing the dome of the Florence Cathedral, but his accomplishments also included bronze artwork, architecture , mathematics,...
) for Niccolò da Uzzano. It was finished around 1426. After his death a few years later, it was acquired by the Capponi family
It has a 15th century late-Gothic façade with a sober rustication
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
at the lower floor, surmounted by irregular rows of mullioned windows (some closed and replaced by rectangular openings). The plan is nearly square, with a central courtyard in Renaissance style. This has porticoes on each side, with graffiti decorations dating to the 1450s and octagonal capitals in a still late medieval style. The porticoes are cross-vaulted.
The entrance on Via de' Bardi has fresco, attributed to Lorenzo di Bicci himself, with two flying figures holding the Uzzano coat of arms. Internally, at the feet of the main staircase, is a porphyry
Porphyry (geology)
Porphyry is a variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. The larger crystals are called phenocrysts...
lion, an ancient Roman sculpture from the 2nd century AD. In the piano nobile
Piano nobile
The piano nobile is the principal floor of a large house, usually built in one of the styles of classical renaissance architecture...
is a small chapel with an altarpiece by Pontormo
Pontormo
Jacopo Carucci , usually known as Jacopo da Pontormo, Jacopo Pontormo or simply Pontormo, was an Italian Mannerist painter and portraitist from the Florentine school. His work represents a profound stylistic shift from the calm perspectival regularity that characterized the art of the Florentine...
, perhaps taken from the Barbadori Chapel
Barbadori Chapel
The Barbadori Chapel, later Capponi Chapel, is a chapel in the church of Santa Felicita in Florence, central Italy. It was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, and was later decorated by a cycle of works by the Mannerist painter Pontormo.-History:...
of the church of Santa Trinita
Santa Trinita
Santa Trinita is a church in central Florence, Italy. It is the mother church of the Vallumbrosan Order of monks, founded in 1092 by a Florentine nobleman...
. There is also a stained glass window, with the Deposition from the Cross, by Guillaume de Marcillat
Guillaume de Marcillat
Guillaume de Marcillat was a French painter and stained glass artist.-Biography:He was born in La Châtre, Indre about 1470. He was in Rome by 1509, where he was employed by the popes Julius II and Leo X in the Vatican and at Santa Maria del Popolo, where the two windows in the choir are his...
(1526).
The rear façade, added in the 19th century, overlooks the Arno River.