In the museum's following halls, another bundle of wonders awaits you. They are mainly dedicated to the universe of the so-called "minor arts", and you can admire jewelry and other precious techniques.
Start from the so-called Islamic Hall featuring carpets, weapons, jewelry, and metal objects of Arab and Middle East production. In the next rooms you'll be immersed in the Carrand collection with its enamels, ivories, small paintings, glass, and medieval jewels.
But new splendors await in Ivory Hall, with objects dating back to the early Christian era up to the Gothic era, with an impressive collection of majolica tiles that is a spectacular summary of Italian ceramic workshops' productions during the Italian Renaissance. I'd especially like to point out the pieces made in Urbino and Casteldurante with the collaboration of important painters for the decorative part. On the wall, a circular coat of arms made by Luca della Robbia shows the amazingly beautiful colors and sparkling precision of contours that he was able to obtain with the enameled terracotta technique.
Your visit ends in the rooms on the second floor, where some of the antique furnishings have been preserved. Here you can see more Renaissance works, mostly small in size.
In addition to the specialized collections of ancient weapons, medals, and bronzes, I suggest paying special attention to the sculptures of the second half of the 1400s. Can you imagine, at that time in Florence there were about seventy different artists' workshops, all in continuous competition? You can get an idea of the competition between the masters by looking at the parade of marble portrait-busts made by masters such as Pollaiolo, Laurana, and Mino da Fiesole. Don't miss the works by Andrea del Verrocchio, who's also famous for having been Leonardo da Vinci's first master. His enchanting Lady with a Flower Bouquet will impress you for its expressive and playful face and graceful arm movement.
FUN FACT: do you want to know what Dante Alighieri looked like? Go to the ancient 14th-century chapel of the palace that's next to a tiny sacristy dedicated to Santa Maria Maddalena with magnificent liturgical pieces in gold. Here, in a fresco fragment by one of Giotto's pupils, you can see one of the oldest depictions of the poet, standing here in the midst of a crowd of souls in Paradise.
Language: English