The title chosen for this great event is Eleonora da Toledo and the invention of the Medici court in Florence, to immortalize the beloved wife of Cosimo I de’ Medici, first Grand Duke of Tuscany. Although their union was a political one (the common practice at the time), their relationship was actually one of love, favored by the birth of eleven children.
Eleonora was one of the four daughters of Don Pedro de Toledo, viceroy of Naples under Emperor Charles V. Her proxy marriage took place when she was 16, but she entered Florence the following year, wearing a crimson dress decorated in gold.
She was deeply cultured, elegant and intelligent, influencing both fashion and art. She contributed to the transformation of the city, moved the court to Palazzo Pitti and created Boboli Garden from scratch
The exhibition puts together 100 artworks (paintings, drawings, tapestries, dresses, jewels, gems) coming from Florence as well as from major international loans, all contributing to the narration of Eleonora’s story, her personality and the profound cultural influence she manifested and that we can still appreciate after centuries.
Far-sighted and visionary, she certainly is worth discovering.
The exhibition may be seen from February 7 to May 14 in the halls of the Treasury of the Grand Dukes in Pitti Palace.
