One Hundred Years of the Bardini Museum in Florence
Saint Michael the Archangel Slaying the Dragon, among the most emblematic works in the collection of this Florentine civic museum, is being restored in an intervention carried out under the direction of the Soprintendenza and made possible by a generous donation from Friends of Florence. The restoration is being performed in full view of the public, in a dedicated room, giving visitors the chance to watch the delicate work of recovery in real time.
The restoration, designed by Muriel Vervat, was a candidate for the Premio Friends of Florence – Salone dell’Arte e del Restauro and won broad support among the Foundation’s donors. “A precious opportunity to study Pollaiolo’s mastery up close,” notes Simonetta Brandolini d’Adda, president of Friends of Florence, “and an invitation to reflect on the importance of conserving the masterpieces that make up our cultural identity.”
Alongside the restoration, the Musei Civici Fiorentini and the Fondazione MUS.E have shaped a rich program of events to mark the anniversary, with in-depth talks, guided tours, children’s workshops, and gatherings designed to involve the whole city and pay tribute to this “treasure chest of wonders” left to Florence by Stefano Bardini, antiquarian and patron, whose bequest made possible in 1925 the birth of the museum in his former showroom on piazza de’ Mozzi.
The Museo Bardini first opened to the public as a civic museum in May 1925, so that the precious Bardini donation could be enjoyed by all. A century on, it remains a museum unlike any other — a “treasure chest of wonders” whose collections span sculpture, paintings, arms and armor, furniture, ceramics, and antique carpets, gathered by one of the most influential art dealers of his age.
The centenary is an extraordinary occasion to celebrate one hundred years of history and to rediscover the peculiarities of this marvelous place. Anyone planning a visit can pair the museum with the nearby Giardino Bardini and Palazzo Mozzi Bardini, once the antiquarian’s own residence and showroom — a short itinerary that traces the world of the man who assembled it all.
