On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Galleria del Costume of Palazzo Pitti. 

Between public and private court life: a Palace for three dynasties

Pitti Palace

Museum of Costume and Fashion

The collections of the Museum of Costume and Fashion will be exhibited again on a date to be determined and the &quot;Palazzina della Meridiana&quot; now is closed.The Museum of Costume and Fashion (formerly known as the Costume Gallery) is located in the Palazzina della Meridiana next to the southern wing of Pitti Palace. Started under Grand Duke of Tuscany Peter Leopold by architect Gaspero Maria Paoletti in 1776 and completed in 1830 by Pasquale Poccianti under Grand Duke Leopold II, the building takes its name from the astronomical instrument made by Vincenzo Viviani in 1699. The instrument is in the vestibule &ndash; with the gnomon pinhole &ndash; of Grand Prince Ferdinando de&rsquo; Medici&rsquo;s apartment. Anton Domenico Gabbiani depicted the Allegory of Time and the Arts (1693) in the vault of the vestibule. All the successive dynasties, from the Habsburg-Lorraine family to the House of Savoy, including the regency of Maria Luisa of Parma and the brief reign of Elisa Baciocchi, left their mark on furnishings and decorative wall paintings. Founded in 1983, it was the first State museum in Italy dedicated to the history of fashion and its social significance. Displayed in rotation for conservation reasons,&nbsp;its collections include clothes, jewellery and accessories from the 18th century to today, along with a captivating group of stage costumes worn by movie, theatre and opera stars in works helmed by reknowned&nbsp;20th-century directors. Among ancient garments, the 16th-century funeral clothes&nbsp;of Cosimo I de&rsquo; Medici, Eleanor&nbsp;of Toledo and their son Garzia de&rsquo; Medici have&nbsp;been completely restored and are&nbsp;part of the permanent collection on display.&nbsp;

Women in the Spotlight in the Twentieth Century

The accessory that allows you to be daring and customise your own style. It never goes unnoticed; the extra touch to your outfit

The hat between art and extravaganza

Details found on the “verso” can reveal unexpected surprises, on rare occasion even another work of art, and inscriptions and labels can have a story to tell  

Turnabout, the Hidden Side of the Collections. The 13th edition of the “I mai visti” exhibition series. Masterpieces from the Uffizi storage

An encounter with great Western art: an everlasting wonder

The Uffizi

The personification of “Patience”; a success that will go beyond the boundaries of Florence and inspire many 

The Medici’s collections of paintings on display with a vast array of sumptuous frames, furnishings, stuccoes, silks and Baroque frescoes

Palatine Gallery

The Palatine Gallery and Royal and Imperial Apartments occupy the entire first floor of Pitti Palace, which was the residence of the Medici dynasty, then of Habsburg-Lorraine one and lastly of the House of Savoy, hosting the King of Italy from 1865&nbsp;to 1919. The lavish Gallery was founded between the end of the 18th century and the first decades of the 19th century by the Habsburg-Lorraine family, who hung about 500 masterpieces in the ceremonial rooms chosen from the main Medici&rsquo;s collections. It is an impressive selection, which includes the largest concentration of paintings by Raphael in the world of, as well as invaluable works by Titian, Tintoretto, Caravaggio and Rubens. The paintings in their lavish frames entirely cover the walls of the rooms which are enriched by sculptures, vases and tables with semi-precious stone inlays, typical of 17th-century galleries.&nbsp;The sensational series of frescoes by Pietro da Cortona for Grand Duke of Tuscany Ferdinando II de&rsquo; Medici, realized between 1640 and 1647 in the &ldquo;Planet Rooms&rdquo;, adds to the unique charm of the Gallery, where every work of art is enhanced by the setting and the furnishings

Giorgio Vasari and the Allegory of Patience

An exhibition which illustrates the story of the acquisitions of the richest and oldest collection in the world devoted to self-portraits of artists

The Hungarian Self-Portraits at the Uffizi

Ferdinando’s great interest in fine arts and his role as patron of the arts  

The Grand Prince Ferdinando De' Medici (1663 - 1713) Collector and Patron of the Arts

Collections of sophisticated ivory masterpieces allow the visitor to enter a magical world of graceful objects 

A rich collection of decorative arts in the Medici’s sumptuous Summer Apartments

Treasury of the Grand Dukes

Formerly known as the Silver Museum, the Treasury of the Grand Dukes&nbsp;is located on the ground and mezzanine floors of Pitti Palace, and comprises the rooms that were once the summer apartments of the Medici family. Its walls, entirely frescoed on the occasion of the wedding&nbsp;between&nbsp;Grand Duke of Tuscany Ferdinando II de&rsquo;Medici and Vittoria della Rovere (1637), are one of the first examples of quadrature and trompe-l&rsquo;oeil perspective in Florence. It houses the precious &ldquo;Medici&rsquo;s Treasure&rdquo;: semi-precious stone vases, rock crystals, ambers and ivories. The silverware comes from the &ldquo;Treasure of Salzburg&rdquo; - the collections of the Bishops of Salzburg - and was brought to Florence by Grand Duke of Tuscany Ferdinand&nbsp;III of Habsburg-Lorraine. The Museum also houses an important collection of jewellery realized&nbsp;between the 17th and 20th centuries and has a large section dedicated to contemporary jewellery.

Diaphanous Passions - Baroque ivories from the courts of Europe

Returning to a suspended state of sleep. The dream as a manifestation and a revelation of a different world.

The Renaissance Dream

The art of making porcelain and the Doccia Manufactory, synonymous with elegance and refinement. 

Luxury and elegance The French Porcelain at court and the Ginori Factory (1800 - 1830)

Artistic interactions between Florence and Spain in the first two decades of the sixteenth century 