Baccio del Bianco (attr.), Baccio del Bianco, Architectural project of the facade for the Cathedral
- Author
- Baccio del Bianco, Luigi (attr.)
- Date
- 1635
- Collocation
- Galleria dei modelli
- Material
- Carta, grafite, inchiostro
- Technique
- Drawing
- Dimensions
- Height: 104 cm; Width: 65 cm;
- Material
- Carta, grafite, inchiostro
The drawing and the painting show one of the projects of the second competition of 1635, launched by Ferdinand II. Both are attributed to Baccio del Bianco, who was the winner of that competition together with Silvani. When Grand Duke Ferdinando II de 'Medici addressed the issue of a new facade for the Cathedral once more in 1633, the Academy of Design opposed the implementation of Giovanni Antonio Dosio’s forty year-old project. Florentine architects persuaded the Grand Duke to allow them to develop a joint project and, after a number of false starts, decided the facade should be divided into three bays and convey a certain vertical emphasis. The drawing illustrates how the main portal was to be crowned with a large relief of the Assumption of the Virgin.