Opera magazine
2025-04-01
From the Emperor's Treasure to the Treasure of Florence
The Remarkable Story of Nicoletta Grioni’s 1394 Donation to the Baptistery of Florence
Have you ever heard of the extraordinary treasure of the Baptistery of Florence? Now largely preserved and displayed in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, the Baptistery’s treasure is a unique blend of art and devotion, where stories and events from distant times and places intertwine. It comprises an exceptional collection of relics, reliquaries, and other artifacts and works of art, many of which originated in the ancient Eastern Roman Empire, with its capital in Constantinople.
One of the most significant parts of this treasure comes from a donation made in the late 14th century by the Venetian noblewoman Nicoletta Grioni. Among the many relics she donated, the jawbone of Saint John the Baptist—Florence’s patron saint—stands out. Today, it is housed in the 16th-century reliquary by Cerluzi in the Chapel of Relics in the Museum. Also part of her donation are the relics of several Greek saints, preserved in the reliquaries known as those of Saint Philip and Saint Simeon Stylites, both exhibited in the same room. In 2021, another relic from the Grioni donation was rediscovered within the reliquary of Saint Simeon Stylites: a vertebra from the Baptist’s neck, now placed in a separate reliquary and kept in the Cathedral.
The imperial treasure also included a panel depicting Saint John, now lost, and a splendid, rare micromosaic diptych—two small panels crafted by Byzantine artisans in the 14th century, now on display in the Sala delle Cantorie of the Museum. On a wax base, tiny mosaic tesserae illustrate twelve episodes from the life of Christ, each corresponding to a major feast in the Christian liturgical calendar and labeled with its Greek name.
But how did these treasures come into the hands of this noblewoman? And why were they donated to Florence? The story is both complex and fascinating. These works originally belonged to the personal treasury of the Eastern Roman Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos (1292–1383). After just one year on the throne, in 1354, Kantakouzenos abdicated and withdrew to the Monastery of Saint George of the Mangana, taking the monastic name Josef. Out of necessity, he then sold part of his imperial treasure. Historical sources reveal that these precious relics were auctioned in Venice, where they were purchased by Pietro di Giunta Torrigiani, a Tuscan merchant and Nicoletta Grioni’s husband. Pietro later sold part of the collection to the Ospedale di Santa Maria della Scala in Siena—where they are still preserved and exhibited today—in exchange for a lifetime annuity. Among these were relics of saints, a nail from the True Cross, and sacred objects associated with the Virgin Mary, including her veil, cap, and belt.
Upon her husband's death in 1394, Nicoletta donated the remainder of the treasure to the consuls of the Merchants’ Guild of Calimala in Florence, the guild responsible for the Baptistery, receiving in return an annual annuity of forty-eight ducats (equivalent to fifty-one florins). At the time of her donation, the relics were adorned with votive plaques engraved with the names or images of the saints—still visible through the reliquaries’ crystal casings—and stored in a bronze chest, which was later sold in 1503. Nicoletta Grioni passed away in 1409, yet more than six centuries later, her extraordinary treasure continues to shine in our monumental complex.
