Opera magazine
2024-09-16
Facade Stories
From the destruction of Arnolfo's Medieval facade to the proposals of the 16th and 17th centuries
We have spoken extensively about the ancient medieval façade of the Duomo, dismantled in 1587, as well as the events surrounding the construction of the current façade, completed in the 19th century under the guidance of architect Emilio De Fabris. However, we have dedicated little space to the story of that long intermediate period, lasting three centuries, during which numerous proposals—none realized—were made by some of the most notable architects of the 16th and 17th centuries.
In fact, the dismantling of Arnolfo's ancient façade marked the beginning of a new chapter in the cathedral's history. Endowing the façade of Santa Maria del Fiore with a new look, updated to the tastes of the time, proved to be a difficult task, completed only in 1887, and not without significant challenges. After the construction of the great choir (1547–72) and the creation of over 3,600 square meters of painted surface for the interior of the dome (1572–79), a new façade would have crowned the important era of the Grand Ducal Medici power, elevating it to the level of the great European courts.
Unfortunately, no reconstruction followed the destruction of Arnolfo di Cambio's medieval façade. From the late 16th century through the 17th century, many proposals were made, but none were realized. On the second floor of our museum, seven splendid wooden models are preserved and displayed, illustrating this turbulent history.
The first modern project was by Buontalenti, who was commissioned by Francesco I to create the new façade in the so-called Florentine "Mannerist" style. The wooden model, carved and painted, has a highly dramatic effect but, overall, appears to be more of an exercise in style—refined and almost self-serving—without much effort to connect with the existing architecture of the rest of the Duomo. However, it echoes the medieval tradition through the use of white and green marble, as can be seen in the coloring of some parts of the model.
A second, slightly later project by Buontalenti also survives, in which the architect attempted to harmonize with the style of the Baptistery by including three tall arches corresponding to the three entrances, recalling both the great Roman triumphal arches and the decorative lower level of the Baptistery exterior.
Unfortunately, Francesco I died, and his successor, Ferdinando I, tasked the Tuscan architect trained in Rome, Giovanni Dosio, with creating another proposal, more aligned with the austere Roman style and featuring giant order elements. Dosio, who in 1582 had modernized the medieval façade of the episcopal palace, would have brought a sense of unity to the square with his design.
From the same period, we also have a project by Giambologna, which, in line with Dosio's, sought to connect the new façade with the pre-existing medieval structures. This was followed by a proposal attributed to the amateur architect Don Giovanni de' Medici, featuring two orders like Dosio’s, along with decorative elements such as scrolls and hanging garlands.
None of these proposals were accepted, nor were those presented in the 17th century. Consider, for example, the model prepared in 1635 by Accademia delle Arti del Disegno for Ferdinando II, or the one, now in Baroque style, by Gherardo Silvani—the only one to include a rough representation of the Duomo counter-façade, featuring a clock display different from the one frescoed by Paolo Uccello in 1443.
At the end of the 17th century, Grand Duke Cosimo III gave the cathedral a façade for the marriage of his son Ferdinando to Violante of Bavaria (1689), but it was not an architectural front; rather, it was a colossal mural painting, traces of which could still be seen in early photographs of the Duomo from the 1850s. This façade, created by Ercole Graziani and passed down through woodcuts by Bernardo Sansone Sgrilli (1733), is reproduced on the back wall of the Models Gallery in the museum.
