Bargello, 2013

Inside the courtyard of the great fortress of the Bargello;
originally city hall, then the sheriff's office, then the jail,
it's now home to one of the great collections of Renaissance
sculpture and many of the assorted Medici treasures

A Giambologna 2fer: Mercury and Bacchus

Michaelangelo's unfinished Brutus

Michaelangelo's Tondo Pitti

Donatello's very early David

And his mature David, the first big bronze done since
antiquity; no, I don't think it's better than Michaelangelo's,
just far more interesting

Donatello's St. George, formerly at the Orsanmichelle

In 2011, I think we focused just on the Renaissance sculpture, missing much of the
rest of an incredible museum, here, in the Muslim room...one of Florence's major
trading partners was Ottoman Turkey

Perhaps the biggest and best Muslim lamp we have yet seen
...all glass, 15th century

Smaller metal sculpture

Now in the Mary Magdalene chapel with...

Its fresco of Dante, closer up than in 2011

And this small crucifix attributed to
Michaelangelo

In the ivory and such room, reputedly one of the West's largest collections

From Scandinavia...a knight from a Lewis Island chess set?
we wondered

Porcelains room...and much more

Just about every room is adorned with several della Robbias...
here's a large one in the della Robbia room

And not least, the Medici bronze bird collection, from one of the country villas,
done by Giambologna