Palazzo Strozzi

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Palazzo Strozzi is a palace in Florence, Italy. The Palace was begun in 1489^[1] by Benedetto da Maiano, for Filippo Strozzi the Elder, a rival of the Medici who had returned to the city and desired the most magnificent palace to assure his family's prominence. A great number of other buildings were acquired and demolished to provide enough space for the new construction. Giuliano da Sangallo the Younger provided a wood model of the design. Filippo Strozzi died in 1491, long before the construction's completion in 1538. Duke Cosimo I de' Medici confiscated it in the same year, returning it to the Strozzi family thirty years later.

Palazzo Strozzi is a splendid example of civil architecture with its rusticated stone,^[2] inspired by the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, but with more harmonious proportions. Unlike the Medici Palace, which was sited on a corner lot, and thus has only two sides, this building, surrounded on all for sides by streets, is a free-standing structure. This introduced a problem new in Renaissance architecture, which, given the need for symmetry was how to integrate the cross-axis.

The palazzo has mullioned windows and a magnificent cornice, typical of the Florentine palaces of the time, left incomplete by Cronaca, who continued the construction of the palace until 1504. Also by Cronaca is the cortile or central courtyard surrounded by an arcade^[3], inspired by Michelozzo. The famous wrought-iron lanterns that decorate the corners of the palace exterior, are by the artisan, Caparra.

Today the palace is used for international expositions like the annual Antique Show, the Italian High Fashion shows and other cultural and artistic events. Here also is the seat of the Istituto Nazionale del Rinascimento and the noted Gabinetto Vieusseux, with the library and reading room.

[edit] See also

• Palais Strozzi in Vienna

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Matthews, Kevin (2007). Palazzo Strozzi. The Great Buildings Collection. Artifice, Inc.. Retrieved on February 16, 2007.
• (Italian) Palazzo Strozzi. Retrieved on February 16, 2007.

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 43.771395° 11.251341°
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