FLORENCE, ITALY – As a brand synonymous with craftsmanship and heritage, it is no surprise that Gucci feels a strong affinity with the world-renowned arts of Florence, the city in which the House was born.
To this end the Gucci Donation Project – launched at the time the museum was founded in 2010 – sees Gucci Museo donate 50% of all revenue generated from ticket sales to the City of Florence -approximately 340,000 euros- with the aim of preserving the city’s internationally famous artworks.
The first venture in this laudable mission is the restoration of a series of spectacular 16th century tapestries which formerly hung in the Sala dei Duecento, or Hall of the Two Hundred, a space located in the oldest part of the Palazzo and originally designed to hold meetings of the 200 member-strong Citizen Council.
Commissioned by Cosimo dei Medici in 1545 the tapestries, which took a decade to complete, are a showcase of the best of Renaissance art, woven by the finest Flemish weavers whose skills brought to life vibrant scenes depicted by eminent Florentine painters Bronzino and Pontorno.
The tapestries narrate the story of Giuseppe Ebreo – he of the famed coat of many colours – and relate cautionary tale that contemplates the universal and timeless themes of human existence: love, jealousy, envy, faith, passion and forgiveness are all portrayed in scenes filled with drama and heart-stopping beauty.
In 1983 unfavourable conditions, which threatened the integrity of the tapestries, led to their removal from the Sala dei Duecento. Thanks to assistance from the Gucci Donation Project the ten masterpieces have recently been restored in the Palazzo Vecchio restoration laboratory by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, a public institute of the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage and a global leader in the field of art restoration.
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