Statues in Piazza della Signoria in Florence
There are loads of world famous, renaissance statues in Piazza della Signoria in Florence. And most of them represent male nudes.
Normally you would have to go to a unisex public bath or a nudist camp to find yourself surrounded by scores of naked men. And they are presumably not all as well-proportioned, as the male nudes inhabiting Piazza della Signoria in Florence.
Movement caught in stone
Michelangelo’s David directs his warning gaze at someone else.
In the 15th century Renaissance sculptors were busy studying the classical ideal, and they found that free-standing nudes had been missing in Europe since the Roman Empire. So they set about to revive the figures of classical antiquity in new and more realistic poses. The statues around Piazza della Signoria twist and turn their heads and shoulders. Their hips and legs are unaligned as an illustration of shifting weights. Renaissance artists are inordinately fond of contrapposto as a new means to give figures in paintings and statues an overall dynamic and life-like appearance. Here are three of my favourites.
A copy of Michelangelo’s David
Cacus in a rather ignoble fix
To the right of David you can’t help noticing the impressive muscles of Baccio Bandinelli’s Hercules from 1533. The worked-out demi-god is pulling the hair of Cacus, who will be clubbed and strangled in a minute, when Hercules’ attention is no longer diverted by someone passing by the right. You can see the eyes of Cacus have already started to bulge, the thick lips might as well quiver. All in all he is presented in a very ignoble position.
Neptune surrounded by nymphs and satyrs
Neptune presiding over a sea of monsters, satyrs and nymphs.
At the corner of the building other male nudes have settled in and around a fountain. The Fountain of Neptune by Bartolomeo Ammannati is meant to illustrate Florentine dominion over the sea symbolized by the chained sea monsters around and between the legs of the god. Seated on the edge of the fountain there are some mannerist bronze sculptures by Giambologna. They represent satyrs and nymphs. The fountain was finished in 1575, and filled with water from an ingenious aqueduct made especially to carry water from the source of Ginevra over a bridge crossing the river Arno and to the fountain. The public were unimpressed, so they used the fountain as a wash stand and subjected it to different kind of vandalism and theft.
All in all there’s a lot to see and contemplate regarding the statues in Piazza della Signoria in Florence. Apart from the obvious nudity of the models.
I just love all the statues there. I remember being absolutely awestruck when I first saw them on my visit to Florence. Thanks for bringing back the memories!
They are pretty remarkable, both because they seem so lifelike and make a crowd.
This was such an interesting read, Mette! We’re going to be in Florence next month so I’m looking forward to having a nice stroll at Piazza della Signoria. I’m glad I learned all this beforehand and will see the statues with a different perspective. Thanks!
Knowing the story illustrated by the statues made them a lot more interesting to me.
Very very excited off to Florence on Friday so looking forward to seeing all the sights
Hope you’ll enjoy every minute.
It’s been YEARS since I was in Firenze but the memories are still fresh and favored. I love this post, brings it all back to me – the fabulous coffee each morning at Albergo Firenze (gorgeous rooms there) and then strolling, wandering, getting lost and loving every second.
I’m sure you could find lots of raw poetry on the banks of the Arno river, Maria.
Great post and even though nude men is not my choice of viewing – seeing these classics would be worth every minute of it. Obviously I knew of Michelangelo’s David and Hercules but the history of the Fountain of Neptune was fascinating. Good post, Mette :)
Thank you Mike. I’m sure you’d enjoy it, if you visited Florence.
Art is definitely an interesting way to look into another culture and its history. Plus all the statues in Italy are incredible! Thanks for sharing!
Yes, the riches of Italy in terms of art are stunning.
Love it :)
Thank you.
Piazza della signoria – is that the square near the Uffizi? I remember my then 6-year-old shocked to see all those naked men (surprisingly prudish for a Scandinavian that one).
It is near the Uffizi. And looking at the pictures I can sort of understand your daughter. The nudity of these statues do get right in your face.
Ciao Mette! These timeless classics are wonderful, you are right. Florentines actually commented very sharply the statues when they were presented. Hercules and Caco were nicknamed “Lord & Tenant” or even “The bag of water melons” for the oversized muscles while Neptune was considered a big “waste of marble” compared to the harmonius perfection of David.
A presto!
Ciao Elena. Thanks a lot for the bonus info:) It’s understandable that such public art elicits a local reaction.
All beautiful male eye-candy! We were in Florence only for a day – a whirlwind visit. Too bad we couldn’t have spent more time…
Yes, you really need a crammed time-schedule to fit Florence into just one day. But then again you can always go back:)