Florence: a portrait - Softcover

LEVEY, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0712673105 ISBN 13: 9780712673105

Publisher: Pimlico, 1997

Synopsis

Surveying the physical evolution and enhancement of Florence from medieval republican times to the beginning of the 19th century, this study is part history, part guide and part celebration. While discussing artefacts of many kinds - a cameo or reliquary no less than great buildings and other major works of art - it also considers some of the chief personalities who have contributed to the present-day physical appearance of the city.

About this title

Review:

The usual tourist group's stay in Florence begins with the Duomo, runs through the paintings in the Uffizi, includes a visit to Michaelangelo's "David" and ends with a parade through a handful of churches. But the visitor who first reads Sir Michael Levey's portrait of the city will find rewards off that well-worn track. The city, a self-styled "new Athens" supported a wealth of artists, sculptors, humanists, and scholars, not to mention more than its share of wealthy individuals, who taken together, helped turn Florence into one of the world's great provincial outposts. Layering telling details, little-known facts and carefully explained social and intellectual history, Levey weaves a dense tale of this charming city, from the Middle Ages to the Quattrocento, through the Renaissance and on up to the early years of this century.

About the Author:

Michael Levey was Director of the National Gallery, London, from 1973 to 1986. His many books include Early Renaissance, The World of Ottoman Art, and Giambattista Tiepolo.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pimlico
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0712673105
• ISBN 13: 9780712673105
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1