The "Rigor and Grace" Exhibit (Palazzo Pitti, Florence, Italy)

Rigor and Grace. The Confraternity of San Benedetto Bianco in 17th-century Florence (Rigore e la Grazia. La compagnia di San Benedetto Bianco nel Seicento Fiorentino)

One of the temporary exhibits we encountered during our tour of the Palazzo Pitti is the Il Rigore e la Grazia. La compagnia di San Benedetto Bianco nel Seicento Fiorentino (Rigor and Grace. The Confraternity of San Benedetto Bianco in 17th-century Florence), a unique art exhibition of little-known paintings made by great 17th century masters for the Brotherhood of San Benedetto Bianco, one of the most important secular brotherhoods of Florence. Supposed to be held only from October 22, 2015 to May 17, 2016, it must have been extended as our visit was almost two weeks after its supposed end.

Crucifixion (Ferdinando Tacca)

 

The Brotherhood of San Benedetto Bianco, founded in 1357 in the Camaldolese monastery of San Salvatore, later moved to the Great Cloister of the Dominican convent of Santa Maria Novella and then moved permanently inside the Old Cemetery and, more specifically, in the halls built by Giorgio Vasari in 1570, where it remained.

Esau Sells his Birthright (Lorenzo Lippi, 1645)

In 1866 the headquarters of the Brotherhood became the little-known 19th-century church along Orti Oricellari Street. It was then moved to the parish of Santa Lucia sul Prato. Before its dissolution in 1940, the congregation donated, to the Florentine Curia, the entire artistic heritage acquired over the centuries, which was (partly) deposited in the Major Seminary of Cestello, where it remains today.

Jael and Sisera (Antonio Ruggeri, 1648)

One of the most important and prestigious Florentine lay groups, at the center of the Confraternity’s spirituality was the sacrifice of Christ which is a recurring theme in the works commissioned and purchased by the Confraternity. This must-be-seen art exhibition, held in the annexes attached to the Palatine Chapel in the Museo Degli Argenti, featured 36 works, 21 of which have been finely and meticulously renovated and restored to their original splendor.  Of the 21, 14 were paintings while others were a fresco, a sculpture in papier-mâché, a manuscript and three cups, all belonging to the Archbishop’s Curia and various Florentine churches.

Jeroboam and the Prophet Ahijah (Vincenzo Dandini)

Two wonderful paintings, depicting St. Julian (San Giuliano) and St Benedict, by Cristofano Allori, were brought to light by the restoration after the damages suffered during the terrible flood of 1966. Initially, the tables were united and formed the great altarpiece that protected the relics on the altar of the Brotherhood.  Thanks to a special mechanism, the altarpiece could then be spectacularly raised on the occasion of the exposition of the relics of the two saints.

Lot and his Daughters (Simone Pignoni)

Intending to present the audience with a sort of rediscovered secret treasure, these were paintings by artists such as Ferdinando Tacca, Vincenzo Dandini, Agostino Melissi, Carlo Dolci, Matteo Rosselli, Lorenzo Lippi, Mario Balassi, Onorio Marinari and Cristofano Allori who, through their work, wanted to embellish the premises of the brotherhood.

Repudiation of Agar (Giovanni Martinelli)

The art exhibition was, also above all, a unique opportunity to admire the splendid Palatine Chapel, at the ground floor of the Pitti Palace, from the inside. Though the chapel always remained a place of worship, it was, usually, opened to the public only on rare occasions. Also, thanks to the dedicated restorations and the new exhibition rooms, which have also been renovated and added to the exhibition halls of the Museo degli Argenti, it was also a way to protect and enhance the cultural heritage of Florence.

St. Benedict and St. Julian (Cristofano Allori)

The  exhibition wound through three rooms located to the left of the Palatine Chapel which, as well as the adjacent buildings, were once part of a large apartment that was home to numerous members of the House of Medici, including Cosimo II and his wife Marguirite-Luise d ‘Orléans and Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III de’ Medici. It was only in 1765 that Peter Leopold, Duke of Lorraine, ordered that the salon be transformed into the current chapel.

Flagellation of Christ (Agostino Melissi)

The exhibition was made particularly interesting by several study findings.  Through a large and precise archival work, the authors of the essays in the catalog were able to retrieve some valuable documents which show the original furnishings of the Palatine Chapel as well as those of the historical site of the Brotherhood in Santa Maria Novella Cathedral.

Susannah and the Elders (Agostino Melissi, 1648)

The painstaking work has also helped to establish the paternity of works and paintings made for San Benedetto Bianco by famous artists such as Agostino Melissi, Jacopo Vignali and Volterrano but, above all, to retrieve the archival collection of the Zuti family, a very important document not only, from the artistic point of view of the city, but also useful to define its history.

The Finding of Moses (Jacopo Vignali, 1645-46)

Eight paintings, with Biblical subjects, bear the signatures of some of the most celebrated artists of the Seicento in Florence.  They represent scenes from the Old Testament which refer to facts that really happened to brother Gabriele Zuti, linked to the scourge of the plague in 1630. The eight are Repudiation of Agar (Giovanni Martinelli), Jacob and Esau (Lorenzo Lippi), Healing of Tobias  (Mario Balassi),  Jael and Sisera (Ottavio Vannini), Lot and the Daughters  (Simone Pignoni), Finding of Moses (Jacopo Vignali), Susanna and the Elders (Agostino Melissi) and Jeroboam and the Prophet Ahijah (Vincenzo Dandini).

The Healing of Tobias (Mario Ballassi, 1645)

These masterpieces are, certainly, the most important donation received by the Brotherhood.  The brother Gabriele Zuti commissioned it around 1650 to beautify his house and then gave it to St Benedict at the time of his death in 1680.

The Altar of the Confraternity

Michel Scipioni, Alessandro Grassi and Giovanni Serafini, the young curators of this exhibition, were able to express the best of the art and spirituality of the Brotherhood by highlighting its main feature – the propensity to seriousness and discipline but also to beauty.

Jesus Falls Under the Weight of the Cross (Vincenzo Dandini)

Rigor and Grace. The Confraternity of San Benedetto Bianco in 17th-century Florence: Palatine Chapel, Pitti Palace, Piazza de’ Pitti, 1, Florence, Italy. Tel:+39 055 294883. Open Tuesdays-Sundays, 8:15 AM – 6:50 PM. Admission: Palatine Gallery (€8.50), Silver Museum (€6.00), Gallery of Modern Art (€8.50), Costume Gallery/Porcelain Museum/Boboli Gardens/Bardini Garden (€6.00).

How to Get There: Take the C3 or D bus to the Pitti stop.