Architecture, representation, and presence. Alessandro de’ Medici’s new façade for the archiepiscopal palace of Florence (1581-1584)

Although Alessandro de’ Medici became archbishop of Florence in January of 1574, he did not arrive in the city until 12 March 1584. During the decade he remained in Rome, the archbishop had a great deal of work done on the Florentine archiepiscopal palace : beginning in 1574, the chapel of San Salvatore was repaired ; the shops on the palace’s ground floor were improved ; and the archiepiscopal apartments were redecorated. The design and building of a new façade, however, was intimately linked with the archbishop’s actual arrival in the city. Its rapid construction just prior to the prelate’s ceremonial entry into Florence suggests that it served as the backdrop for this ritual of archiepiscopal adventus. The article examines the implications of this relationship between architecture, representation, and presence in considering the image the façade presented of the new Medici archbishop. Both the style and timing of the construction associated Alessandro de’ Medici with the spirituality and aims of the Counter Reformation.Miller Maureen. Architecture, representation, and presence. Alessandro de’ Medici’s new façade for the archiepiscopal palace of Florence (1581-1584). In: Mélanges de l'École française de Rome. Italie et Méditerranée, tome 115, n°1. 2003. Représentation et identité en Italie et en Europe (XVe–XIXe siècle) pp. 13-28