Strawberry Hill House is showing its latest In Focus exhibition until 24 July 2022; The Grand Tour: The Two Horaces and the Court of Florence.
The exhibition is inspired by three volumes of Studio d'architettura civile sopra gli ornamenti di porte, e finestre .. tratte da alcune fabbriche insigni di Firenze, which had been illustrated by the renowned Italian architect Ferdinando Ruggieri (1691-1741) and produced exactly 300 years ago in 1722. The volumes, which represent a rare survey of Florentine architecture, are illustrated with exquisite plates showing the works by the leading mannerist architects active in Florence between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century, including Ammanati, Buontalenti, Dosio, Vasari, Michelangelo and Cigoli.
Originally part of Walpole's Library, they were dispersed at auction in 1842 along with the rest of the collection. It is thanks to the Acceptance in Lieu Scheme, administered by the Arts Council, that these three volumes have finally returned home. The purpose of the show is to place Ruggeri's volumes at the centre of a dense network of relationships and works of art that resonate with Walpole's infatuation with Florence and the Medici.
Visit Exhibition Site >
Don't miss out on the opportunity to pre-order your copy of Lefty Lewis and the Waldegraves: Collecting, Obsession, Friendship by Stephen Clarke.
The book will be available from June 2022, but you can pre-order now via our bookstore.