In 1494, when the Medici were expelled from Florence, the palace and all the family’s assets, including Donatello’s bronze David and the marble sculptural group Judith and Holofernes, were seized by the Republic of Florence. The House of Medici regained power in 1512 and the palace on Via Larga was once again the official family residence until 1540, when the young Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici decided to move to Palazzo della Signoria due to its strategic location. In 1659, the Palace was acquired by Marquis Gabriello Riccardi for forty thousand scudi: its architecture and layout were deemed too grim compared to the flamboyant style in vogue at the time, so it was completely renovated, in particular its interiors, in the wake of Baroque taste. They remodelled the palace and built the baroque staircase along with the Galleria degli Specchi, a sumptuous masterpiece of baroque art. Luca Giordano adorned it's ceiling with his complex Allegory of Divine Wisdom (1685), a marvelous example of late baroque dripping with gold leaf and bursting with colour. This sparkling Hall of Mirrors offers an in-depth look at the ‘second life’ of the palazzo, which began when it was purchased by the Riccardi family and became their residence. | by madinutza
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