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With
the Duomo being the center of things spiritual in Florence, it was inevitable
that many of the great artists of Florence would cross paths with it at one
time or another, often being contracted to create some sort of decoration for
the Campanile, Baptistery or Duomo itself.
It was also inevitable that someone would eventually notice that
centuries of being outdoors was taking a toll on these decorations, and that it
would be desirable to move them indoors for their protection. The Museo dell’Opera del Duomo (Museum of the
Works of the Duomo), located just behind the Duomo, was established in 1891 for
this purpose. Over the years, many works
have been moved to the museum from their original indoor and outdoor positions and often replaced by copies. In the museum, the pieces have undergone
restoration where possible and have been placed on display.
Partially-Completed Cathedral Façade, Bernardino Poccetti (1587) | 
Evangelists, Formerly from Duomo Façade |
St. John, Donatello (c. 1415) | 
Nella and Evangelists
HD Video (19.6 MB) SD Video (3.1 MB) |
Madonna of the Glass Eyes, Arnolfo di Cambio (late 13th C.) | 
Madonna of the Glass Eyes and Nella
HD Video (15.4 MB) SD Video (3.8 MB) |
Connie with Doctors of the Church, Piero di Giovanni Tedesco | 
St. Sebastian, Giovanni del Biondo |
St. Sebastian and Quatrefoils
HD Video (18.5 MB) SD Video (3.7 MB) | 
St. Reparata, Lorenzo di Niccolò (15th C.) |
Reliquary of St. Jerome, Antonio di Salvi Salvucci (15th C.) | 
Room of the Porta della Mandoria
HD Video (15.4 MB) SD Video (3.3 MB) |
The Creation of Eve, Donatello (c. 1410) | 
Madonna and Child Between Two Angels, Andrea della Robbia (1489) |
The
museum has a central courtyard which is the location at which Michelangelo
carved his statue of David (originally intended as a Duomo decoration). The statue, after standing in front of the
Palazzo Vecchio for centuries, is now in the Galleria dell’Accademia, which
we’ll see later. The courtyard is now
used to display some statues which were originally on the baptistery, and some
of the original panels of Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise. The original doors remained in place until
1966, but were damaged when the Arno flooded
disastrously during that year. The doors
now on the Baptistery are copies (very good ones), and the some of the original
panels have been placed on display in the courtyard.
The Baptism of Christ, Andrea Sansovino, Vincenzo Danti and Innocenzo Spinazzi (1502-1792) | 
Baptistery with Copy of Baptism of Christ |
Baptism of Christ and Solomon and Queen of Sheba Panel, Gates of Paradise
HD Video (16.6 MB) SD Video (5.9 MB) | 
The Meeting of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (Original Panel) |
The Fall of Jericho | 
The Fall of Jericho Panel
HD Video (10.0 MB) SD Video (3.9 MB) |
The Fall of Jericho Panel (copy on Baptistery) | 
Abraham and the Sacrifice of Isaac |
The Labors of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel | 
The Beheading of John the Baptist, Vincenzo Danti (1569-70) |
Also
on display in the museum are a number of drawings and models depicting plans
for development of the Duomo, many of which never came to pass but are works of
art in their own right.
Designs for Façade | 
Model for Façade, Accademia del Disegno (1635) |
Model of Cathedral | 
Models for Never-Completed Dome Balcony |
Model of Dome Lantern | 
Death-Mask of Filippo Brunelleschi (1446) |
One
of the most interesting works in the museum is an unfinished Pieta which was sculpted by Michelangelo
and intended for his own tomb. Part way
through the work, Michelangelo became frustrated due to what he felt was the
poor quality of the stone and abandoned it, giving it some disgusted whacks with
his hammer. It was later repaired
according to Michelangelo’s models and a figure of Mary Magdalene was added on
the left by another artist, Tiberio Calcagni.
Looking at the statue, it’s pretty obvious the comparatively lifeless
Mary Magdalene was done by someone else.
The hooded figure in the middle represents Nidodemus, and is thought to
be a self-portrait of Michelangelo.
There were two amazing choir lofts on display which were once in the Duomo.
Some weathered decorations that originally graced the campanile were also on view.
Campanile with Copies of Statues near Base | 
Beardless Prophet, Donatello |
Habacuc, Donatello | 
Campanile with Panel Copies near Base |
Gionitus, Inventor of Astronomy, The Art of Building and Medicine | 
The Creation of Eve, Andrea Pisano |
And a few other pieces:
Magdalene, Donatello (1455) | 
Magdalene and Silver Cross
HD Video (19.3 MB) SD Video (5.2 MB) |
The Silver Cross, 1457-59 | 
Bust of St. Zenobius, Monte di Giovanni (16th C.) |
Restorers at Work | 
Duomo and Scaffolding |
Outside Museum EntranceHD Video (19.9 MB) SD Video (9.6 MB)
From the Duomo Museum, we struck out northeastward along the Via dei Servi to keep our appointment with David, at the Galleria dell'Accademia.
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