The studiolo of Francesco I de' Medici: A Recently-Found Inventory, Lindsay Alberts.

Francesco I de' Medici (r. 1564-87), the second Grand Duke of Tuscany, commissioned a private studiolo in the Palazzo Vecchio that united his personal passion for collecting objects of natural wonder with the Medici tradition of utilizing art to proclaim authority. Cabinets lining the walls protected the Grand Duke's collection of rare, precious, and exotic works of art and natural specimens. With the objects dispersed over time, art historians have until now only been able to guess at the kinds of objects on display. In 2014, the author discovered in the Archivio di Stato di Firenze a previously unpublished inventory from June 1574 that documents the objects contained within Francesco's studiolo, shedding light on both objects and organization within and contributing to our understanding of what studioli looked like at a moment of transition from the Renaissance focus on antiquities towards a 17th century fascination with the natural sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]