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    Made in Florence: Laura Morelli's Authentic Arts
    Made in Florence: Laura Morelli's Authentic Arts
    Made in Florence: Laura Morelli's Authentic Arts
    Ebook168 pages1 hour

    Made in Florence: Laura Morelli's Authentic Arts

    By Laura Morelli

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    About this ebook

    Going to Florence, Italy?Don't buy anything in Florence until you read this guide!

    If you're traveling to Florence, Italy, you want to go home with a special souvenir: a leather bag, a gold bracelet, or a beautiful set of stationery. But selecting which wallet or jacket to buy can be an intimidating experience. How do you know if you're buying something authentic, made locally and in a traditional way? How do you determine if you've fallen prey to one of the city's many tourist traps?

    Art historian Laura Morelli leads you beyond the souvenir shops for an immersive cultural experience that you won't find in any other guidebook. This indispensable guide includes practical tips for locating the most authentic goods in one of the busiest tourist destinations in the world. Packed with useful information on pricing, quality, and value, and with a comprehensive resource guide, Laura Morelli s Authentic Arts: Florence is the perfect guide for anyone wanting to bring home the unique traditions of the birthplace of the Renaissance.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthentic Arts Publishing
    Release dateNov 3, 2015
    ISBN9781942467021
    Made in Florence: Laura Morelli's Authentic Arts
    Author

    Laura Morelli

    Laura Morelli holds a Ph.D. in art history from Yale University and has taught at the college level in the U.S. and in Italy. She is a TedEd educator and a columnist for National Geographic Traveler magazine. Her debut novel, The Gondola Maker, earned a starred review in Publishers Weekly as well as IPPY and Benjamin Franklin Awards. Her nonfiction travel guide series, including the popular book  Made in Italy, was originally published by Rizzoli / Universe.

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      Book preview

      Made in Florence - Laura Morelli

      AA-Florence-091015.jpg

      LAURA MORELLI’S AUTHENTIC ARTS

      A Travel Guide To Frames, Jewelry,

      Leather Goods, Maiolica, Paper, Silk,

      Fabrics, Woodcrafts & More

      Laura Morelli

      Copyright © 2015 by Laura Morelli.

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

      Published in the United States of America.

      LAURA MORELLI’S AUTHENTIC ARTS

      Library of Congress Control Number 2015931969

      Paperback ISBN: 978-1-942467-02-1

      eBook ISBNs: 978-1-942467-00-7 (ePUB), 978-1-942467-01-4 (mobi)

      Graphic Design: Shannon Bodie, Bookwise Design

      Laura Morelli’s Authentic Arts: Made in Florence /Authentic Arts Publishing. —1st ed.

      Image Credits:

      COVER: © danielito via Morguefile. EPIGRAPH: © fcarucci via depositphotos. INTRODUCTION: © ifeelstock via depositphotos. CHAPTER 1: p. 2 © CPhilip via istockphoto; p. 5 © via depositphotos; p. 7 Michelangelo Buonarotti, David, Galleria dell’Academia, Florence © Steve Hanna CC via Flickr; p. 10 © Laura Morelli courtesy of Patricia Morelli; p. 13 © Antonio Gravante via fotolia; p. 18 Luca della Robbia, Bust of a Young Girl, Bargello Museum, Florence © Russell McNeil CC via Flickr. CHAPTER 2: p. 20 © Lorenzo Patoia via istockphoto; p. 24 Castorina © KotomiCreations CC via Flickr; p. 26 © Giorgio Magini via istockphoto; p. 27 © intagliofirenze CC via Flickr; p. 31 © Lorenzo Patoia via istockphoto. CHAPTER 3: p. 34 Agnolo Bronzino, Portrait of Bia de Medici, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, CC via Wikimedia Commons; p. 39 © Artigianato e Palazzo, CC via Flickr; p. 40 Benvenuto Cellini, Salt Cellar, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, CC via Wikimedia Commons; p. 42 © Artigianato e Palazzo, CC via Flickr; p. 45 © ksiamal via depositphotos; p. 46 © gumbao via depositphotos. CHAPTER 4: p. 48 © danielito via Morguefile; p. 52 © Romuald Le Peru, CC via Flickr; p. 55 © Artigianato e Palazzo, CC via Flickr; p. 56 © Steven Allan via istockphoto; p. 60 © Antonio Gravante via fotolia. CHAPTER 5: p. 62 © Museo della Ceramica di Montelupo Fiorentino via eosarte.eu; p. 65 Apothecary jar (possibly the workshop of Giunta di Tugio) © Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 1975.1.1061, courtesy Open Access for Scholarly Content (OASC); p. 69 © Madonna and Child, workshop of Andrea della Robbia © Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 49.7.62, courtesy Open Access for Scholarly Content (OASC); p. 71 © Artigianato e Palazzo, CC via Flickr; p. 77 © Laura Morelli. CHAPTER 6: p. 80 © Malgorzata_Kistryn via depositphotos; p. 84 © Artigianato e Palazzo, CC via Flickr; p. 87 © siberianwarcat via istockphoto. CHAPTER 7: p. 90 © monsieur paradis CC via Flickr; p. 92 wool © Lorenzo Tomada CC via Flickr; p. 96 © AvalancheZ via istockphoto; p. 98 © tupungato via depositphotos. RESOURCES: p. 102 © stocknshares via istockphoto; p. 115 © Jon Gonzalo Torrontegui CC via Flickr; p. 120 © clarita via Morguefile; p. 123 © Giuseppe Moscato CC via Flickr. AUTHOR PHOTO: Sarah DeShaw

      Contents

      1 How to Shop in Florence

      2 Frames, Gilding, & Other Woodcrafts

      3 Jewelry & Works of Precious Metal

      4 Leather Goods

      5 Maiolica Ceramics

      6 Paper & Bookbinding

      7 Silk & Textiles

      Resources

      Index

      About the Author

      Also by Laura Morelli

      FREE DOWNLOAD

      Join my Readers’ Group and get a free copy of

      the companion book, Artisans of Florence.

      Visit www.LauraMorelli.com/Florence-ReaderGift

      to get started.

      …everything about Florence seems

      to be colored with a mild violet,

      like diluted wine.

      — HENRY JAMES, IN A LETTER FROM

      FLORENCE TO HIS FATHER, 1869

      If you hold even a passing interest in art history, it’s hard not to fall in love with Florence. In this birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, beauty, order, and a classical aesthetic breathe life into every street, every square, every building, and every bridge. Florence’s native sons— Botticelli, Brunelleschi, da Vinci, Donatello, Giotto, Michelangelo, and many others—still inform the way that the Western world views painting, sculpture, and architecture. Their legacy makes Florentine culture a timeless benchmark of beauty and technical excellence.

      As I pursued my own studies in art history, I couldn’t wait to travel to Florence to witness those famous masterpieces firsthand. When I arrived, however, I discovered that living artists were practicing centuries-old Florentine traditions in workshops and studios across the city. I found masters of leather etching gilded scrolls into belts and bags; women weaving silk on three-century-old looms; fifth-generation bookbinders punching letters into the spines of ancient texts; goldsmiths using their great-grandparents’ tools; even a master carrying on a three-hundred-year-old tradition of making powdered wigs. I realized that these unsung heroes quietly carried on a legacy unbroken from the time of medieval guilds. I couldn’t believe that while so many visitors knew about Michelangelo and da Vinci, so few knew about these living traditions and their makers.

      It became my mission to lead travelers beyond the tourist traps, helping them discover authentic traditions and their makers, and come home with great treasures in their suitcases. My focus is cultural immersion through a greater appreciation of artistic traditions and the people who still practice them. It’s impossible not to want to take a little piece of Florence home with you. In our world of mass production, many of us yearn for unique, culturally authentic, and immersive experiences. I can think of no better way to appreciate Florentine culture than by experiencing the stories, the people, and the beautiful objects behind the timeless traditions of this captivating city of art.

      1

      How to Shop in Florence

      Take one glance at the hundreds of leather jackets flapping in the breeze in the San Lorenzo market, and you will realize how overwhelming shopping in Florence can be. We all want to come home from Florence with a special souvenir, but selecting which leather bag or gold bracelet is the right choice can be intimidating. How do you know if you’re buying something authentic and high quality, something made locally and in a traditional way? How do you gauge how much you should pay, and how do you know if you’re being ripped off? How do you determine if you have fallen prey to one of the city’s many tourist traps? High-pressure sales tactics, the plethora of brand-name knockoffs sold on the street, and a dizzying array of high- and low-quality merchandise marketed alongside one another in the same shops and markets, make for a confusing shopping experience.

      Is the pursuit of authenticity worth all the trouble? You bet. Learning about the authenticity of Florentine craft traditions immerses you in the history of the city and the spirit of the Florentines themselves. In fact, I would argue that it’s one of the best ways to experience Florence from the inside out, ensuring that you’ll go home with memories—and hopefully a meaningful souvenir—to treasure for a lifetime.

      The craft traditions of Florence are deeply embedded in the city’s history, arguably more so than in any city in the world. From the twelfth century onward, the Florentine craft guilds, the Corporazioni di Arti e Mestieri, dominated the city’s economic and social organization. The seven major guilds (arti maggiori), five middle guilds (arti mediane) and nine minor guilds (arti minori) organized the lives of all craftspeople, from painters to sculptors, furriers to cobblers, and makers of everything from hats to belts, keys, bracelets, goblets, rugs, lamps, spoons, shoes, and stockings. Each maker had a role to play in Florentine society, and each contributed to the city’s culture of high technical skill, reputation for quality, and economic might.

      By the late Middle Ages, every neighborhood of Florence pulsed with the lifeblood of these trades. The ruling Medici family only served to bolster this already thriving culture of artisanal expertise by patronizing makers of fine objects in silver, gold, stone, textiles, and other materials. This intense flourishing of artisanal production helped pave the way for

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