An exhibition in Arezzo devoted to tournaments and war games of the Middle Ages and Renaissance

Through Jan. 12, 2025 at the Ivan Bruschi House Museum of Antiques in Arezzo, part of Intesa Sanpaolo’s holdings, the exhibition Tornei di Toscana. The Giostra del Saracino, the Palio della Balestra and the Gioco del Ponte, curated by Riccardo Franci, head of the Stibbert Museum’s armory. The exhibition is part of the Terre degli Uffizi program, conceived and implemented by Gallerie degli Uffizi and Fondazione CR Firenze as part of their respective initiatives Uffizi Diffusi and Piccoli Grandi Musei.

Beginning precisely with the Joust of the Saracen, a much-celebrated event in the city of Arezzo, the exhibition documents warlike games, through prints and paintings from various eras from the Uffizi Galleries and especially through numerous examples of helmets, weapons and armor from the famous Stibbert Museum collection, chivalric competitions that came into fashion in the Middle Ages and continued into the Renaissance as well as the Palio della Balestra, a famous precision competition, and the’ancient Gioco del Ponte, a challenge of strength between foot soldiers to conquer the Ponte Vecchio in Pisa.

The most recognizable work on display, namely the 16th-century Buratto on loan from the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, welcomes visitors to the exhibition. Likely made for the wedding celebrations of Francesco I and Bianca Cappello in 1579, the sculpture has undergone several additions over time that transformed it from a noble Saracen to the European-style warrior seen today. The picture shows is another prestigious work, the harnessed knight for a carousel by Stefano Della Bella on loan from Le Gallerie degli Uffizi. The richness and pomp of the robes and caparison remind us of the splendor of spectacular events held to celebrate power. It is again Stefano della Bella who in the painting on loan from the Fondazione CR Firenze illustrates one such performance, namely the Night Carousel held in the Boboli Gardens in 1637. Weapons and armor on display come from the Stibbert Museum in Florence, which holds one of the richest collections of materials from the ancient Gioco del Ponte in Pisa. The same provenance has some splendid 17th-century crossbows richly inlaid with hunting scenes produced by southern German manufactures . From the collections of the Ivan Bruschi Foundation comes the amusing letter of challenge from the “invittissimo, gloriosissimo, e sempre vittorioso Buratto re dell’Indie” printed to announce the August 26, 1674 edition of the Joust of the Saracen in honor of Cardinal Corsini, bishop of Arezzo.

For all information, you can visit the official Uffizi website.

Ph. credit: Stefano Casati

An exhibition in Arezzo devoted to tournaments and war games of the Middle Ages and Renaissance

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