Uffizi, a virtual exhibition among the jewels painted in art masterpieces

Starting today on the Uffizi Galleries website a new virtual exhibition, entitled Jewels at the Uffizi: an itinerary through the mysteries of painted gems. It is a journey from the 15th to the early 16th century, showing high-definition reproductions of masterpieces depicting splendid jewels.

Painted precious gems play a significant role because they tell of past fashions, reveal the taste of an era, often constitute the memory of lost objects, and sometimes even help to better understand the meaning of a work or the identity of a personage. The jewelry depicted are almost never mere decorative details, but real clues or traces of the artist’s culture.

The virtual exhibition features 26 paintings, from Gentile da Fabriano ’sAdoration of the Magi to Raphael ’s Portrait of Elisabetta Gonzaga to Hans Holbein’s Portrait of Richard Southwell.

“Exactly two months have passed since the museums began to close,” declares Galleries Director Eike Schmidt. "In that time the Uffizi hypervisions (the thematic exhibitions that can be visited on our official website, www.uffizi.it) have reached a record 3.7 million views: a growth of 3,500% over the previous period. And the ’interest in hyperviews is continuing to grow: credit to the topics covered, so relevant to current events. With the virtual exhibition on jewelry in paintings, curated by such an outstanding specialist and connoisseur of the field as Silvia Malaguzzi, we can say that the necklace of our free offer is enriched with another precious pearl."

Image: Domenico Ghirlandaio, Madonna Enthroned with Child and Saints Michael, Justus, Zanobi and Raphael, detail (c. 1484-1486; 190 x 200 cm; Florence, Uffizi)

Uffizi, a virtual exhibition among the jewels painted in art masterpieces

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