Michelangelo Buonarroti 1475-1564
Michelangelo Buonarroti was an Italian painter, sculptor, architect and poet. More commonly known as Michelangelo, he became apprentice to the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio in 1488 and between 1508-1512, he painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. The sculpted figure of Michelangelo stands in a niche along the facade of the Uffizi Gallery and is the work of the 19th century sculptor Emilio Santarelli.
Francesco Redi 1626-1697
Francesco Redi was a 17th century Italian poet and physician who studied medicine and philosophy at the University of Pisa. Having succeeded his father as court physician to the Grand Duke of Tuscany, in 1655 Redi became a member of the Accademia della Crusca – The Academy of the Bran, which was founded in Florence in 1582 to maintain the purity of the Italian language. In 1668, Redi published Esperienze intorno alla generazione degl’insetti – Experiments on the Generation of Insects which is still regarded as highly influential work. The statue of Redi is the work of the 19th century Italian sculptor Pietro Costa and stands in a niche along the facade of the Uffizi Gallery.
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi c1386- 1466
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, better known as Donatello, was a 14th century Italian sculptor. He was the son of a member of the Florentine Wool Combers Guild and studied the fabrication of metals and metallurgy becoming apprentice to the Florence metalsmith and sculptor, Lorenzo Ghiberti, in 1403. The statue of Donatello stands in a niche along the facade of the Uffizi Gallery and is the work of the 19th century Italian sculptor Girolamo Torrini.
Andrea Orcagna c1308-c1368
Andrea di Cione, also called Orcagna, was a 14th century Italian architect, sculptor and painter. In 1350, Orcagna worked as a consultant at the Florence Duomo (Cathedral) and in 1358 he supervised the construction of the facade at Orvieto Cathedral. The statue of Orcagna is the work of the 19th century Italian sculptor Niccolò Bazzanti and stands within a niche along the facade of the Uffizi Gallery.
Pier Antonio Micheli 1679-1737
Pier Antonio Micheli was an Italian botanist. Regarded as the founder of scientific mycology, Micheli was one of the first people to specialise in the study of groups of plants and fungi. In 1716, Micheli and a group of his friends founded the Società botanica Fiorentina. The statue of Micheli is the work of the 19th century Italian sculptor Vincenzo Consani and stands in a niche along the facade of the Uffizi Gallery.
Niccolò Machiavelli 1469-1527
Niccolò Machiavelli was an Italian diplomat and writer who was born in Florence. Machiavelli served as a diplomat for 14 years during the Florentine Republic and wrote a political handbook as well as poems and plays. His political work, The Prince, gave rise to the term Machiavellian which ultimately led to establishing him as the father of modern political theory. The statue of Machiavelli stands in a niche along the facade of the Uffizi Gallery and is the work of the 19th century Italian sculptor Lorenzo Bartolini.
Francesco Guicciardini 1483-1540
Francesco Guicciardini was a 16th century Italian diplomat, statesman, historian and writer. Guicciardini studied civil law in Florence and was elected Florentine ambassador to King Ferdinand of Aragon in 1511. In a niche along the facade of the Uffizi Gallery stands the sculpted figure of Guicciardini which is the work of the 19th century sculptor Luigi Cartei.
Giovanni Boccaccio 1313-1375
Giovanni Boccaccio was a 13th century Italian poet and scholar who became a diplomat and Florentine ambassador. His work, the Decameron, which was published in 1358 has influenced European literature throughout later centuries. The poets Keats, Tennyson and George Eliot have all written poems on the subject of the Decameron. In a niche along the facade of the Uffizi Gallery stands the statue of Boccaccio. The sculpted figure is the work of the 19th century Italian sculptor Odoardo Fantacchiotti.
Dante Alighieri 1265-1321
Dante Alighieri was a 13th century Italian poet with the Divine Comedy one of his most famous works. The sculpture is the work of the 19th century Italian sculptor Paolo Emilio Demi and stands in a niche along the facade of the Uffizi Gallery.
Mariangelo Accorso 1490-1540
Mariangelo Accorso was a 16th century Italian writer, translator and critic. Standing in a niche in Portico degli Uffizi stands a sculpture of Accorso with three books to his side. The sculpture is the work of the 19th century Italian sculptor Odoardo Fantacchiotti.
