The Uffizi Gallery in Florence is one of Italy’s must-see museums. If you spend a few days in the city, we definitely recommend a visit to this astounding collection, a unique experience for anyone who loves art. But what are the most famous paintings you’ll find inside?
Here’s a list of the the Top 10 absolute favourites. The most famous artworks to see at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
Top 10 Artworks to see at the Uffizi Gallery, Florence
1. “Adoration of the Magi”, Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci is one of the top names at the Uffizi. The room dedicated to him – number 35 – has an almost sacred quality. Beautifully restored in 2017, the painting ‘Adoration of the Magi‘ is the highlight of the room that contains three of his early works.
Painted in 1481 (when Leonardo was 29 years old), the ‘Adoration’ is the biggest painting by Leonardo ever seen, and a magnificent one. The Virgin Mary is sitting alone with the infant Jesus, and in front of her are the three submissive kings. Behind them, a disorderly mix of figures that seem to violate the stillness of the holy scene. The painting is rich in symbolic meanings, and draws the viewer in with its magic. => learn more about the “Adoration of the Magi”.
2. “Tondo Doni”, Michelangelo Buonarroti
Carrying on with the big names, at the Uffizi you can admire the only painting on canvas attributed to Michelangelo, the artist who gave us the Sistine Chapel and the Pietà. The name “Tondo Doni” comes from Doni – the family name of the Florentine merchant that commissioned this artwork – and the shape of the painting – ‘tondo‘ means round in Italian.
It’s an unusual portrait of the Holy family, in strikingly vivid colours. It shows three sculptural figures in forced and seemingly unnatural positions, all a prelude to Mannerist art.
3. “Birth of Venus” and 4. “Spring” by Botticelli are amongst the Top 10 artworks at the Uffizi
Undoubtedly the “Venus” and the “Allegory of Spring” by Florentine artist Sandro Botticelli are the most famous of all the artworks in the Uffizi Gallery. This extraordinary couple are now located in the recently renovated Botticelli Room, and the visitors can really appreciate them in all their splendour. Decide if they match their fame.
Elegant, enigmatic, a joy for the eye. While the meanings are complex, filled with mythological references, their appeal is clear to everybody. The light, the details, the grace of the figures, speak of an ideal world where Love and Beauty have a deep spiritual significance.
=> What is the meaning of the “Birth of Venus” painting?
5. “Medusa” by Caravaggio
Medusa with her snake-filled head had the power to turn anyone who looked at her into stone. Perseus was the hero that managed to behead her (there’s a statue of him after the beheading in Piazza Signoria!).
Caravaggio painted the monster with impressive details and magnificently captures all the horror of the moment of her death. The painted (created between 1592-1600), was mounted on a shield. It was a gift to Ferdinando de’ Medici by Cardinal Del Monte – Caravaggio’s patron – and went on display at the Medicean Armoury.
=> Why is the Uffizi Gallery so famous?
6. “The Venus of Urbino”, Titian
Another much celebrated painting, one of the most famous artworks in the Uffizi. A real cultural icon, the “Venus of Urbino” (1558). A young girl lies naked on a luxurious bed, her look allusive and magnetic. In the background, two maids are looking for clothes in a marital chest. She’s a young bride getting ready for her husband, and the little dog at her feet is a symbol of fidelity.
Titian catches all the details of the scene, highlighting the folds in the fabric, the flesh tones and even the small pearl on the ear of the bride.
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7. “Madonna of the Goldfinch”, by Raphael
This scene of the Virgin and the two children (1505), the infant Jesus and John the Baptist, is one of perfect harmony and tenderness. Christ’s elegant pose, the mother’s protective air, the natural landscape in the background. The goldfinch held by Saint John is a symbol of Christ’s crucifixion, and give a touch of drama to the otherwise calm and intimate scene.
8. “Madonna and Child”, Filippo Lippi
One of the top 10 artworks to see at the Uffizi Gallery and one of the triumphs of the Renaissance. This graceful Madonna (1460-1465) is dressed in the Florentine fashion, wearing an elegant gown of dark greenish-blue and a string of pearls. This suggests that her graceful profile might bear the features of the painter/friar’s beloved Lucrezia, a nun he was scandalously in love with. The devotional air of the painting has a touch of luminous sensuality. The background seems to anticipate the fantastical landscapes created by Leonardo.
=> See the Top Renaissance Masterpieces in Florence
9. “Diptych of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino”, Piero della Francesca
This is one of the most famous portraits of the Italian Renaissance, that was painted by the enigmatic artist Piero della Francesca between 1467-70. The Duke and Duchess are captured in a manner that doesn’t show any of their feeling, but with plenty of details that celebrate their status and wealth. This style of portrait was very much in vogue during the Renaissance. The way the artist represents the landscape shows that he was experimenting with perspective, opening the way to a new way of representing reality.
10. “The Ognissanti Madonna”, Giotto
This is where most of the Uffizi guided tours start. Giotto was the first Italian ‘modern painter’, who introduced perspective and realism to his works.
In this devotional work, painted in 1310, Mary is sitting on a throne with an angel offering her a crown. Here Giotto uses perspective to create depth, with life-like figures carefully arranged to bring modernity and realism to the scene. For anyone interested in art history, and understanding the transition between Medieval and Renaissance art, this is one of the most important artworks at the Uffizi.
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