A lecture by Mark Roberts
Gian Gastone de’ Medici ruled as Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1723 to 1737. He generally gets a bad press from historians, who judge him to have been corrupt and inefficient. In this talk Mark Roberts tries to look on the bright side, and to discover Gian Gastone’s positive qualities wherever they are to be found. He also discusses the life and times of the Grand Duke’s sister, Anna Maria Luisa the Electress Palatine, who by the famous Patto di Famiglia or ‘Family Pact’ of 1737 bequeathed the priceless Medici art collections to the state of Tuscany for ever, on condition that they should never be removed from the Tuscan territories. This act of generosity has earned her the world’s gratitude, and she is commemorated by a modern statue inside Palazzo Vecchio. The talk is illustrated by numerous late baroque portraits.
If you are in Florence and would like to attend the lecture in person at the British Institute Library, please register here or send an email to bif@britishinstitute.it
The registration fee is 15 Euro per person.
To join this lecture online, simply click on this link to register and receive the Zoom meeting invitation: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/mUBYQwllRDquPwgREr8yzw , The virtual doors will open at 18:00 Italian time on Wednesday 10th September.
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This lecture is sponsored by Jonathan Mandelbaum