

by Bruce Edelstein
THE BOBOLI GARDENS: AN EXAMPLES OF A SCULPTURE GARDEN WITH STATUES, FOUNTAINS AND GROTTOES THAT HAS COME DOWN TO US FROM THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
currently unavailable
This book is a study of Eleonora di Toledo as the principal patron of the Boboli Gardens.
The gardens were from the outset a project to develop a vast estate in the heart of Renaissance Florence. Thus, Boboli represents a pivotal moment in the history of the aristocratic palace, in which the traditional relationship between architecture and landscape was inverted: extensive, elaborate gardens now assumed the role of protagonist while the palace was initially relegated to a secondary role.
Fresh archival research confirms that the duchess was solely responsible for the patronage of the gardens until her death.
A key element of this study focuses on Eleonora’s Spanish origins and the development of her taste in viceregal Naples, prompting a reconsideration of Boboli in a larger context, beyond its traditional image as part of a glorious continuum of Medici gardens.