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All Italy Florence Stibbert Museum

Stibbert Museum

Art and armour fill every inch of this rich kid's Italian villa.

Florence, Italy

Added By
Luca Catarinicchia
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Stibbert Museum   Elborgo on Wikimedia
Just a few of the collected armors.   Luke Cata / Atlas Obscura User
The Cavalcade Room.   Luke Cata / Atlas Obscura User
  mattxshaver / Atlas Obscura User
  mattxshaver / Atlas Obscura User
  mattxshaver / Atlas Obscura User
The museum is filled with countless suits of armor   mattxshaver / Atlas Obscura User
The museum contains a stunning collection of samurai armor   mattxshaver / Atlas Obscura User
Stibbert’s custom decorative armor   mattxshaver / Atlas Obscura User
Afghani armor, 13th or 14th century   mattxshaver / Atlas Obscura User
The museum contains several Egyptian sarcophagi   mattxshaver / Atlas Obscura User
Frederick Stibbert   mattxshaver / Atlas Obscura User
  mattxshaver / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The Stibbert Museum is closer to an overflowing treasure chest of unique wonders than a stuffy historical repository.

At the young age of 21, Frederick Stibbert inherited an incredible fortune from his grandfather Giles, who had made his money as Commander-in-Chief of the British East India Company and as Governor of Bengal. Instead of joining the workforce, Stibbert immediately used his fortune to begin collecting ancient weaponry, armors, costumes and furniture from all over the world. His personal museum was held in his family's villa until his collection outstripped the available room, at which point Stibbert employed architects, sculptors, and artisans to expand the grounds. When Stibbert died, he passed the impressive collection on to the city of Florence and visitors were finally free to browse the collection.

Entering this villa-museum is a breathtaking experience for the lay person and pure ecstasy for lovers of medieval warfare. The museum contains dozens of perfectly preserved sets of plate armor framed by a series of beautiful Botticelli, Crivelli, and Pieter Brueghel paintings, which themselves were chosen not for the subjects themselves but for the clothes they were wearing. The armory continues through many of the chambers of the house showing a diverse array of European, Moresque, and Samurai weapons and armors. Most notable is the Cavalcade room, where you can see a parade of full plate-armored knights and steeds in all their might. In addition to the ever-present armors, there are a collection of tapestries, luxurious furniture, French and Turkish carpets, Murano glass artifacts, and costumes filling every corner of the giant villa.

Thanks to Stibbert's love of antiques, beauty, and history, the Stibbert Museum is now a lasting testament to the beauty and artifice of the past.

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Museums And Collections Museums Military History Medieval Collections Eccentric Homes Homes Military
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Added By

Luke Cata

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mattxshaver

  • mattxshaver

Published

October 3, 2013

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  • http://www.teladoiofirenze.it/storie-firenze-2/3-cose-che-forse-non-sapete-sul-parco-del-museo-stibbert-di-firenze/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stibbert_Museum
Stibbert Museum
Via Federigo Stibbert
Florence, 50134
Italy
43.793793, 11.255316
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