The bust of Cosimo II de’ Medici on the façade of the Loggia del Grano in piazza della Signoria, made in the early seventeenth century and attributed to Settignano-born Chiarissimo Fancelli, has long been regarded as one of the most important depictions of him.
It has also long been exposed to the elements and was in need of restoration. A recently completed project managed by the city’s fine arts department
and carried out by Florentine restoration firm Giuseppe Bartoli srl, has Cosimo looking like new again. The project, which cost 20,000 euro and took four months, is one of the continuing publicly and privately funded efforts to restore the city’s monuments.
Commenting in a press release, mayor Dario Nardella noted, “Piece by piece, restoration after restoration, we are giving back Florence its soul by restoring its priceless cultural heritage.”
