The Palazzo Vecchio recently unveiled the restoration of the Comodo di Cosimo, a bathroom used by Cosimo I de’ Medici. Perhaps best described as a Renaissance spa, the Comodo is exactly what you would expect of a bathroom adjacent to the Salone dei Duecento. Equipped with a full-fledged hydraulic system for heating the water and creating steam, the space also has a large stone bathtub and an elegant niche with a vent and grate, where containers of essences may have been placed, infusing their aromas into the air.
Ph. Vincenzo D’Angelo
Located underneath the landing that connects Cosimo’s apartments to those of his wife Eleonora, the space was decorated by Marco da Faenza, an artist who worked closely with the great Giorgio Vasari. The Comodo is filled with Grotesque and Stucco decorations already adorning other rooms in the palace, alongside scenes taken from the story of Cupid and Psyche by Apuleius, which academics have dated to the time of the marriage between Francesco I de’ Medici (Cosimo’s eldest son) and Giovanna d’Austria in December 1565.
The restoration cost 20,000 euro and lasted five months. It was sponsored by the Geberit-Pozzi-Ginori company, with the contribution of Fondaco s.r.l – a company working in consultation and communication strategy for the recovery and restoration of artworks and cultural heritage. The restoration was also part of the FLIC “Florence I Care” program, which establishes a partnership between the City of Florence and anyone who would like to help “take care” of the city, through direct participation in funding initiatives aimed at the conservation, enrichment and promotion of Florentine artistic heritage.
The restoration was planned and directed by the Servizio Belle Arti of the City of Florence and carried out by the expert restorers at Dini Restauri.
