Tomb of Giovanni and Piero de' Medici, Renaissance grave in San Lorenzo Church, Florence, Italy
The Tomb of Giovanni and Piero de' Medici is a wall monument in the Old Sacristy of San Lorenzo Church, where a sarcophagus sits within an arched alcove adorned with colored marble, porphyry, and bronze details. The composition stands roughly 3.5 meters tall and displays a balanced arrangement of different-colored stones fitted into geometric patterns.
The tomb was created between 1469 and 1472 by Andrea del Verrocchio, commissioned by Lorenzo the Elder to honor his father Piero and uncle Giovanni. This work marked a shift away from the figurative tombs common in earlier periods toward a design focused entirely on architectural and material expression.
The tomb reflects how the Medici family used art and expensive materials to demonstrate their power and refined taste to the city. Visitors walking through the Old Sacristy encounter this statement of wealth and patronage carved directly into marble and bronze.
The monument is located in the Old Sacristy, which is accessible during regular church visiting hours as part of the main building tour. It helps to visit during quieter times in the afternoon or morning to observe the details of the stonework without distraction.
The tomb completely avoids figurative sculptures and reliefs that were common in other memorials, relying instead solely on colored stone and geometric form. This minimalist approach was radical for its time and shows how avant-garde Renaissance artists could think about commemorating the dead.
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