In the image: Bacchus, from the Meissen Manufacture.
The Porcelain Museum located at the top of the Boboli Gardens has re-opened to the public.
Located inside the 18th century building known as the Palazzina del Cavaliere, designed by the Medici family as a meeting location for the Accademia del Cimento members, the museum had been closed for restoration.
During that time, the seven small porcelain statues that were damaged by a visitor last September were repaired. They are part of a series coming from the Real Fabbrica of Naples of the end of the 18th century depicting women wearing regional costumes commissioned by Ferdinand IV de Bourbon and donated to the Grand Dukes of Tuscany. Restoration included work on the precious Murano chandelier made by the Brothers Gazzi of the Manifattura Veneziana in the mid-19th century, placed in the Sala della Prudenza in the Palatine Gallery.
The museum houses the finest collection of European porcelains; it comprises porcelain tableware belonging to the royal families that ruled Tuscany: the Medici, Lorraine, and Savoy. There are several outstanding examples of Italian porcelain objects produced in Doccia, near Florence. Foreign objects include fine table sets from Vienna and from the German Manufactory of Meissen, in addition to French porcelain from Vincennes and Sèvres, brought to the Pitti Palace by the Savoy House from the Royal Palace of Parma.
The museum ticket includes entrance to the Boboli and Bardini Gardens.
