Oltre le virtù. La figura dell’artista in Palazzo Vecchio

This study examines Vasari’s Ragionamenti as a key to understanding the role of the artist in the decorative program of Palazzo Vecchio. While traditionally read as an encomium to Medici power, the text also promotes a parallel allegory centered on art and artistic virtue. Particular attention is given to Vasari’s commemoration of Cristofano Gherardi, whose praise within the Sala degli Elementi intertwines friendship, memory, and mimetic excellence. Michelangelo’s evocation under Saturn further elevates sculpture as eternal art. In the Quartiere di Leone X and the Salone dei Cinquecento, portraits of artists—culminating in Vasari’s self-representation among the Accademici del Disegno—assert a new status for the court artist. Through text and image, Vasari constructs a subtle yet powerful claim for artistic dignity within Medicean ideology.