BUTI, Lodovico

Scenes of farming and handicraft set in the middle of grotesques, in the place of motifs in a more traditional antique style, were frequently used for decoration at the end of the sixteenth century. They can be found in particular in the decoration of the Uffizi, on the ceilings of the rooms of the Armoury, painted in 1588 in a military and technological vein.

This is one of the few known examples of a painted optical illusion, obtained by fastening a panel composed of painted triangular, prismatic strips of wood to a framework. The pieces are arranged so that a portrait of Charles II of Lorraine appears when the panel is observed from above, looking downwards, or one of his daughters, the Grand Duchess Cristina (Christine), wife of Ferdinando I de’ Medici, if the object is viewed from below or using a special mirror.

Adorned by grotesques borrowed or inspired from those of ancient Rome, Buti’s frescoes in the Uffizi rooms once dedicated to arms and armour illustrate various aspects of military arts. Various artisans use different kinds of machinery to pound the ingredients for the explosive mixture to the desired fineness. In the last stage, the powder is sifted. It is a peaceable scene for such a deadly pursuit, but constant warfare provided steady work - as did the nobility’s increasingly extravagant fireworks displays.

Adorned by grotesques borrowed or inspired from those of ancient Rome, Buti’s frescoes in the Uffizi rooms once dedicated to arms and armour illustrate various aspects of military arts. Here, architects wield compasses to design bastions. Two gentlemen examine a model of such a defensive structure.