If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 741

 

 

 

 

 

Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, Italy

 

The Palazzo Vecchio, or Old Place, in Florence, Italy is featured on this pink tinted unused vintage postcard.  While the card does have a blurb at the upper left corner on the reverse it does not identify the photographer or the publisher/printer.  With a magnifying glass it is possible to see horse drawn wagons at the right near the arches and at the left center near the building, making it possible to estimate the date of the picture to the late 1890s or early 1900s.  The card has a divided back narrowing the publication date to after 1902 for the card itself.  The blurb is in English and says:  “The Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, Italy—For many years this magnificent building was the seat of the Florentine government.  The court of the Palace dates back from the 16^th century.  On the right of the picture is the Loggia de artists, in marbles and bronzes.”

 

Before full-color photographs were common or available for reproduction, various methods of tinting or coloring pictures was a popular trend on cards like this one.  Pink or light red seems to be predominant on most early tinted cards.  Sometimes more than one color was used.  This card has a slightly darker reddish tint on the building behind the main structure.  The foreground is a very pale pink in contrast. The top of the tower is partially cut off on the card, hence there is not a complete image of the entire building.

 

The Palazzo Vecchio has had different names at different times over the centuries.  It was called Palazzo della Signoria, Palazzo del Popolo, Palazzo dei Priori and Palazzo Ducale depending upon what entity was using the building.  The people of Florence decided to build a palace here that would be more secure and defensible in times of conflict.  Construction for a new building began in 1299 on the ruins of Palazzo dei Fanti and Palazzo dell’Esecutore di Giustizia that had once been owned by the Uberti family.  The Uberti were said to be rebels and the new fortress palace was built to prevent that family from rebuilding at that location ever again. 

 

A cubical shaped building it is made of solid stonework, with two rows of two-lighted Gothic windows, each with a trefoil arch.  Decorative bas-reliefs by Michelozzo were added in the 15^th century.  Crenellated battlements are supported by small arches and corbels.  There is also a simple tower with a clock. 

 

When Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici moved his official seat from the Medici palazzo to this palace in 1540 he renamed it Palazzo Vecchio or Old Palace.  He also commissioned an above-ground walkway called the Vasari corridor that went from the Palazzo Vecchio through the Uffizi, over the Ponte Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti.  He also moved the seat of government to the Uffizi.  Today most of the Palazzo Vecchio is now a museum. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzo_Vecchio