Treasury of the Grand Dukes

The Treasury of the Grand Dukes, previously known as the Silver Museum, is located in the rooms on the ground floor at Palazzo Pitti in Florence, splendidly frescoed in the 17th century for the marriage between Ferdinand II de’ Medici and Vittoria della Rovere.

Here, visitors can admire precious objects of all kinds, like gems, cameos, pietre dure, ivories, crystals and jewellery, all documenting the royal pomp and collecting tastes of the dynasties that succeeded each other in Tuscany, particularly the Medici and the Lorraines.

In the 1400s, Cosimo the Elder began a vast and eclectic collection of precious objects, a practice that was then continued by his son Piero and grandson Lorenzo the Magnificent: among the most important pieces on display there are in fact the vases that belonged to Lorenzo, a collection of unique importance from a historical and artistic point of view.

Other splendid works include the lapis lazuli vase mounted in gold by the goldsmith Bilivert after a design by Bernardo Buontalenti, the ivories brought from Germany in the 17th century by Prince Mattias de’ Medici and the large collection of cameos that belonged to Anna Maria Luisa, last family’s last heir.