The Uffizi in Florence was designed by Giorgio Vasari for Cosimo I de' Medici as a building for the offices, uffizi in Italian, of the city's magistrates. Construction began in the 1560s, and in the following decades the Medici began displaying their collections of sculpture and paintings on the upper floors, creating a gallery that scholars could visit. It was opened to the public in the eighteenth century, and when the last Medici, Anna Maria Luisa, died in 1743, she left the collection to Tuscany on the condition that it never leave Florence. It houses masterpieces by Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Caravaggio and is one of the most visited museums in the world.
Before and after
- 1580Publication of Jerusalem Delivered
- c. 1580Eruption of Billy Mitchell
- 11 June 1580Founding of Buenos Aires
- from July 1580 to January 1700Colonization of Siberia
- 1581Construction of Uffizi Gallery
- from 26 July 1581 to 19 January 1795Dutch Republic
- 26 July 1581Act of Abjuration
- from 18 August 1581 to 4 February 1582Siege of Pskov
- 24 February 1582Pope Gregory XIII reforms the calendar
More in Art, literature & culture
- 1600Rise of Baroque music
- 1616Construction of Sultan Ahmed Mosque
- 1670Construction of avenue des Champs-Élysées
- 17th centuryRise of ukiyo-e
- 25 April 1719Publication of Robinson Crusoe
- October 1745Publication of God Save the King
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 16th century.