A Theatre for Niobe. The Rebirth of a Regal Room in the Uffizi

The restoration of the Niobe Room in the Galleria degli Uffizi, presented in this monograph, marks the end of a story that has been going on for over two centuries. The room was designed by the architect Gaspero Maria Paoletti. The original arrangement in which the famous marble group of Niobe and the stricken, dying Niobids, brought from the Villa Medici in Rome, were next to and dialoguing with majestic seventeenth century canveas, was created in 1781-1782 when the entire Gallery was being reorganized under the impetus of Pietro Leopoldo. Those were the years in which the arrival in Florence of the archaeological treasures from the Villa Medici demanded additions and adjustments to the grand ducal galleries, the Boboli Gardens and the Medici's villas. Restoring the Niobe Room, damaged by the 1993 bombing after which some heavy-handed changes had been made, to its eighteenth century appearance required clarity of vision, unshakable determination, and considerable financial and human resources. The work, begun under Antonio Paolucci, had been preceded by a thorough methodological discussion by the 'Nuovi Uffizi' Committee which presented the document with the project outlines in 1999. The directors, officials and employees of the Gallery, yesterday and today, dedicated their knowledge and energy to the restorations which were also actively monitored by Mario Lolli Ghetti. During the critical phase, came the generous contribution from the 'Friends of Florence' who have supported this and other projects in the Uffizi and Florence's museum.