ATHENS, GA.- The Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia presents the exhibition “Beyond the Medici: The Haukohl Family Collection” from February 1 to May 18, 2025. The exhibition comes from the largest and most important collection of Florentine baroque art outside of Italy, assembled over more than 40 years by Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl, an art collector and cofounder of the Medici Archive Project. “Beyond the Medici” illustrates how Florentine artists of the 17th and 18th centuries influenced European art history, politics and philosophy.

Extraordinary allegories, religious motifs, genre scenes and portraits by Jacopo da Empoli, Felice Ficherelli, Francesco Furini and Onorio Marinari form the core of the collection. The exhibition also devotes a section to artists, writers and scholars that sheds light on the intellectual history of Florence under the reign of the Medici grand dukes. Four polychrome stucco reliefs by Antonio Monauti show Renaissance greats Michelangelo Buonarroti, Niccolò Machiavelli, Marsilio Ficino and the polymath Galileo Galilei.

The exhibition includes paintings by three generations and over 100 years of the Dandini family, beginning with Cesare Dandini (1596 – 1657). Dandini founded a school of painters of classical themes personified by female figures, whose beauty was calculated to appeal to private collectors. His younger brother, Vincenzo (1609 – 1675), is represented in the exhibition by impressive representations of St. Mark the Evangelist and the goddess Juno. The leader of the younger generations of the dynasty, which extended into the 18th century, was Pietro Dandini (1646 – 1712) whose large canvas “Esther Before Ahasuerus” lends a splendidly colorful presence to the show.

As a whole, the exhibition shows the deep interest of the Florentine baroque for science and for painting based on disegno (drawing). Several art works feature magnificent 17th-century period frames. The rich tradition of the Haukohl family in collecting art follows the example of the Medici and will undoubtedly offer many surprises to visitors.

During the High Renaissance, Florence was an important center for the arts, fueled by the powerful Medici family of bankers, politicians and Vatican popes who served as patrons for many artists. The Medici continued to commission art during the baroque era that followed the Renaissance. Haukohl’s focus on the Florentine baroque is interesting because it sheds light on a unique chapter of the baroque era. During this time, artists developed a style that was sensuous, deeply religious, poetic and classical.

Haukohl said, “The important scholarship and superior humanities programs offered at the University of Georgia immediately drew us to include the Georgia Museum of Art in the American tour of the Medici Collection. We look forward to sharing with the students and broad communities of Georgia the joy of the baroque.”

Cesare Dandini (1596 – 1657), “Allegory of Musical Fame,” 17th century. Oil on canvas, 51 × 43 inches. The Haukohl Collection. Photo by MNHA/Tom Lucas.

Alessandro Gherardini (1655 – 1726), “The Annunciation to the Immaculate Virgin,” 17th or 18th century. Oil on canvas, 60 3/8 × 82 inches. The Haukohl Collection. Photo by MNHA/Tom Lucas.

Onorio Marinari (1617 – 1716), “Judith Beheading Holofernes,” 17th century. Oil on canvas, 57 5/8 × 46 inches. The Haukohl Collection. Photo by MNHA/Tom Lucas.

 

Giovanni Battista Vanni (1599 – 1660), “St. John the Baptist in the Wilderness,” 17th century. Oil on quartz backed by blue slate, 23 13/16 × 15 13/16 inches. The Haukohl Collection. Photo by MNHA/Tom Lucas.

 

Felice Ficherelli (1605 – 1660), “Allegory of Poetry,” 17th century. Oil on canvas, 38 × 35 3/8 inches. The Haukohl Collection. Photo by MNHA/Tom Lucas.

 

Unidentified artist (Florence, 17th century), “St. Michael Archangel,” 17th century. Polychrome wood, 25 3/16 × 19 × 11 1/2 inches. The Haukohl Collection. Photo by MNHA/Tom Lucas.

 

Ottavio Vannini (1585 – 1644), “An Allegory of Mediation of Philosophy,” 17th century. Oil on canvas, 36 5/8 × 30 5/8 inches. The Haukohl Collection. Photo by MNHA/Tom Lucas.

Giovan Domenico Ferretti (1692 – 1768), “Harlequin and His Companion,” 18th century. Oil on canvas, 44 11/16 × 41 7/8 inches. The Haukohl Collection. Photo by MNHA/Tom Lucas.

Antonio Montauti (1683 – 1746), “Portrait of Galileo Galilei,” 17th century. Stucco policromato, 44 × 37 13/16 × 6 5/16 inches. The Haukohl Collection. Photo by MNHA/Tom Lucas