Cassone Adimari

The Cassone Adimari, painted around 1440-1450 by Giovanni di Ser Giovanni Guidi (known as Lo Scheggia), is one of the most fascinating pieces in the Hall of the Colossus.

This remarkable panel was originally thought to be the front of a marriage chest (cassone) commissioned by the Adimari family, though later research revealed it was likely part of a wall decoration (spalliera).

The painting offers an extraordinary glimpse into 15th-century Florentine life, depicting a wedding procession with incredible detail and vibrancy. The scene captures the elegant social life of Renaissance Florence, showing richly dressed nobles parading through the city streets. Women wear elaborate headdresses called “mazzocchi” and flowing dresses with dramatic trains, while men are portrayed in fur-trimmed clothing and colorful tights.

The background reveals the Florence skyline of the period, dominated by the distinctive octagonal form of the Baptistery. The artist’s attention to architectural detail provides invaluable documentation of the city’s medieval urban landscape. The composition cleverly combines both indoor and outdoor spaces, with a marble loggia connected by a tent to a building supported by wooden beams known as “sporti,” which were common in medieval Florence.