View of the Room of the Ark

Luigi Ademollo, an Italian painter, draftsman, and engraver, was the uncle of the painter Carlo Ademollo (1825-1911). The Tuscan activities of this Lombard painter contributed to the establishing of modern Nea-Classical aesthetics in Florence. His decorative scenographic paintings on subjects drawn from mythology and Greek and Roman history, rich in grandiloquent archeologisms. certainly produced responses from local artists. Two representative examples of Ademollo’s style and language are the painting decoration of the Palatine Chapel (1791-92) and of the later (1816) Sala dell’Arca (Room of the Ark) in the Pitti palace.

Ademollo decorated the Room of the Ark with biblical scenes inspired by the history surrounding the Holy Ark of the Jewish people. Before the backdrop of classical architecture, a multitude of people are moving in a frieze-like procession with the Holy Ark being carried under the leadership of the high priest. The scenes are rich in narrative detail and reveal the artist’s ability for elaborate historical recreations.