Uffizi

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Art gallery in Florence, Italy. Built by Vasari in the 16th century as government offices, it was opened as a gallery 1765. Its collection, based on that of the Medici family, is one of the finest in Europe.

The collection illustrates the whole development of the Florentine School from Cimabue and Giotto onwards, and the schools of Siena, Ferrara, Bologna, and Emilia, and also contains a number of works by Flemish, Dutch, and German artists. Among the best-known works housed in the Uffizi are The Holy Family by Michelangelo, the unfinished Adoration of the Magi by Leonardo, the Madonna of the Goldfinch by Raphael, Botticelli's masterpieces Primavera, The Birth of Venus, and The Calummy of Apelles, and Bellini's Sacra Conversazione. In May 1993 a bomb damaged a wing of the gallery.

The Pillars of Hercules represent the promontories of Gibraltar and Ceuta. The shield represents the regions of Castile, Léon, Aragón, Navarre, and Granada. Effective date: 18 December 1981. >>