Entrance Ticket to Stibbert Museum (2)
27.04.25Description
The museum was created by Frederick Stibbert (1838-1906). His father was English, his mother Italian. Frederick was born in Florence but was sent to school in England as a young boy.
His father, Thomas, was a colonel of the Coldstream Guards, and his grandfather Giles had been Governor of Bengal, in India. Giles accumulated an incredible fortune which passed on to Frederick when he was 21 years old.
Frederick began collecting immediately upon his coming of age and ended up transforming his house into a real museum “which has cost me a great deal of money and much care and effort”, as he wrote in his will. When Frederick died he left the museum to the municipality of Florence, to improve the knowledge of history for the benefit of future generations.
Today, the museum is a Foundation according to Stibbert's last will. Frederick began his collection of arms and armor as soon as he came of age and returned from his study period in England. His interest also covered costumes, paintings, tapestries, furniture, and other applied arts. The museum includes archaeological items, musical instruments, liturgical objects, etc.
Today the collection amounts to about 50,000 items. The greatest part of them are on display and only a few are later additions and donations.
Frederick Stibbert made numerous changes to his house during his lifetime, adding new rooms and thus increasing space – and he engaged Florentine architect Giuseppe Poggi to transform the gardens from a simple Italian garden to a delightful romantic English garden, complete with caves and fountains, temples, and a greenhouse.
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