The Diocesan Museum of Santo Stefano al Ponte, inaugurated in 1995, is set in the Augustinian convent complex of Lecceto. At the entrance one finds the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament erected in 1586 which has maintained its ancient splendor unaltered with its 1700’s altar-cloth on the altar, the bronze candelabra of the 1600’s, an 18th century chalice covered by a voile, the burse,a lectern, a 19th century missal.

Adjacent to the Chapel of the Sacramento is the so-called Goldsmiths’ Chapel of the Confraternity of Saint Luke with a painted 14th century cross attributable to the circle of Taddeo Gaddi. From here one goes on to the collection of paintings which hasa series of important painted devotional panels with a gold background such as: the Madonna with Child of the neo-Byzantine school, the Crucifixion by Cenni di Francesco, the Madonna of the Humility by the Master of the Strauss Madonna and three Madonnas with Child by Valdelsa masters of the end of the 1300’s.

Continuing the visit, the 1602 oil painting by Santi di Tito of the Meeting of Abraham’s Servant with Rebecca at the well, two paintings by Giovanni del Biondo and a panel by Bicci di Lorenzo portraying Saint Lucy, Saint Mary Magdalene and Saint Donatothe Bishop are to be pointed out. In the corridor, one finds a panel by the Master of Santa Verdiana and the dismantled triptych by Lorenzo di Niccolò Gerini. After a visit to the other small rooms which house liturgical objects, other 14th century paintings, a terracotta crèche made up of ten statuettes attributed to Benedetto Buglioni and his workshop and the statue of the Madonna with Child by Nino Pisano, one enters the sacristy.

The sacristy, which is the largest room in the museum, houses the most important painting of the museum: the Madonna of San Giorgio alla Costa by Giotto. Next to it are two other paintings of great value: the Predella of Quarate by Paolo Uccello and Saint Julian by Masolino da Panicale. Among the bronzes to be pointed out is the bust of the Blessed Davanzato by Pietro Tacca and among the silver pieces are the Reliquary of Saint Frediano and the Bust of Saint Cresci based on a drawing by Giovan Battista Foggini. Other noteworthy works are the Panel by Domenico di Michelino, the Annunciation by the Master of the Strauss Madonna, the polyptych of Gàliga above the Group of Mourners of San Michele a Casanova and the Annunciation by Bicci di Lorenzo.

essential bibliography

Museo Diocesano di Santo Stefano al Ponte
Pacciani S. (a cura di), Firenze, Editore: Edizioni della Meridiana, 1998

Santo Stefano al Ponte Vecchio
Pacciani S. (a cura di), Firenze, Editore: Edizioni della Meridiana, 1998