Palazzo Pretorio

History

The main structure in its present form was assembled during the late 13th century and early 14th century from the merger of three separate buildings, fused to house the local podestà, the judiciary and Prison. The different building materials, evident from the facade, still reveal the outlines of the earlier structures. The oldest part is the tower-house still discernible on the right (13th century), which had belonged to the family of Pipini, with a portico on the ground floor with pilasters of limestone then buffered but still visible. It was purchased in 1284 from the capitano del popolo Fresco Frescobaldi to house the municipal government. During the 16th century, the building, including the belltower, collapsed. The restoration added a new bell tower and crowning crenellations. The interiors were often divided into smaller rooms over time. Towards the end of 19th century, it was proposed for demolition, but by 1909 it was decided to restore the building.

The left hand part of the facade and building dates back to the 14th century and has eight elegant mullioned windows and a tabernacle. In this tabernacle, until at least 1799, stood a statue of the 14th century Robert of Anjou, once viewed as a defender of the city. Unfortunately, it was he, who sold Prato to Florence, ending the town's independence. From the portal on the ground floor one enters a series of rooms with original frescoes: the earliest frescoes (1307) by Bettino Corsino and later frescoes (1425) by Pietro di Miniato and Antonio di Miniato. The wide outdoor staircase leads to the main floor.

The Grand Duke Peter Leopold of Lorraine in 1788 expressed the intention of creating a school of design in Prato. By 1858, a collection of works in Prato were being assembled in a civic museum, housed in the nearby Palazzo Comunale. From 1912, the Palazzo Pretorio has hosted the Museo Civico, which contains many works of art ranging from medieval times to the 19th century.

Main Artworks of the Museo Civico

Adorazione del Bambino di San Vincenzo Ferrer, 1455-1466 circa, tempera on panel, 146,5 x 156,5 cm by Fillipo Lippi

Madonna col Bambino tra i Santi Stefano e Caterina, Antonio Abate e Margherita, dated 1498, fresco, cm 239 x 141x 71 by Filippino Lippi

Crucifixion, 1501 ca, tempera on panel, 31,2 x 23,4 cm by Filippino Lippi

Madonna and Child, St. Stephen and St. John the Baptist, 1502–1503, tempera on panel, 132 x 118 cm by Filippino Lippi

Madonna of the Girdle, tempera on panel, 207 x 200 cm by Filippo Lippi and Fra Diamante

Annunciation with St Giuliano, 1455 circa, tempera on panel, 75 x 48 cm by Filippo Lippi and Fra Diamante

Nativity with Saints George and Vincent Ferrer, tempera on panel, 159 x 168 cm by Studio of Filippo Lipi

Presentation at the Temple, Adoration by the Magi, Massacre of the Infants, tempera on panel, 26 x 160 cm by Fra' Diamante

Enthroned Madonna with Child among Saints Jerome, Francis, Anthony of Padua and Ludwig of Toulouse, 1483 ca., tempera on panela, 157 x 133 cm by Francesco Botticini

Madonna and Child with young St John the Baptist, tempera on panel, 113,5 cm diam. by Raffaellino del Garbo

Madonna and Child between Saints Francis, Bartholomew, Barnabas & Catherine, 1332-1335, tempera on panel by Bernardo Daddi

Stories of the Holy Girdle, 1337-1338, tempera on panel by Daddi

Madonna and Child between Saints Catherine of Alexandria, Bernard, Bartholomew & Barnabas, tempera on panel, 245 x 210 cm by Giovanni da Milano

Stories of the Holy Girdle, tempera on panel, 26,5 x 22,3 cm (each) by Giovanni da Milano

Coronation of the Virgin with Sts Matthew and Mattias, (doc. 1413), tempera on panel, 139 x 66,5 (central part); 35 x 118 cm (upper predella); 28 x 201 (bottom predella) by Pietro di Miniato

Enthroned Madonna and Child in trono e due angeli oranti fra i Santi Caterina d'Alessandria, Benedetto, Giovanni Gualberto e Agata,, tempera on panel, 111 x 69 cm (central); 139 x 63 cm (each lateral) by the studio of Lorenzo Monaco

Madonna and Child with two Angels, tempera on panel, 237 x 250 cm by Andrea di Giusto Manzini …