Three rooms are dedicated to goldsmithing, sacred objects and liturgical vestments, arranged according to the churches they belong to. The oldest pieces are those from San Lazzaro in Lucardo, commissioned by the Gianfigliazzi, a wealthy family of usurers who owned the castle of Santa Maria Novella near Certaldo. Some remarkable examples are the 1496 goblet adapted to pyx in the 18th century and the pax with an articulated representation of the Madonna with Child with two musicians and the Resurrection of Christ on the lintel bezel, attributed to the sculptor and architect Antonio Averlino, known as “il Filarete”, spokesman in Florence for the goldsmith’s art learned during his apprenticeship in Ghiberti’s workshop. The oldest piece is 13th century incense burner coming from San Gaudenzio a Ruballa, valuable for its rarity.
Baroque silverware, executed in part by Florentine workshops in vogue in the 18th century, is accompanied in the second room by a core of neo-Gothic objects coming from the new church of San Tommaso in Borgo, the lower, modern part of Certaldo.
Among the liturgical vestments, worth mentioning is the vestment consisting of two cassocks, a cope and a chasuble made of chiselled silk velvet on silver cloth, dating to the second half of the 16th century, worked in thistle flower and pomegranate motifs, according to a very popular pattern in Florence after the arrival from Spain of Eleonora da Toledo, Cosimo I de’ Medici’s wife.
The collection includes a copious number of astylar crosses made of gilded copper dating back to the 13th century, obtained from engraved and gilded copper plates of minimal thickness, so called because they are equipped with a long extension of the lower arm, useful for skewering them during sacred rites to let the devoted people participate in the Christian value of the sacrifice of the Son of God on earth. Very popular in northern Europe, these crosses spread widely throughout Tuscany thanks to the arrival of transalpine models or artists, giving life to manufactures devoted to their production.
Featured Works
Paliotto of Beata Giulia, 1850-1855 AD
The altar frontal, embroidered with floral vines on a white silk background and a central medallion depicting the Ascension of Blessed Julia, was restored in 2019 for the 700th anniversary of the town’s patron saint.
Bust reliquary of Beata Giulia, 1652-1653
In the reliquary room, the Bust of Blessed Julia stands out, adorned with a crown of imitation gems. Created in 1652–1653 by Paolo di Andrea Laurentini, the face is inspired by a lost ancient image.
Astylar cross, 12th century
The oldest processional cross in the collection, dating to the late 15th century, is mounted on a vertical staff and features both the Christus triumphans and the Christus patiens, symbolizing victory and martyrdom. Recent studies attribute it to a Tuscan workshop of the 12th century.