The Allegory of the Bees 🐝 of Ferdinando I

In the center of the beautiful Piazza of SS. Annunziata stands the famous statue representing Grand Duke Ferdinando I de' Medici. The statue was commissioned to the now-celebrated Giambologna, assisted by one of his best students, Pietro Tacca, who completed the work after the death of his master. The life-size model was defined in 1602 and cast in bronze in the autumn of the same year. It took five years to complete the work and another year before it was publicly installed. Finished only in 1607, it was placed in the square in October 1608 on the occasion of the marriage of Cosimo II with Maria Maddalena of Austria. The equestrian statue of Ferdinando I was, at that time, alongside the equestrian statue of Cosimo I in Piazza della Signoria (also by Giambologna), one of the most important statues in the city. The centuries between the 16th and 17th centuries are characterized as a period when equestrian statues gained great popularity and widespread diffusion throughout Europe, a clear homage by the powerful to the immortal glory of the great deeds of Roman emperors, who were depicted in their guise as valiant leaders commanding important armies as a clear symbol of power.

The statue shows Grand Duke Ferdinando I on horseback, in a proud and regal position, dressed in his armor, on which the cross of the Order of Saint Stephen, a military order established by his father Cosimo I, stands out with evident pride on his chest. On the base are scrolls; on the one facing the basilica, the original heraldic emblem of Ferdinando I is depicted, formed by a swarm of bees with the motto “MAIESTATE TANTUM,” meaning “Only by the grace of His Majesty who succeeded in the undertaking.” The peculiarity of this scroll lies in the presence of a swarm of bees arranged around the queen in particularly offset concentric circles, making a correct count of all the bees difficult. The allusion is meant to portray Ferdinando as the focal point of the grand duchy, embodied in the queen bee, surrounded by the peaceful and industrious Florentine people, the worker bees, who show loyalty and devotion to the sovereign. The bees are, in fact, the allegory of Florentine power: the queen bee emphasizes the centrality of the Grand Duke himself, while the surrounding bees represent the Florentines, diligent, loyal, and faithful to the established power.

The symbolism of the bees takes on the clear meaning of the city in which well-being, social justice, and order persist, marked by the perfect fulfillment of each member's work, from the simple citizen (worker bee) to the Grand Duke himself (queen bee). The statue gazes directly toward a window of Palazzo Grifoni; a popular rumor tells that behind that window, which seems to have always been open, were the rooms of one of his lovers.As mentioned, the bees form a circle, and counting them all is not easy. For this reason, a legend has arisen in Florence that it is impossible to count the bees just once without touching or pointing at them; it requires multiple attempts. It seems that parents used and still use the bees to test their children, especially the capricious ones, promising to fulfill every request only if they can state the exact number of bees! Have you ever managed to count the exact number of bees?

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