Die Selbstbildnissammlung der Medici 1650-1723

The 'Galleria degli Autoritratti' in the Uffizi, Florence, is the largest collection of artists' self-portraits in the world. It was founded in 1650 by Leopoldo de' Medici, and his heir Cosimo III expanded and reorganized it. Assisted by a network of agents and guided by empirical research criteria, the two patrons acquired only genuine self-portraits. The outcome was a unique, special collection closely linked to the epistemological approaches of the 17th century. Anna Maria Jonietz is the first to analyze the art-theoretical and academic-historical aspects of the 'Galleria.' She sheds light on the strategies of showing and convincing and demonstrates how the historical exhibition concept enabled a visual study of art and its history.