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In the third quarter of the fifteenth century Mino da Fiesole carved two tombs for the oldest monastic foundation in Florence, the Benedictine abbey known as the Badia. The first tomb, completed about 1468, was essentially a private commission for the Florentine jurist Bernardo Giugni. The second, paid for by the monks at the Badia and only finished in 1481, honoured the memory of their founder, Count Hugo of Tuscany. Produced over the course of more than two decades, these monumental marble wall tombs are Mino's most famous works. They reveal his skill as a sculptor of portraits, reliefs, and elaborate decorative moldings, as well as his sophistication as a designer of complex architectural structures.
The tombs of Bernardo Giugni and Count Hugo of Tuscany stand today at opposite ends of the modern church of the Badia, on the west wall of the right transept (viewed from the entrance) and the centre wall of the left transept, respectively. Although they never faced each other directly, the two tombs complement one another in both visual and conceptual ways.
The Giugni Tomb commemorates both a particular individual and, more broadly, the virtue that his life exemplified. The inscription describes Giugni as "a Florentine knight, always a founder of public concord, and a truly popular citizen." The right to display the Visconti biscia, or serpent, which appears embroidered over his breast, was awarded to him in his youth; in 1438 he was named count palatine by Emperor Frederick III; and in 1447 he was knighted at the peace negotiations held among Venice, Milan, and Naples in Ferrara. He remains known above all for his role as diplomat for his city. The pinnacle of Giugni's career of service to Florence came in 1451, when he served as gonfaloniere di giustizia, the standard-bearer of justice, chief among the nine officers of the Signoria and the highest and most sought-after elected office in the republic.
The tomb of Bernardo Giugni includes a powerful profile portrait of the deceased. It shows a marked interest in the articulation of the architectural structure and a tendency to abstract the human form.
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