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The imposing palace was constructed by Gherardo Silvani for the Castelli, a wealthy merchant family. It was one of the most elegant structures erected by a private citizen in Florence in the seventeenth century. In 1658 the palace passed to the Marucelli, another family of merchants and landowners. The new residence became the setting for the social and political rise of this family until it died out in 1783. In 1829 the palace came into the possession of the influential Fenzi banking family. Since 1971it has belonged to the University of Florence.
After 1700 there had been major architectural changes in the palace, and the changed interiors were decorated by sculpture and painting. The Sala d'Ercole on the north side of the courtyard on the ground floor, and two other rooms on the south side were frescoed by Sebastiano Ricci. He was probably commissioned by Giovanni Filippo Marucelli (1689-1772). This commission required Ricci to work in the medium of oil painting as well as fresco, and two other rooms contains oil paintings on the ceiling.
The largest room on the ground floor is the Sala d'Ercole, a hall with two window bays. It has three entrances and presents an elaborate painted decoration extending across all four walls and the entire ceiling. The pictorial program contains the Labours and Apotheosis of Hercules. Two adjacent rooms have oil paintings with Amor punito and Amor virtutis, respectively.
In the first room on the south side of the courtyard the ceiling fresco presents the Triumph of Pax and Abundatia over Mars. The ceiling of the adjacent room is devoted to Youth between Virtue and Vice.
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| Paintings by Sebastiano RICCI |
| Oil paintings (1) | Oil paintings (2) |
| Decoration of the Palazzo Marucelli-Fenzi |
| Other frescoes |
