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Badia Fiorentina and the Bargello

Ser Piero, Leonardo's father, practiced the profession of notary in Florence from 1448 to June 26, 1504. When he died, on July 9, 1504, Leonardo noted that he was still «notary at Palazzo del Podestà» (today's Bargello Museum, between Via del Proconsolo and Via Ghibellina), in the vicinity of which he had his studio.
In one of the documents notarized by him on July 12, 1456, Ser Piero declared: «Actum Florentie, in Populo Sancti Stefani Abbatie fiorentine, in apotheca residentie mei Petri notarii infrascripti» [Done in Florence, in the Popolo di Santo Stefano of the Badia Fiorentina, at the residence of myself, Piero, the aforesaid notary]. The notary's residence and studio were situated on the premises of the Badia Fiorentina in Via del Proconsolo, as can also be deduced by the boundaries indicated by Ser Piero himself in other notarial deeds (1456-1468): «a I et II et III bona dicte Abbatie, a IIII via publica», that is, bordering on three sides with the property of the Badia, and on the fourth with the public street.
From May 1461 to October 1468, Ser Piero's studio was still located in a building belonging to the Badia, where he worked in association with three other notaries: Ser Antonio di Adamo di Grazia, Ser Bartolomeo di Antonio Nuti and Ser Piero di Carlo del Viva.
Starting in November 1468, Ser Piero moved his notarial studio to the Popolo di Santo Stefano alla Badia, opposite Palazzo del Podestà (today's Via Ghibellina, across from the Bargello), first in partnership with Ser Piero di Carlo del Viva, and then alone: from November 1476 to October 1477, the two notaries rented the studio under separate contracts.
From 1478 on, Ser Piero continued to rent the studio alone, until his death, when his place was taken by his son, Ser Giuliano Da Vinci (from 1504 to 1507).

Texts by
Alessandro Vezzosi, in collaboration with Agnese Sabato / English translation by Catherine Frost
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