The Uffizi Diva

What makes an artwork praiseworthy?
First of all, its beauty but also its myth making, indeed.
This is the case of the Medici Venus brought by Napoleon to Paris, where it became a symbol of national identity. When it finally returned home to Florence, the French government replaced it with the new Venus de Milo regularly purchased by Turkey.
Venus dominates the center of the Tribune, the Medicean Wunderkammer where the most precious artworks of the family were preserved. Commissioned by Grand Duke Francesco I de'Medici, it is an octagonal "room of wonders" designed by Bernardo Buontalenti, an amazing room visible from several sides where admission is not allowed because of its floor's delicacy.