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Bartolomeo Bimbi’s citrus fruits. Princely charm and agrobiodiversity. Between the 15th and 16th centuries, a rigid socio-natural hierarchy dictated food consumption: while roots were for the populace, fruit - symbolizing high status - was reserved for the aristocracy. By the Renaissance, citrus fruits emerged as the ultimate prestige symbols due to their ornamental beauty, pharmacological uses, symbolic meanings and even the exclusive cultivation they required.The Medici family epitomized this passion, blending scientific inquiry with artistic patronage. Cosimo III was a prolific collector of fruit trees, working closely with court botanist Pier Antonio Micheli to document the Grand Ducal cultivars. This botanical census directly informed the work of painter Bartolomeo Bimbi, who, between 1696 and 1715, produced twelve monumental canvases. Four of these were dedicated exclusively to citrus, depicting 116 distinct varieties.This extraordinary visual record served different purposes. It resonated with Baroque Magnificence: it evoked wonder, celebrating divine benevolence and the Grand Duke’s power. It fulfilled scientific documentation, anticipating Enlightenment ideals by providing a systematic taxonomic record of the biodiversity known at the time. It established a definitive taxonomic standard for the era’s pomological knowledge.A comparison between the varieties portrayed by Bimbi and those known today suggests a lower loss of biodiversity compared to what is observed in other types of fruit.
