Why did Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici leave the family art collection to Florence?

Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici, the last member of the grand ducal line of the Medici family, bequeathed the family's vast collection of art treasures to the grand duchy and to the city of Florence upon her death in 1743.1

By leaving these works to the state, she ensured that the collection would remain in the city as an inalienable public legacy, preserving the cultural heritage that her family had cultivated over centuries. This act solidified the status of Florence as a center of artistic importance and prevented the dispersal of the priceless masterpieces that the Medici had acquired throughout their history.1