The museum is named after its creator, Stefano Bardini (1854-1922), the most authoritative Italian antiquarian, who, after years of intense business activity, decided to transform his collection into a museum and donate it to the Municipality of Florence. The palazzo where the museum is housed was bought and renovated by Bardini himself in 1881 so he could carry out his antique business. With some changes to the structure and the addition of some authentic architectural elements such as tympanums, portals and stairs, the antiquarian Bardini transformed the old building, once the church and convent of San Gregorio della Pace, into a charming neo-Renaissance palazzo suitable for housing not only the exhibition gallery but also a series of laboratories where the works of art were restored, ready to be sold.