Antonio Canova, Bust of Leopoldo Cicognara
Antonio Canova (Possagno 1757 – Venice 1822) Bust of Leopoldo Cicognara, 1818-22 Marble Museo Schifanoia, inv. OA1743 The bust, made by Antonio Canova, depicts Count Leopoldo Cicognara (1767-1834), an influential voice in the field of art history and criticism between the 18th and 19th centuries. The association between the two had begun as early as […]
Francesco Fanelli, St. George and the Dragon
Francis Fanelli (c. 1580-1653) St. George, first half of the 17th cent. Golden bronze Museo Schifanoia, inv. OA930 As the horse stands up on its two hind legs turning to the left to avoid the fiery breath of the infernal dragon, a young warrior, armed in the old-fashioned manner, leans out to pierce the […]
Lithotheque
Roman workshop Lithotheque, 1763 Wood, bronze and polychrome marbles Museo Schifanoia, inv. OA992 The lithotheque, a unique and sought-after object, consists of two wooden, console-shaped valves joined by two metal hinges and resting on four gilded bronze lion paws. The interior surface is entirely occupied by 131 rigorously cataloged and classified stone tiles, representative of […]
Scarsellino, Beheading of Saint Margaret
Ippolito Scarsella aka Scarsellino (Ferrara, 1551 – 1620) Martyrdom of St. Margaret, 1611 Oil on canvas Museo Schifanoia, inv. DOC51 The work depicts St. Margaret at the moment of martyrdom at the hands of the executioner, holding a taut rope in her left hand and a sword in her right. The saint is kneeling, her […]
Workshop of Niccolò Baroncelli, Christ Crucified
Niccolo Baroncelli? (doc. 1434-1453) Christ crucified, c. 1450 Carved and sculpted wood Museo Schifanoia, inv. OA1731 Fortuitously rediscovered in 2003 during restoration work in the church of San Cristoforo alla Certosa, the large Crucified Christ is a work of extraordinary quality and uncommon expressive power. Although it is impossible to reconstruct the original provenance, the […]
Guido Mazzoni, Painful
Guido Mazzoni (Modena 1450 – 1518) Sorrowful, 1480-85 Painted terracotta Museo Schifanoia, inv. OA1634 Documented from the early 18th century in the Ferrara church of San Giovanni Battista and attributed to Guido Mazzoni only in 1972, the Dolente is traditionally believed to be the fragment of a larger sculptural group now unfortunately lost. The […]
Guglielmo Giraldi, Saint Christopher’s Bible
Guglielmo Giraldi (doc. in Ferrara between 1441 and 1494) Bible of San Cristoforo alla Certosa, c. 1467-75 Membranaceous, 4 vols. Museo Schifanoia, invv. OA 1346, 1347, 1348, 1349 The monumental four-volume Bible from the Carthusian monastery of San Cristoforo is one of the masterpieces of Ferrara Renaissance illumination. The transcription of the Bible was entrusted […]
Large plate with seated angel
Large dish with angel, last quarter of the 15th cent. Engobed, graffitied and painted terracotta Museo Schifanoia, inv. OA190 The large dish, reassembled in 4 fragments, features a rounded rim and a wide, slightly oblique brim decorated with a heart-shaped leaf scroll. The bowl depicts an angelic figure seated on a low throne, her […]
Lionel Medal
Antonio di Puccio Pisano known as Pisanello (c. 1394 – 1455) Leonello d’Este, on the reverse Blindfolded lynx, 1441-44 Bronze Museo Schifanoia, inv. NU51183 Created by Pisanello between 1441 and 1444, the medal features on the obverse the bust of Marquis Leonello d’Este with thick hair and cotta with richly decorated surcoat and on […]
The Alabaster Polyptych
English mastery Stories from the Passion of Christ (Alabaster Polyptych)., first half of the 15th cent. Polychrome alabaster, central panel 73 x 25 cm, side panels 40 x 22 cm each Museo Schifanoia, inv. OA1636 Consisting of six panels and a larger slab, these Stories of Christ, commonly known as Alabaster Polyptych, are the […]