The Pinacotecta Nazionale () is an art gallery in

Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It is located on the ''

piano nobile ( Italian for "noble floor" or "noble level", also sometimes referred to by the corresponding French term, ) is the architectural term for the principal floor of a '' palazzo''. This floor contains the main reception and bedrooms of the house ...

'' (or first floor) of the

Palazzo dei Diamanti Palazzo dei Diamanti is a Renaissance palace located on Corso Ercole I d'Este 21 in Ferrara, region of Emilia Romagna, Italy. The main floor of the Palace houses the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Ferrara (National Painting Gallery of Ferrara). History T ...

, a work of

Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...

Biagio Rossetti Biagio Rossetti ( 1447 – 1516) was an Italian architect and urbanist from Ferrara. A military engineer since 1483, and the ducal architect of Ercole I d'Este, in 1492 Rossetti was assigned Addizione Erculea, the project of enlarging the city of ...

, commissioned by Leonello d’Este in 1447. Not to be confused with the Civic Museum on the lower floor, which has hosted temporary exhibitions of contemporary art since 1992, the Pinacoteca houses a collection of paintings by the Ferrarese School dating from the thirteenth to the eighteenth centuries. It was founded in 1836 by the Municipality of Ferrara after

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's widespread dissolution of churches threatened the protection of important public artworks. The gallery is formed as much around notable northern Italian painters as it is around the exquisite interior decoration of the palace itself, together with remnants of frescoes from local churches and later acquisitions from the Sacrati Strozzi collection. Since 2015 the Pinacoteca Nazionale has formed a part of the

Gallerie Estensi The Gallerie Estensi is a network of three museums and a library, bringing together the collective fruits of artistic production from Ferrara, Modena and Sassuolo in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. The galleries aim to preserve the his ...

, a network of museums sharing Ferrara's cultural heritage with that of

Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. A town, and seat of an archbis ...

and

Sassuolo Sassuolo (; ) is an Italian town, ''comune'', and industrial centre of the Province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna. Standing on the right bank of the river Secchia some southwest of Modena, the town is best known for being the centre of the Ita ...

Exhibits

The Pinacoteca tells the history of the

House of Este The House of Este ( , , ) is a European dynasty of North Italian origin whose members ruled parts of Italy and Germany for many centuries. The original House of Este's elder branch, which is known as the House of Welf, included dukes of Bavaria ...

from that family's promotion as dukes of Ferrara in 1296 to its forced relocation to Modena in 1598. The gallery contains an impressive range of Italian works spanning the reigns of the dukes Leonello, Borso, Ercole I, Alfonso I and

Alfonso II d'Este Alfonso II d'Este (22 November 1533 – 27 October 1597) was Duke of Ferrara from 1559 to 1597. He was a member of the House of Este. Biography Alfonso was the elder son of Ercole II d'Este and Renée de France, the daughter of Louis XII of F ...

. Arranged chronologically, the exhibition begins with a room dedicated to late

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...

sculpture, fresco and panel painting, progressing through to the

early Renaissance Renaissance art (1350 – 1620) is the painting, sculpture, and decorative arts of the period of European history known as the Renaissance, which emerged as a distinct style in Italy in about AD 1400, in parallel with developments which occurr ...

, the

sixteenth century The 16th century began with the Julian year 1501 (represented by the Roman numerals MDI) and ended with either the Julian or the Gregorian year 1600 (MDC), depending on the reckoning used (the Gregorian calendar introduced a lapse of 10 days in ...

Mannerism Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

and lastly to the early seventeenth century, before Cesare I lost Ferrara to the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

. Highlights of the tour include the ''Hall of Honour'', the sixteenth-century apartments of

Virginia de' Medici Virginia de' Medici (29 May 1568 – 15 January 1615) was an Italian princess, a member of the House of Medici and by marriage Duchess of Modena and Reggio. Regent of the Duchy of Modena and Reggio in 1601 during the absence of her husband, s ...

(the roundels for these, early products of the Carracci workshop, can be seen in Modena's

Galleria Estense The Galleria Estense is an art gallery in the heart of Modena, centred around the collection of the House of Este, d’Este family: rulers of Duchy of Modena and Reggio, Modena, Reggio and Duchy of Ferrara, Ferrara from 1289 to 1796. Located on ...

) and a room dedicated to the step-by-step process of creating a

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

panel Panel may refer to: Arts and media Visual arts *Panel painting, in art, a painting on a wood panel (as opposed to canvas, a wall etc) *Panel (comics), a single image in a comic book, comic strip or cartoon; also, a comic strip containing one ...

oil painting Oil painting is a painting method involving the procedure of painting with pigments combined with a drying oil as the Binder (material), binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on canvas, wood panel, or oil on coppe ...

, complementing

Cennino Cennini Cennino d'Andrea Cennini (; – before 1427) was an Italian painter influenced by Giotto. He was a student of Agnolo Gaddi in Florence. Gaddi trained under his father, called Taddeo Gaddi, who trained with Giotto. He is remembered mainly f ...

’s ''Il Libro dell’arte.''

Gallery

File:2 Stefano di Sant'Agnese, Santo sacerdote (Sant'Apollinare ) Pinacoteca Nazionale, Ferrara.jpg, Attributed to Stefano Veneziano, ''Saint Apollinaire'' (14th century) File:Gentile da fabriano, Madonna with Child, ferrara.jpg,

Gentile da Fabriano Gentile da Fabriano ( – 1427) was an Italian painter known for his participation in the International Gothic pictorial style. He worked in various places in central Italy, mostly in Tuscany. His best-known works are his '' Adoration of the ...

, ''Madonna and Child'' () File:Pinacoteca Nazionale 3.jpg, Master of Casa Pendaglia, ''The Crucifixion with Saints Jerome and Stephen'' () File:Studiolo di belfiore, urania di angelo maccagnino e collaboratori di cosmè tura.jpg, Angelo Maccagnino with

Cosimo Tura Cosimo is the Italian form of the Greek name ''Kosmas'' (latinised as ''Cosmas''). Cosimo may refer to: Characters * Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò, hero of Italo Calvino's 1957 novel ''The Baron in the Trees'' Given name Medici family * Cosimo ...

, ''The Muse Urania'' (1447–1456) File:Cosmè tura giudizio di san maurelio.png,

, ''Judgement of Saint Maurelio'',

(second half of the 15th century) File:Pinacoteca Nazionale fresco of Saint Sebastian.jpg, Ferrarese School, ''Saint Sebastian'' (second half of the 15th century) File:1462 Mantegna Christus mit der Seele Mariens Pinacoteca Nazionale Ferrera anagoria.jpg,

Andrea Mantegna Andrea Mantegna (, ; ; September 13, 1506) was an Italian Renaissance painter, a student of Ancient Rome, Roman archeology, and son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with Perspective (graphical), pe ...

, ''Christ with the Animula of the Virgin'' (1462) File:Dosso, sapiente con compasso e globo (pinacoteca nazionale di ferrara) 01.JPG,

Dosso Dossi Giovanni di Niccolò de Luteri, better known as Dosso Dossi ( 1489–1542) was an Italian Renaissance painter who belonged to the School of Ferrara, painting in a style mainly influenced by Venetian painting, in particular Giorgione and early Tit ...

, ''Expert with Compass and Globe'' () File:Garofalo Noli me tangere Pinacoteca Ferrara.jpg,

Il Garofalo Benvenuto Tisi (; 1481September 6, 1559), also known as Il Garofalo (), was a Late-Renaissance-Mannerist Italian painter of the School of Ferrara. Garofalo's career began attached to the court of the Duke d'Este. His early works have been descr ...

, ''Noli Me Tangere'' () File:Pinacoteca Nazionale 6.jpg,

and

, ''Virgin Enthroned with Saints'' () File:Bastianino Assunta Pinacoteca Nazionale Ferrara.JPG,

Sebastiano Filippi Sebastiano Filippi (or Bastianino; c. 1536 – 23 August 1602) was an Italian late Renaissance – Mannerism, Mannerist Painting, painter of the School of Ferrara (Painting), School of Ferrara. Biography He was born in Lendinara to a painter, Ca ...

(Bastianino), ''The Assumption of the Virgin'' (second half of the 16th century) File:Bastianino Bacco Cassa Risparmio Ferrara.jpg, Sebastiano Filippi, ''Allegory with Bacchus''

Collection

*''Deposition from the Cross'' by Bastarolo (Giuseppe Mazzuoli) *''Allegory with Bacchus; The Virgin and Child, St. Lucy and St. Matthew''; ''Circumcision'' by

Bastianino Sebastiano Filippi (or Bastianino; c. 1536 – 23 August 1602) was an Italian late Renaissance – Mannerist painter of the School of Ferrara. Biography He was born in Lendinara to a painter, Camillo Filippi, who had worked under Dosso Dossi. ...

*''Adoration of the Magi predella'' by

Jacopo Jacopo (also Iacopo) is a masculine Italian given name, derivant from Latin ''Iacōbus''. It is an Italian variant of Giacomo (James in English). * Jacopo Aconcio (), Italian religious reformer * Jacopo Bassano (1592), Italian painter * Iacopo Bar ...

and

Giovanni Bellini Giovanni Bellini (; c. 1430 – 29 November 1516) was an Italian Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of Venetian painters. He was raised in the household of Jacopo Bellini, formerly thought to have been his father, ...

*''Wedding at Cana; Guardian Angel'' by

Carlo Bononi Carlo Bononi (1569? - 1632) was an Italian painter. An 1876 book lists him among "the last artists of any eminence in Ferrara". Page 175 Biography Bononi was active mainly in his home territories of Emilia and Ferrara, and is considered to be a ...

*''Death of the Virgin'' by

Vittore Carpaccio Vittore Carpaccio ( , , ; – ) was an Italian painter of the Venetian School (art), Venetian school who studied under Gentile Bellini. Carpaccio was largely influenced by the style of the early Italian Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina ...

*''The Dream of the Virgin'' by Simone dei Crocifissi *Two works from a liberal arts cycle by

*''Vision of St. John the Evangelist'' by

Battista Dossi Battista Dossi (ca. 1490–1548), also known as Battista de Luteri, was an Italian painter who belonged to the Ferrara School of Painting. He spent nearly his entire career in service of the Court of Ferrara, where he worked with his older ...

*''Madonna and Child'' by Gentile de Fabriano *''Annunciation'' by

Vicino da Ferrara Vicino da Ferrara (1432–1509) was an Italian painter of the 15th-16th century. He is suspected to be identical to Baldassare d'Este from Reggio Emilia, also known as Baldassare da Reggio. References Gallery File:Borso d'Este.jpg, Portrai ...

*''St. John the Baptist'' by the Master of Figline *''Madonna of the Clouds; Massacre of the Innocents'' by

*''Adoration of the Shepherds'' by

Gaetano Gandolfi Gaetano Gandolfi (31 August 1734 – 20 June 1802) was an Italian painter, draughtsman and sculptor of the late Baroque period, mainly active in and around Bologna. He is known for his biblical, mythological and allegorical subjects, as well as hi ...

*''Christ on the Cross'' attributed to

Guariento Guariento di Arpo (13101370), sometimes incorrectly referred to as Guerriero, was a 14th-century painter whose career was centered in Padua. The painter is buried in the church of San Bernardino, Padua. Guariento's major commissions in Padua in ...

*''The Martyrdom of St. Maurilius'' by

Guercino Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (February 8, 1591 – December 22, 1666),Miller, 1964 better known as (il) Guercino (), was an Italian Baroque painter and draftsman from Cento in the Emilia region, who was active in Rome and Bologna. The vigorous n ...

*''Head of St John the Baptist'' by Giovanni Francsco Maineri *''Christ with the Animula of the Virgin'' by

*''Nativity with St. Bernard and St. Alberic'' by

Ludovico Mazzolino Ludovico Mazzolino (1480 – c. 1528) - also known as Mazzolini da Ferrara, Lodovico Ferraresa, and Il Ferrarese - was an Italian Renaissance painter active in Ferrara and Bologna. Biography He was born and died in Ferrara. He appears to hav ...

*''Flight to Egypt; Agony in the Garden; Deposition'' by Ortolano (Giovan Battista Benvenuti) *''St. Louis of Toulouse; Saint Bernardine of Siena'' by Michele Pannonio *''St. Sebastian, St. Joseph, St. Job and Worshippers from the Mori family''; ''Death of the Virgin'' by

Nicolò Pisano Nicola Pisano (also called ''Niccolò Pisano'', ''Nicola de Apulia'' or ''Nicola Pisanus''; /1225 – ) was an Italian sculptor whose work is noted for its classical Roman sculptural style. Pisano is sometimes considered to be the founder of mod ...

*''Italian Capriccio with River Haven'' by

Hubert Robert Hubert Robert (; 22 May 1733 – 15 April 1808) was a French painter in the school of Romanticism, noted especially for his landscape paintings and capricci, or semi-fictitious picturesque depictions of ruins in Italy and of France.Jean de Cayeux ...

*''St. Petronius'' by

Ercole de' Roberti The male first name Ercole, Italian version of Hercules, can refer to: People * Ercole (name), list of people with the name House of D'Este *Ercole I d'Este (1431–1505), Duke of Ferrara *Ercole II d'Este (1508–1559), Duke of Ferrara, Modena a ...

*''Noli me tangere; Wedding at Cana'' by

Scarsellino Scarsellino or Ippolito Scarsella (1550 (or 1551) – 28 October 1620) was an Italian mid-to-late sixteenth century reformist painter and one of the most important representatives of the School of Ferrara (Painting), School of Ferrara. His lands ...

*''The Triumph of Saint Augustine'' fresco attributed to Serafino de' Serafini *''The Trial and Martyrdom of St. Maurelius'' by

Cosmè Tura Cosmè Tura (; 1495), also known as Il Cosmè or Cosimo Tura, was an Italian early-Renaissance (or Quattrocento) painter and considered one of the founders of the School of Ferrara (Painting), School of Ferrara. He provided a great contribution to ...

*''Virgin and Child'' by Master of the Wide Eyes '' The Costabili Polyptych'' by Il Garofalo and Dosso Dossi The

Muses In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

Erato In Greek mythology, Erato (; ) is one of the Greek Muses, the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. The name would mean "desired" or "lovely", if derived from the same root as Eros, as Apollonius of Rhodes playfully sugge ...

'' and ''

Urania Urania ( ; ; modern Greek shortened name ''Ránia''; meaning "heavenly" or "of heaven") was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy and astrology. Urania is the goddess of astronomy and stars, her attributes being the globe and compass. T ...

'' from Leonello d’Este's Studiolo of Belfiore Frescoes from the 14th and early 15th century such as ''Scenes from the life of St. John the Evangelist'' and ''Virtues and Vices.''

Bibliography

* Giovanni Fei, ''Municipal Art Gallery of Ferrara: catalogue of the paintings that make up the Municipal Art Gallery of Ferrara – expanded with historical and bibliographical information for Giovanni Fei, Artist and Public Pinacotecario'', Ferrara, typography of the Eridano, 1878, non-existent ISBN. * Jadranka Bettini (ed.) ''La Pinacoteca Nazionale di Ferrara. General catalogue,'' Bologna, Nuova Alfa editorial, 1992, . * Sonia Cavicchioli, ''In the centuries of magnificence. Clients and interior decoration in Emilia in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries.'' Argelato, Bologna, Minerva, 2008, pp. 105–125, . * Marcello Toffanello, ''Ferrara, The Renaissance City and the Po delta,'' Rome, Instituto Poligrafico and Zecca dello Stato, 2005, pp. 102–106, . .

References

Other projects

* {{authority control Museums in Ferrara Art museums and galleries in Italy Art museums and galleries established in 1929 1929 establishments in Italy National museums of Italy