At Castello Sforzesco the drawings of Prince Alberico XII Belgioioso, a great collector of the late 1700s

Until Feb. 26, 2023, the Castello Sforzesco’s Drawings Cabinet is hosting a new exhibition in the Drawing Rooms dedicated to the graphic collection of Prince Alberico XII Barbiano di Belgioioso, a member of one of the most prestigious families of Milanese high society and one of the greatest collectors of the late 18th century. Part of the collection was acquired by the City of Milan but, during the bombings of 1943, traces of the original Belgioioso ownership had been lost.

Curated by Alessia Alberti in collaboration with Agostino Allegri and Francesca Mariano, the exhibition I disegni del Principe. The collection of Alberico Barbiano di Belgioioso is the result of a long research work that, thanks to the investigations conducted at theArchives of the Brivio Sforza Foundation in Merate, has allowed us to reconstruct the Belgioioso’s graphic collection by identifying as many as three thousand works, including prints and drawings.

On display are works by great artists such as Albrecht Dürer, Federico Barocci, Luca Cambiaso, Camillo Procaccini, Giulio Cesare Procaccini, Carlo Maratti, Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, and Giacomo Ceruti known as il Pitocchetto.

After investigating the relationship of Alberico XII Barbiano di Belgioioso d’Este with the artists of his time, the exhibition follows the chronological thread through some of the most representative drawings from the nuclei of the collection. For the first time, a fragment of a cartoon by Federico Barocci, preparatory for the Madonna del Popolo altarpiece, a Struggle of Tritons by the young Luca Cambiaso and a Baptism of Christ, executed on pink prepared paper, from the circle of Pellegrino Tibaldi are shown to the public. The most substantial section of drawings concerns the seventeenth century: dozens of sheets from the Procaccini workshops made in the most varied techniques. There is also a small nucleus of Roman sheets related to Pietro da Cortona, Carlo Maratti and their pupils and collaborators.

Numerous new attributions formulated for the Lombard seventeenth century, from Carlo Francesco Nuvolone to Carlo Cornara, from Legnanino to Andrea Lanzani. Accompanying the works on paper are a number of documents from Alberico XII’s time, including inventories, purchase receipts, and letters, which allow us to delve even deeper into the collector’s daily life, thanks to loans from the Archivio Storico Civico and Biblioteca Trivulziana of Castello Sforzesco and the Fondazione Brivio Sforza. Also on display is a box of sulfur casts by semiprecious stone engraver Giovanni Pichler, which belonged to Alberico XII Belgioioso and contained his portrait (now at the Civic Numismatic Cabinet of the Castello Sforzesco).

Inspired by the great models of international collections, with engravings taken from paintings by Rubens, Van Dyck, proofs by Dürer, Rembrandt and the greatest masters of the burin, there is also a complete collection of prints. As a testament to the level of this part of the collection, some of Albrecht Dürer’s finest burin proofs (including St. Jerome in the Study and The Great Fortune) are also on display.

For info: https://gabinettodeidisegni.milanocastello.it/

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Closed Mondays.

Free admission.

Image: Fragment of a cartoon by Federico Barocci, preparatory for the Madonna del Popolo altarpiece, detail (Gabinetto dei Disegni del Castello Sforzesco - City of Milan)

At Castello Sforzesco the drawings of Prince Alberico XII Belgioioso, a great collector of the late 1700s

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.