Buonconsiglio Castle reopens with new exhibition on the rediscovered apostles

The Buonconsiglio Castle reopens Jan. 19, 2021, Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (reservations must be made by time slot online or by calling 0461 492811, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

Also open for viewing is the new exhibition The Rediscovered Apostles. Masterpieces from the Ancient Residence of the Prince-Bishops, curated by Giuseppe Sava, which will remain on display until April 5, 2021 in the castle’s Torrion da Basso room.

The exhibition, organized by the museum in collaboration with the Soprintendenza per i Beni Culturali, tells the story of the fortunate discovery of two magnificent 17th-century gilded bronze sculptures probably commissioned by the prince-bishops and kept until 1803 in his residence at the Buonconsiglio Castle. In 1875, on the occasion of a major exhibition held in Trent, eight gilded bronze statuettes from the collection of Villa Consolati, among the most significant art collections in the province where some of the most important pieces once kept in the prince-bishop’s residence had converged after 19th-century spoliation. Thanks to the family’s willingness, superintendent Giuseppe Gerola in the early 1900s managed to recover a large part of them and allow them to be relocated to the Buonconsiglio Castle.

Some of the gilded bronze statuettes were depicted in a painting made in the early twentieth century by Annunziata Consolati; the same statuettes, placed on spool bases perhaps made of ebonized wood, can be seen in a coeval photographic record owned by themuseum’s Photographic Archive. After this period, their traces were completely lost. However, two of these statuettes have recently appeared on the Milanese antiquarian market. They are the apostles Paul and Philip, belonging to that prestigious series hitherto considered missing.

Giuseppe Sava identified Nicolò Roccatagliata, who worked for Prince-Bishop Madruzzo in the early 17th century, as the author of the bronzes. In the exhibition, the presence of some of the artist’s works, from the almost unpublished processional cross preserved in Trentino and commissioned to the artist by the community of Nago, proposes a comparison with the bronzes.

Digital appointments A tu per tu will also continue: short videos on the social channels of Buonconsiglio Castle in which the curators tell the story and curiosities of the precious statuettes.

Buonconsiglio Castle reopens with new exhibition on the rediscovered apostles

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.