The re-opening of the Estense Gallery in Modena, one of the most important dynastic collections in Italy, means the public once again has access to a treasure trove of art including masterpieces ranging from those of Cosmè Tura and Bernini to works by Velazquez, Guido Reni, Tintoretto and many others.
Three years after the earthquake in Emilia Romagna that gravely damaged the museum, as many as 600 artworks including 327 paintings, 40 sculptures and 50 pieces previously held in deposits now are on exhibit following a major restoration.
The splendid collection goes back 400 years to when the Estense court transferred from Ferrara to Modena, giving life to one of the smallest royal courts in Europe that was still capable of considerable influence on models of art and beauty, fantastic displays that passed into history as gifts to France or Spain. The Estense Gallery, an emblem of the sumptuous nature of that city state, taken to its highest levels of richness and power by Duke Francis I (1629-1658), today is the site of collections of such value that Culture Minister Dario Franceschini has included it in a list of 20 autonomous Italian museums.
The taste of the Este family is represented there fully, with masterpieces by Dosso Dossi, Carracci, Guercino, Guido Reni, and Tintoretto, as well as the portraits of the duke by Velazquez and Bernini, which survived Napoleonic looting.
The museum contains 16th century masterpieces that decorated the Estense Castle in Ferrara and other ducal residences.
In contrast, the sculptures of Antonio Lombardo and Prospero Clemente, the ancient Roman statues (Spinario and Imperial-era busts), come instead from the collection of Duke Francis I together with masterpieces of the Carracci, of Cima from Conegliano, Scarsellino, the young Tintoretto and Guercino.
These are also the two works that symbolise the gallery; the portrait of the duke by Velasquez and the famous portrait bust of the duke sculpted in marble by Bernini.
From collections of the dukes of Este, who succeeded to Francis I in Modena, came an imposing series of altar panels by the major Emilian painters - Dosso Dossi, il Guercino, Guido Reni, Leonello Spada, Luca Ferrari - as well as the masterpieces of the Venetian masters Verones, Tintoretto and Jacopo Bassano. Other precious works by Tuscan primitive painters and major Modenese artists of the 13th and 14th centuries enriched the collections during the 19th and 20th century, acquired through donations and acquisitions.
The Gallery also documents the encyclopedic aspect of the ancient Este collections that included many decorative art objects, an outstanding collection of drawings, and one of the richest collections of medals in Italy.
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