Sala 8 - L'idea del museo

 

1
Geological and archeological layers
of Saint Acheul, Moulin-Quignon,
Menchecourt, France
Drawing sent by the antique dealer
Charles Le Beuf to Carlo Boni in 1891
on the occasion of the sale of Paleolithic
flint artifacts very similar
to those discovered at Boucher de Perthes
in the Valley of the Somme
Reproduction

2
Fragments of Mammoth teeth
Saint Acheul, France
Sent by the antique dealer Charles Le Beuf
to Carlo Boni on the occasion of the sale
of Paleolithic flint artifcats

 3
Necklace of fossil sponge beads
Valley of the Somme, France
Carlo Boni acquired the collection
in 1891 from the antique dealer
Charles Le Beuf

4-5
Paleolithic flint artifacts
Valley of the Somme, France
Carlo Boni acquired the collection
in 1891 from the antique dealer
Charles Le Beuf

6
A few of the objects discovered
by Giovanni Canestrini
in the terramare of Modena
The survey was funded
by the City of Modena
in 1863

7
Stratigraphic section
of the terramara of Montale,
Castelnuovo Rangone
The site was surveyed by Carlo Boni
between 1870 and 1884
Reproduction 

8
Glass container
with soil samples
and acorns
Terramara of Cibeno, Carpi 

9
Glass container
with soil samples
and acorns
Terramara of Montale,
Castelnuovo Rangone

Excursion to the terramara of Montale
on the occasion of the 5^th International Conference
of Prehistoric Anthropology and Archeology
Bologna, October 1-8, 1871 

10
Poster by the City of
Modena requesting that
citizens worthily welcome
the members of
the conference

11
Notebook for the excursion
to Montale

12
Menu for October 3

13
Carlo Boni’s nametag 

14
Bologna-Modena
train ticket

15
Spindle whorls on original tablets
from the 19^th century museum
Terramara of Montale, Castelnuovo Rangone

 

1
Lithic arrowheads
Ohio and New Jersey, United States
Acquired by Carlo Boni from the antique dealer
Charles Le Beuf, 1878-80

2
Lithic industry
Campegine, Reggio Emilia
Neolithic
From 19^th century exchanges with
the Civic Museum of Reggio Emilia

3
Ideal reconstruction
of the terramare of Casinalbo
Late 19^th century
Reproduction

4
Village on stilts and canoe
Camorta, Nicobar Islands, Indian Ocean
Late 19^th century
Donated by the Modenese astronomer
Pietro Tacchini
Reproduction

5
Polished stone arrowheads
and hatchet
Kentucky, United States
Acquired by Carlo Boni from the
antique dealer Charles Le Beuf, 1878-80 

6
Bone harpoon
Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Donated by Antonio Boccolari, 1888

7
Nuclei of obsidian
Mexico
Acquired by Carlo Boni from the
antique dealer Charles Le Beuf, 1878-80

8
Polished stone hatchet
Guadeloupe, the Caribbean
Acquired by Carlo Boni from the
antique dealer Charles Le Beuf, 1878-80

9
Polished stone hatchet
New Guinea
Collection formed by the ethnologist
Lamberto Loria during a scientific
journey between 1889 and 1890
From 19^th century exchanges with the
National Prehistoric Ethnographic Museum of Rome

10
Polished stone hatchet
with horn handle
from lakeside dwellings
Switzerland, Neolithic
Acquired by Carlo Boni from the
antique dealer Charles Le Beuf, 1879

11
Reconstructions of inhabited
prehistoric pile dwellings
In Louis Figuier, The Primitive Man,
1873 

12
Enumerations of the weapons and tools
of the savages and semi-civilized peoples
Collection of the Civic Museum of Modena
Pamphlet by Carlo Boni on the opportunity
to start a collection of ethnographic materials

13
Hatchet in green polished stone
Scandiano and Campegine, Reggio Emilia
Neolithic
From 19^th century exchanges with the
Civic Museum of Reggio Emilia 

14
Wooden clubs
New Caledonia
Acquired by Carlo Boni from the
antique dealer Charles Le Beuf, 1878

 

1
Oil lamps of various types
and chronologies on 19^th century tablet
3^rd century BCE – mid 5^th century CE
Donated by Carlo Boni
as coming from Pompeii

2
Oenochoes, amphorae and balsamarium
on 19^th century tablet
3^rd – 1^st century BCE
Donated by Carlo Boni and Luigi Azzolini
as coming from Pompeii

3
Anatomical ex-voto
and terracotta head
Votive deposit
Pendici di Comunità, Veii, Rome
4^th – 3^rd century BCE
From exchanges with the National
Prehistoric Ethnographic Museum of Rome,
thanks to the interest of the Modenese
astronomer Pietro Tacchini, 1894

4
Lithic industry from Gargano
Paleolithic
From exchanges with the Turin Museum
of Artillery, 1878 

5
Lithic industry from Perugia
Neolithic
From exchanges with Giuseppe Bellucci,
1875

6-7
Terramara material
Rocca di Bazzano, Bologna
Middle Bronze Age, 1550 – 1350 /1300 BCE
Donated by Arsenio Crespellani, 1879

8
Chalice and piattello
on bucchero base
Chiusi, Siena
6^th century BCE
Donated by Carlo Boni, 1872

9
Ceramic and broze material
from Roman age burials
Carrù, Cuneo
1^st century BCE – 2^nd century CE
Donated by Giovanni Grossi, 1874

10
Etruscan iron fibulas with damascened
decoration in copper alloy
Chiusi, Siena
First half of the 7^th century BCE
Donated by Carlo Boni, 1872
In a few places restoration revealed
traces of fabric 

11
Glass material
from Roman age burials
Carrù, Cuneo
1^st century BCE – 2^nd century CE
Donated by Giovanni Grossi, 1874

12
Etruscan cinerary urns in terracotta
Chiusi, Siena
Early 2^nd century BCE
Donated by Carlo Boni, 1872

The cover of one of the urns is
engraved with left-handed writing,
from right to left, with the inscription
Vel Uvie Velu, first name, nomen
and surname of the deceased. 

13
Ex-voto in terracotta
Votive deposit, Pendici di Comunità,
Veii, Rome
4^th – 3^rd century BCE

Discovered during the digs promoted
by the Empress M. Teresa of Brazil
in 1889. From exchanges with the National
Prehistoric Ethnographical Museum
of Rome in 1894 thanks to the interest
of Prof. Pietro Tacchini, Modenese
astronomer.

 

1
Pre-Columbian cloth of
llama or alpaca wool
Necropolis of Ancon, Peru
Circa 10^th century CE
Antonio Boccolari and
Paolo Parenti Collection,
1885

2
Augusto Valli
(Modena 1867-1945)
Massawa. The leader of the Habab.
Circa 1887
Oil on canvas 

3
Ornamental silver plate
iron bracelets and zinc bangle
Ethiopia, Africa
19^th century
Donated by Pietro Tacchini’s heirs, 1906

4
Wooden headrest
Ethiopia, Africa
19^th century
Donated by Pietro Tacchini’s heirs, 1906

5
Ceramic ocarina
Ethiopia, Africa
19^th century
Donated by Pietro Tacchini’s heirs, 1906

6
Kobo, leather sandals
Somalia, Africa
19^th century
Luigi Robecchi Brichetti Collection
Exchange with the National Prehistoric
Ethnographic Museum of Rome, 1890

7
Pumpkin lime holders
Necropolis of Ancon
9^th – 16^th century CE
Antonio Boccolari and Paolo
Parenti Collection, 1885 

8
19^th century pastiche
of antiquarian provenance
Donated by the Marquis Pietro Sghedoni,
circa 1875 

9
Travel cutlery set
composed of ivory knife,
chopsticks and toothpicks
China, 19^th century
From the voyage of the
corvette Vettor Pisani,
1882-1885. Acquired 1890-91

10
Opium pipe with lacquered wooden
stem, glazed ceramic knob and applique
with ideographic inscription
China, 19^th century
From the voyage of the
corvette Vettor Pisani,
18812-1885. Acquired 1890-91

11
Narghilé
China, 19^th century
From the voyage of the
corvette Vettor Pisani,
18812-1885. Acquired 1890-91

12
Slate tablets used for rubbing ink sticks
Japan, 19^th century
A sample is kept in a nashyi type
lacquered box complete with water container 

13
Ink sticks
Japan, 19^th century

14
Treatise on sericulture
Japan
19^th century
Four-volume work on rice paper

15
Writing brushes and spatulas
Japan, 19^th century
Govi Collection 

16
Pseudo canopic vases in limestone with
traces of polychromy
Theban Necropolis, Egypt
Late Period (664-332 BCE)
Acquired by Carlo Boni from the
antique dealer Charles Le Beuf,
late 1870s
The vases belonged to Hor-sa-Aset,
Celebrated as a sematy priest,
a religious role designated for dressing
and adorning divine statues.
The covers depict the four sons of Horus. 

17
Egyptian child mummy
Roman period, 1^st – 2^nd century CE 

Multilayered cartonnage,
plastered and painted
19^th century
Anthropoid sarcophagus
in scots pine and poplar wood
18^th century

After being housed in numerous locations,
the mummy, which appears in two inventories
(1669 and 1751) of the Este duchy’s collections,
came to the Civic Museum’s collection from the
Director of the University of Modena.

 

 1-2

Tonna, Lambis truncata
Shells belonging to the Civic Museum’s
Natural History Collection

3
Flooring sample
19^th century
From the Civic Museum’s
Industrial Collection 

4
L’Encyclopédie d’histoire naturelle
1858
Volume belonging to Carlo Boni
Donated by Maria Segapeli 2012

5
Fragment of petrified trunk
From the Civic Museum’s Natural
History Collection 

6
Tuff
Varana, Serramazzoni

7
Ophiolite breccia
Renno, Pavullo 

8
Note by Carlo Boni
on the Varana tuff

9
For the Vienna World’s Fair 1873.
1^st sending of the Provincial Council
of Modena for the collection
of Italian Minerals used in building and
decorative arts
Manuscript by Carlo Boni

10
Hydraulic lime
Modena 1871
Pamphlet by Carlo Boni regarding
the production of hydraulic lime
based on studies he conducted
on the Apennines 

11
Vicat needle
Used to verify setting times of
hydraulic binder-based mortars
such as plaster and cement
Acquired in 1873

Models for art and industry
The use of models proposed by the Museum’s collections is confirmed by numerous replicas, copies and “in style” objects. Here an architectural element in Renaissance terracotta is juxtaposed with a reproduction created in 1876 by Francesco Benassati Kiln in Saliceta San Giuliano. During this time, the Museum’s role as repertoire of models for craftsmanship, industry and local artists emerges.

 12
Modenese workshop
Cornice element
Late 15^th – early 16^th century
Terracotta 

13
Benassati Kiln
Cornice element
Saliceta San Giuliano, Modena
1876
Terracotta

14
Sample album of the
Francesco Benassati Kiln
Modena, 1876
Photographic establishment
Giuseppe Vivi

15
Giacomo Masi
Cornice element, live study
1893
Drawing

16
Sandstone
Pantano formation
Montegibbio, Sassuolo 

17
Sandstone
Montardone, Serramazzoni

18
Ophiolite breccia
Sasso Mereo, Sassuolo

19
Ophiolite breccia
Renno, Pavullo 

20
Limestone
Renno, Pavullo 

21-22
Ophiolite breccia
Renno, Pavullo

23
Limestone
Spinello, Savignano sul Panaro

24
Malta
Levizzano Rangone, Castelvetro 

25
Sandstone
Gaiato, Pavullo

26
Ophiolite breccia
Prignano sulla Secchia

 

1
Casimiro Jodi
(Modena 1886 – Rovigo 1948)
Live copy for the Poletti Competition
1908
Oil on canvas 

2
Marble sample set
from the Poletti Collection 

3
Carving with masculine head
1^st century BCE
Jasper 

4
Carving with armed bust
(Scipio Africanus?)
18^th – 19^th century
Layered agate

5
Carving with faun head
18^th century
Glass paste 

6
Carving with head said to be
“Attila’s”
16^th century
Eastern Chalcedony 

7
Carving with feminine
figure, possibly Ceres
2^nd century CE
Carnelian set in iron ring
which is missing a part
of the thimble 

8
Carving with inscription
19^th century
Clear agate

9
Sasanian art
Carving with fantastical
animal
6^th – 7^th century CE
Jasper (?) with inserted
twisting metal wire ring 

10
Carving with masculine head
18^th century
Carnelian 

11
Carving with head
of Antinous
18^th century (?)
Glass paste 

12
Carving with head
of old man
17^th century (?)
Glass paste 

13
Carving with veiled head
18^th century
Sardonyx agate
or from Germany 

14
Luigi Pichler (?)
Carving with Hebe
Early 19^th century
Glass paste

15
Carving with climbing lion
16^th – 17^th century (?)
Glass paste 

16
Carving with galleon
with three trees and
insignia of the cross
17^th century
Glass paste

17
Carving with masculine head
18^th century
Jasper set in brass ring 

18
Carving on two sides
With coat of arms and two letters
19^th century
Carnelian

19
Carving with armed figure
After the 3^rd century CE
Chalcedony 

20
Carving with dancer
After 1812
Glass paste 

21
Carving with palm leaf and
club side by side
2^nd century BCE
Carnelian 

22
Carving with coat of arms
First half of the 18^th century
Carnelian 

23
Carving with the head
of Mercury
1^st – 2^nd century CE
Jasper 

24
Carving with feminine
head
18^th – 19^th century
Carnelian 

25
Carving with masculine head
(Lucius Verus?)
18^th century (?)
Carnelian

26
Carving with masculine
bust
18^th century
Glass paste mounted in a
setting of golden brass 

27
Carving with radiated head
18^th century
Eastern chalcedony 

28
Carving with the head of Zeus
(?)
18^th – 19^th century
Glass paste set in a sealed
brass frame

29
Carving with masculine head
From 1^st century CE original
Glass paste

30
Carving with head said
to be of “Massinissa”
18^th century
Glass paste

31
Carving with head
of Napoleon Bonaparte
Late 18^th – early 19^th century
Carnelian

32
Carving with figures
of Mars and Aphrodite
18^th century
Glass paste 

33
Carving with pierced heart
19^th century
Glass paste set in silver
brass ring 

34
Carving with pierced heart
2^nd – 3^rd century CE
Carnelian

35
German production (?)
Relief with armed masculine
bust
17^th century
Ivory on cardboard 

36
Relief with masculine head,
possibly Francis III of Este
Mid-18^th century
Biscuit (?) 

37
Relief with masculine bust
First half of the 19^th century
Wax-putty on glass 

38
Piedmont workshop
Relief with head of
Francis IV
of Austria-Este
After 1830
Ivory 

39
Benedetto Mastellini (?)
Relief with bust of
Ercole III d’Este
1797
Porcelain 

40
Benedetto Mastellini
Relief with bust of
Ferdinand of Austria
After 1771
Plaster 

41
Cameo with four heads
After the 4^th century CE
Agate 

42
Cameo with masculine head,
possibly Germanicus
18^th century
“Flowery” alabaster 

43
Cameo with mascuile
bust
18^th – 19^th century
Agate 

44
Cameo with bust of Pan
19^th century
Goa agate set in gold ring 

45
Cameo with head of
Dionysus or Paris
19^th century
Sardonyx agate 

46
Cameo with masculine head,
possibly Francis III of Este
First half of the 18^th century
Chalcedony 

47
Cameo with head
Possibly 13^th century
Lapis lazuli (?) 

48
Cameo with head
of satyr
19^th century
Veined brown chalcedony 

49
French-German production
Cameo with two armed
masculine busts
16^th – 17^th century
Agate 

50
Cameo with head of
Hellenistic prince
18^th century
Agate 

51
Cameo with cloaked
feminine bust
19^th century
Chalcedony mounted in
brass bezel 

52
Cameo with feminine head
Early 19^th century
Agate 

53
Cameo with head of
Zeus or Hercules
19^th century
Agate 

54
Cameo with feminine
Head
18^th – 19^th century
Agate (?) 

55
Cameo with feminine
Head
13^th – 14^th century
Agate 

56
Cameo with bust of
Petrarch
19^th century
Marble 

57
Cameo with masculine
head
16^th century (?)
River pebble 

58
Cameo with fantastical
animal
16^th century
Agate or shell 

59
Cameo with masculine
figure on a sea-horse
16^th – 19^th century (?)
Agate 

60
Cameo with feminine
head
13^th – 14^th century
Agate 

61
Cameo with wreathed
head
16^th century (?)
Agate 

62
Antependium fragment
Scagiola
A note on the back indicates that it comes
“from the altar of Saint Michael in the church
of Castelvetro, destroyed by the
lightning that struck in 1894” 

63-64
Giovanni Massa
(Carpi 1660-1741)
Landscapes
Scagliola
Late 17^th – early 18^th century 

65
Breccia from Nabresina
del Carso 

66
Stoppegna
On the back is written: “Worked
with thin tooth for thresholds, doors
and exits. 12 lire per square meter.” 

67
Red marble sphere
African 

68
Yellow breccia sphere 

69
Granite from the
Trajan Forum

70
Red Nembro marble
from Verona 

71
Tufaceous stone
from Verona

72
White Nembro marble
from Verona with inscription
Provenance unknown
Transcription: “1320 / In
wartime the dead lie in this place. /
This testament found here near the
river on a copper shrine was transported
Into this temple / A.D. 1783.”

73
“Alabaster scherzo found inside
a Greek marble column in S. Paolo”
Handwritten note on the back. 

The original inscriptions on the back of the samples
from the Poletti Collection are valuable not only
because they indicate the provenance, but also because
of the information they provide on the process used, the
prices and the method of locating the stones. Many of
these came, in fact, from archeological digs. Given that
Luigi Poletti practiced as an architect primarily in Rome,
it is logical to conclude that the collection, a selection of
which continues in the compartment below, took shape
in the capital. Over the course of the 19^th century, thanks to
its digs and the by-then secular experience of its artisans, Rome
remained the reference point for this type of collecting.

Selection of stones identified and
donated to the Civic Museum
by Luigi Poletti 

74 Marmorino equine breccia

75 Pink alabaster

76 Siberian jasper

77 Oriental jade

78 Veined pink alabaster

79 Green jasper

80 Fior di Persico

81 Terracina alabaster

82 Cipollino marino marble

83 Serravezza breccia

84 Melio alabaster

85 Feldspar

86 Apuan Alps green marble

87 Oriental alabaster

88 Greek marble

89 Corsican green marble

90 Icy alabaster

91 Corsican golden breccia

92 Antique serpentine

93 Flowery alabaster

94 Lava from the Appian Way

95 Emerald green marble

96 Wooden alabaster

97 Pearl jasper

98 Green Tarquinio serpentine

99 Egyptian alabaster

 

1
Arsenio Crespellani
The Roman monumental remains
Discovered in and around Modena
Archeological map of the city
of Modena, 1888
Reproduction 

2
Architectural terracotta
Slab
Savignano sul Panaro
Roman era
Crespellani Collection

3
Portion of polychrome mosaic
with braid motif
Modena, Largo G. Garibaldi
4^th century CE
Crespellani digs 1887

4
Portion of black and white
mosaic with triangle motif
Modena, Largo G. Garabaldi
1^st – 2^nd century CE
Crespellani digs 1887 

5
Plaster casts of the decorations
on metal dishware found in a well
by Arsenio Crespellani
Casini, Bazzano 

6
Giuseppe Graziosi
(Savignano sul Panaro 1879 – Firenze 1942)
mosaic found by Arsenio Crespellani
in Savignano sul Panaro,
Melda di Sotto Farm in 1897
Reproduction 

7-8
Flooring fragments
Savignano sul Panaro
Roman era
Crespellani Collection 

9
Terracotta antefix
Savignano sul Panaro
Roman era
Crespellani Collection 

10
Arsenio Crespellani
Le Terremare del modenese ed i monumenti
antichi lungo la Strada Claudia deui colli
Carta archeologica premiata al Congresso
Geografico
Internazionale, 1869
Riproduzione
Arsenio Crespellani
The Terramare of Modena and the ancient
monuments along the Strada Claudia dei colli
Award-winning archeological map at the
International Geographical
Conference, 1869
Reproduction 

11
Terracotta tubules for
water lines
Savignano sul Panaro
Roman era
Crespellani Collection

 1
Northern Italy
Furniture lock or
chest with key
18^th century
Wrought iron 

2
Iron knocker from the door of the old Synagogue, which came to
the Museum following the demolition of the Jewish ghetto
in Modena, 1903
17^th –18^th century
Wrought iron 

3
Key to the lock of the
“Kidnapped bucket”
17^th – 18^th century (?)
Wrought iron
“Key to the lock on the chain
of the Bucket at the foot of the Tower.
On the 29^th day of Aug. 1800”
can be read on the wooden keychain. 

4
Stabilimento Fotografico Sorgato
Mobili in ferro della Ditta
Formiggini e Levi
in L’Esposizione di Belle Arti ed Industria,
Società d’Incoraggiamento per gli Artisti
della Provincia di Modena, 1882
Riproduzione
Sorgato Photographic Establishment
Iron furniture from the
Formiggini and Levi Company
in The Exposition of Fine Arts and Industry,
Society for the Encouragement of the Artists
of the Province of Modena, 1882
Reproduction 

5
Italy
Portable lantern
17^th century
Iron and brass with
leather-covered handle 

6
Central Italy, Tuscany (?)
Oil lamp
with inscription: “Others
I serve and I burn out”
18^th century
Wrought iron 

7
Italy
Portable lantern
18^th century
Brass and glass 

8
Italy
Snuffer
Small scissors used for cutting
lamp and candle wicks
17^th – 18^th century
Wrought iron 

9-11
Molds for confectionary decorations
19^th century
Carved wood 

12
Wafer plate with
accompanying plaster casts
16^th century
Iron 

13
Decorative elements and
accessories for furniture
19^th century
Bronze 

Multiple 18^th and 19^th century aesthetic references
are the basis of industrial production of plates, handles,
escutcheons for keys and ornamental bronze
and brass inserts. Used to decorate and embellish wardrobes,
chest of drawers, secretaries, armchairs and end tables, they
reflect the bourgeois taste that was widespread in 19^th century Europe.

14
Tommaso Panizza
(Milan, active from 1837 to 1868)
Sugar bowl
Liquefied, embossed and chiseled silver 

15
Modenese workshop
Representative mace of the City
Of Modena
Mid-19^th century
Embossed and gilded metal 

16
Tommaso Rinaldi
(Modena 1814 – 1877)
Altar bell with the coat of arms
of the City of Modena
Mid-19^th century
Cast silver
In safekeeping from the
Chiesa del Voto
(Church of the Offering), Modena 

17
Tommaso Rinaldi
(Modena 1814 – 1877)
Tray with the coat of arms of the
City of Modena
Mid-19^th century
Hammered silver foil with decorations
In safekeeping from the Chiesa del Voto
(Church of the Offering), Modena 

18
Paolo Ferrari
(Modena, information from 1827 to 1864)
Thurible with the coat of arms of the
City of Modena
1844
In safekeeping from the Chiesa del Voto
(Church of the Offering), Modena 

19-20
Paolo Ferrari
(Modena, information from 1827 to 1864)
Embossed and chiseled silver chalice
Mid-19^th century
Gold embossed leather case
In safekeeping from the Chiesa del Voto
(Church of the Offering), Modena

 

1-2
Felice Riccò
Compositions of metal plates and
Steel, brass and copper inserts 

3
Felice Riccò
Sample album of engravings obtained
with the natural printing system 

4-6
Felice Riccò
Samples of metal matrices engraved
For natural printing and decorative leaves
Tinned steel, brass and copper 

7
Felice Riccò
Engraved ribbon
Possibly made for the Italian General
Exposition in Turin, 1884
Brass 

8
Felice Riccò’s “Circulation booklet”
Italian General Exposition of Turin,
1884 

9
Felice Riccò
Seals and printer’s marks 

10
Annibale Riccò
Natural printing perfected by
Felice Riccò
Modena, 1873 

11
Pamphlet for the exhibit of
the works of Felice Riccò
at the Civic Museum
1872 

The ingenious Modenese artisan perfected the natural printing
process invented by the Viennese Alois Auer between 1849 and 1853: this made it possible to reproduce even the most delicate of small objects, such as butterfly wings, by compressing them between a sheet
of steel and one of lead, which were put through the cylinders of a
rolling mill at a well-calculated pressure. 

12-15
Felice Riccò
Samples of boiled leather 

16-17
Felice Riccò
Samples of woodworking
in imitation of velvet 

18-21
Felice Riccò
Samples of inlaid wood
carved using the technique
of self-sculpture 

22-23
Felice Riccò
Promotional pamphlets for
the boiled leather technique
and woodworking

Artisanal excellence
From the province to the world: the big expositions

Continuous growth: the donations 

In the last few decades of the century, the Museum’s collections are significantly enhanced, thanks in large part to the prestigious donations made by the most prominent families of the city’s aristocracy. In the space of a few years several notable collections are donated: Gandini, of antique textiles (1882); Valdrighi, of musical instruments (1892); Coccapani Imperiali, of weapons (1898); the collection of the artwork of the Marquis Campori, Giuseppe and Matteo (1884, 1887, 1929). From its foundation the Institution characterizes itself as the Museum of the city and for the city and in patriotic tones invites the citizens of Modena to increase its collections through donations. Since that time, there have been over 1600 donators of varying interests, educations and cultural backgrounds, concentrated mostly during the last two decades of the 19^th century. All of this underscores the idea of collective participation based on the strong cohesion of the city’s social fabric. 

 

1
Carlo Boni
Leaflet addressing the increase in donations to the Museum
1871 

2
Pan flute
14^th-15^th century
Wood
Donated by Luigi Francesco Valdrighi, 1892

 About the flute’s provenance Valdrighi writes: “This instrument was very kindly given to me by Mr. Paolo Parenti of Modena […] who discovered it on the breast of a mummy during digs carried out in the Incan necropolis of Pachacama, Peru.” 

3
Agate
North America
Donated by Pietro Tacchini 

4 [manuscript size 17x16]
Carlo Boni
Note regarding an epigraph dedicated to the principal donors
Circa 1890
Transcription

This Institution, which originated from nothing in 1871, in this marble holds up for public acclaim the names of those who have contributed significantly to its development through donations

Count L. Alberto Gandini – Textiles
Marquis Giuseppe Campori – Archeology
Lieutenant [Paolo] Parenti / Sir Antonio Boccolari – Peruvian antiquities
Sir Arsenio Crespellani – Archeology
Francesco Benassati – Gallic objects
Dr. Giuseppe Casari / Commander Pietro Tacchini / Prof. Annibale Riccò / H.M. the King of Italy – Ethnography 

5
Guillotine blade
1800-1822
Iron
Donated by Paolo Coccapani-Imperiali, 1895 

On October 17^th, 1822, Father Giuseppe Andreoli was guillotined following accusations of conspiracy and affiliation with the Carbonari. Tradition holds that this is the blade with which the sentence was carried out. 

6
Scales used to verify the authenticity and the validity of coins
Early 19^th century
Donated by Alberto Martinelli, 1901 

7
Blessing hand, part of Ex-voto
Middle Ages
Iron
Discovered in Verona during digs at the Scaliger Walls
Donated by Luigi Alberto Gandini 

8
Saint Francis
14^th- 15^th century
Oil on copper plate
Donated by Luigi Alberto Gandini, 1900 

9
Diana and Actaeon
17^th century
Oil on copper plate
Donated by Giuseppe Campori, 1884 

10
Modenese painter
Saint Geminianus
Late 15^th century
Oil on scagliola
Donated by Giuseppe Campori, 1884 

11
Leather handcuffs, shackle and chain from the Este Prison
Donated by Geminiano Vaccari, 1895 

12
Feminine portrait
16^th century
Miniature on metallic leaf inside book-shaped engraved gold-plated case
Donated by Giuseppe Campori, 1884
Translation: Created from the true image as a keepsake and token of love 

13
Paolo Beroaldi
Portrait of Maria Beatrice Vittoria Giuseppina of Savoy, wife of Francis IV of Austria-Este
1820-1840
Miniature on paper
Donated by Giuseppe Campori, 1884 

14
Masculine portrait, maybe a chemist
First half of the 19^th century
Miniature on parchment
Donated by Guglielma Tinti, 1905

 

Captions of the paintings hung on the wall

Augusto Valli (Modena 1867 – 1945)
Semiramis dies on the tomb of Ninus
1893
Oil on canvas

A work produced thanks to the prestigious “Pensionato Poletti” grant, Semiramis shows an oriental bent and an openness to the Roman and international experiences of the artist. The archaeological suggestion is influenced by the success of Giovanni Muzzioli’s works and the studies carried out by Valli in Modena with the set designer Ferdinando Manzini.

Giovanni Muzzioli (Modena 1854 – 1894)
Poppaea with Nero who has Octavia’s head brought to him
1876
Oil on canvas 

Among the most famous of Giovanni Muzzioli’s works, the Poppaea is a work from his third year of the “Pensionato Poletti” grant. The painting shows the characteristics that would decree the success of the artist’s work: the ability to rework realist sensibility, looking at the work of Domenico Morelli, and the taste for costume reconstructions shared by the Roman artistic milieu frequented by the artist during his years of retirement. 

Giovanni Susani (Modena 1803 – 1871)
Celebration at the Pentetorri Villa
1831
Oil on canvas
Donated by Giovanna Viti Molza, 1945

The painting depicts the celebration held at the ducal Villa on August 26, 1831 for the ceremony marking the delivery of the new flag to the Royal Este Battalion. The occasion was celebrating the return of Francis IV following the repression of the uprisings a few months earlier.
The painting is a rare testament to the “delight” of the Este family, which was destroyed by the bombings of May 13, 1944. It stood where the April 22 Park is located today.

Ludovico Lana (Ferrara 1597 – Modena 1646)
Erminia finds the wounded Tancredi
Oil on canvas
Donated by Giuseppe Campori
1887 

The cornerstone of Lana’s production, the canvas is inspired by the great success of Torquato Tasso’s 16^th century poem “Jerusalem Liberated” and depicts Tancredi being helped by Erminia and the loyal Vafrino, while in the background we see the corpse of Argante, killed in a duel by the Christian hero.
The polished and bright color and the illusionistic rendering of detail, such as the helmet in the foreground and the hero’s bloodied shirt, foreshadow the later attentions for Guido Reni. 

Captions of the sculptures (wall)
Caption Monument to Benvenuto Cellini (on display in Plexiglas)

Tommaso Rinaldi
Monument to Benvenuto Cellini, 1862
Liquefied, embossed and chiseled silver
Donated by Maria Lodi, 1907 

This work, which is considered Tommaso Rinaldi’s masterpiece, is a centerpiece dedicated to Benvenuto Cellini, the Italian goldsmith par excellence.
Presented at the London World’s Fair in 1862, the upper part is a statue of Cellini, the base depicts four episodes from the artist’s life and the corner colonnettes feature figures personifying the emblems of the arts. 

Pietro Tenerani (Torano 1789 - Roma, 1869)
Bust of Ludovico Ariosto, 1851
Marble
Donated by Luigi Poletti

This bust was given to Luigi Poletti by Pietro Tenerani on the occasion of his Name Day. Antonio Canova’s pupil in Rome and the Dutchman Bertel Thorvaldsen’s collaborator, the sculptor was among the most sophisticated interpreters of purism, introducing a style aimed at the idealization of the real with particular attention given to the rendering of sentiments. 

Anonymous
Bust of Luigi Poletti
Mid 19^th century
Marble