Ambrosian Art Gallery

The Ambrosian Art Gallery in Milan is one of the city’s oldest art museums, founded in 1618 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo. Located inside the Ambrosian Palace, the art gallery is part of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, an institution established by Borromeo to promote knowledge and artistic education. The collection of the art gallery reflects the taste and eclecticism of its founder, who gathered works for their educational as well as aesthetic value. The building housing the art gallery is an architectural gem of the late Renaissance, designed to harmonize with the adjacent library. The exhibition rooms are arranged around the large reading room of the library, creating a continuous dialogue between visual art and literature. Among the most famous works in the art gallery is Leonardo da Vinci’s “Portrait of a Musician,” an enigmatic work that probably represents the composer Franchino Gaffurio. This painting not only demonstrates Leonardo’s skill in portraying the psychology of his subjects, but also serves as an important historical document of Milanese musical life during the Renaissance. Another priceless masterpiece is Caravaggio’s “Basket of Fruit,” a revolutionary painting for its realistic rendering and dramatic use of light. This still life, with its meticulous attention to detail and almost scientific representation of fruit, is a milestone in the history of Western art. The collection also includes the preparatory cartoon for Raphael’s “School of Athens,” a monumental drawing that offers an intimate look at the creative process of the Renaissance master. This cartoon is the only preparatory drawing of such dimensions by Raphael to have survived, allowing us to appreciate the painter’s compositional genius. Among the paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries are works by artists such as Botticelli, with his “Madonna of the Pavilion,” and Bernardino Luini, a pupil of Leonardo, whose several works can be admired. The presence of these paintings testifies to Leonardo’s influence on the Lombard school and the evolution of Renaissance painting in northern Italy. The art gallery also houses a rich collection of Flemish and Baroque art, with works by artists such as Jan Brueghel the Elder and Peter Paul Rubens. These paintings illustrate the interaction between Italian and Northern artistic traditions, reflecting the cosmopolitanism of European collecting in the 17th century. The Ambrosian Art Gallery is also famous for its collection of manuscripts and drawings. Leonardo da Vinci’s “Atlantic Codex,” a vast collection of the master’s drawings and writings, is one of the library’s most precious treasures. This codex, donated to the library in 1637 by Galeazzo Arconati, offers an unprecedented insight into Leonardo’s multifaceted genius, from war machine projects to anatomical studies. The art gallery has undergone several restorations and expansions over the centuries, adapting to conservation needs and museographic developments. The most recent interventions have sought to respect the original structure while introducing modern elements to enhance visitors’ experience.