Art Gallery
The paintings that constitute the core of the Pinacoteca di Palazzo Farnese's collection span a vast period from the 14th to the 19th century. Among them, it houses Botticelli's Madonna Adoring the Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist. 
The paintings have different origins: there are paintings that came here from Piacenza churches or from private collections, in addition to the paintings that are part of the Fasti Farnesiani series.
Among the various collections, the Rizzi-Vaccari Collection stands out, which has enriched the heterogeneous core of the Pinacoteca with paintings and sculptures dating from the 14th to the early 16th century.
Great prominence for the most important work of the Pinacoteca: the Tondo depicting the Madonna adoring the Child with St. John the Baptist by Alessandro Filipepi, known as Botticelli.
Botticelli's Tondo
Madonna Adoring the Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist - Alessandro Filipepi, known as Botticelli - ca. 1475-80 - Provenance: Landi Castle in Bardi
The painting comes from the Landi Castle in Bardi, mentioned in a family document as early as 1642; in 1860 the castle changed ownership, becoming state property of the Kingdom of Italy, which eventually donated it to the Municipality of Piacenza.
The Madonna is depicted kneeling, adoring the Child, who is resting on the hem of his mother's cloak, resting on a cushion of cut roses; to the left is the infant Saint John. Two rose bushes serve as backdrops, opening onto a landscape inspired by Leonardo's work.
A false rectilinear wooden frame bears the golden inscription: “QUIA RESPESIT HUMILITATE ANCILE SUE”, taken from the Canto of the Magnificat, derived from the Gospel of Luke (1, 46-55).
The subject is based on the 14th-century apocryphal text by Giovanni De Cauli da San Gimignano, which tells of a young Saint John in adoration of the Baby Jesus. This iconographic theme gained popularity precisely during the period in which the tondo under consideration here was created, thanks to Botticelli's master, Filippo Lippi, who employed it for the first time around the 1450s.
The Child's gesture refers to the episode of the circumcision.
The authenticity of the painting has never been questioned, also due to its stylistic similarity to other works by Botticelli, such as the Madonna of the Magnificat in the Uffizi (1481-83) and the Madonna of the Book in the collection of the Poldi Pezzoli Museum (1483-85); however, some doubts have arisen regarding the figure of the young Saint John the Baptist, which is perhaps to be considered a work by his workshop.
The splendid carved and gilded frame is original; it bears traces of polychromy, suggesting that the leaves in the central section were originally painted with green lacquer. The leaves, ears of wheat, flowers, and ribbons allegorically allude to fertility, vitality, and salvation, thus in keeping with the painting's message. 👉 find out more
Adoration of the Magi
Simone de' Crocefissi - second half of the 14th century
The Rizzi-Vaccari Collection was donated to the Civic Museums of Palazzo Farnese by Augusto and Mariapina Rizzi at the end of 2006 to honor the memory of their parents Paola and Luigi.
The collection comprises seventeen paintings and three polychrome wooden sculptures (14th and 15th centuries), covering a time span from the 14th to the early 16th century.
The paintings, many of which are small in size, created for private altars, are of excellent quality and attributed to Jacopo del Casentino, Andrea Bonaiuti, Simone de' Crocifissi, Giovanni da Milano and others.
Two pediments for wedding chests dating back to the mid-fifteenth century complete the collection.
The Prophet Isaiah and King David
Camillo Boccaccino - 1530
On the two organ doors, coming from the sanctuary of Santa Maria di Campagna in Piacenza, a majestic architecture serves as a backdrop to the prophets Isaiah, on the left, and David, on the right.
The two protagonists lean symmetrically on the high pedestals of Ionic columns, on which stand Latin epigraphs announcing the coming of the Redeemer.
Isaiah holds a scroll in his hand, a symbol of his book; David, with his rich headdress alluding to his royal status and his left foot on the head of the giant Goliath, holds a viola, a reminder of his passion for music.
The purification
Carlo Francesco Nuvolone - 1645
Altarpiece commissioned by the Congregation of Merchants of Piacenza for the church of San Vincenzo.
It represents with tones of refined softness the double episode recounted by the evangelist Luke: the Virgin, forty days after giving birth, in compliance with Jewish law, goes to the Temple of Jerusalem to purify herself and to redeem the little Jesus with the sacrifice of a lamb (for the Jews, newborn children belong to God and not to their parents).
Joshua stops the sun
Ilario Spolverini - 1721-27
Commissioned like the previous one by Dorothea Sophia of Neoburg, it represents one of the decisive battles of the people of Israel on their way to the promised land: Joshua asks God to stop the sun and the moon so he can definitively annihilate his Amorite adversaries.
The scene is spectacular: a tumultuous battle is taking place on a vast plain surrounded by mountains.
The solar disk indicated by Joshua stands out in the centre (while the moonlight can be seen behind the mountains on the right).
On the right and left, the pursuit of two kings contributes to arranging the ranks in a centrifugal vortex. The pictorial effect is extraordinary and enhances the battles and the figures.
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Ulysses escapes Circe's spell with the help of Mercury.
Gaetano Gandolfi - 1766
This painting depicts one of the most famous episodes of the Odyssey.
In the foreground, Ulysses' companions, after drinking from the poisoned jug, are transforming into pigs, while the god Mercury, with his winged helmet and caduceus, intervenes to save Ulysses from Circe's captivating gaze.
The serpentine line that animates the composition and the soft colours are still linked to the Rococo aesthetic.
Portrait of Count Giacomo Rota with his dog
Portrait of Count Giacomo Rota with his dog - Gaspare Landi - 1798
The jacket's golden buttons, like the dog's collar, allude to the sitter's high status.
A common symbol of loyalty, the animal looks lovingly at the count, a device that has always been used to give greater verisimilitude to the portrait, almost as if the animal could recognize its owner even if he is only painted.
Translated by AI
