Weapons
It houses around four hundred specimens collected by the Piacenza count Antonio Parma (1787-1850) in the first half of the nineteenth century.
The collection of ancient weapons is displayed in room 15 on the mezzanine floor.
The core of the collection focuses on 16th-century weapons purchased in Parma and Mantua and from various noble families in Piacenza. In 1849, the Count donated his collection to the Gazzola Art Institute; Count Marazzani donated twelve oriental weapons to the same institute in 1856, with further bequests added between 1885 and 1889, and in the early 20th century. The entire collection was then placed on deposit at the Civic Museum.
Pompeo Della Cesa's Armor 1580—1585
This suit of armor is the finest in the Piacenza collection in terms of craftsmanship. It is engraved and gilded with alternating smooth and worked bands. It consists of a horse helmet with a three-bladed neck guard, a two-bladed scabbard, a breastplate and backplate with a brim, complete symmetrical bracers and pauldrons, missing only the fingers of the right gauntlet, and complete greaves with greaves, closed and truncated, without shoes. It was made between 1580 and 1585. In the center of the chest, it bears the signature "pompe," a signature indicating its manufacture by the Milanese armorer Pompeo della Cesa. To understand Pompeo della Cesa's fame, it's enough to consider that he also produced armor for Duke Alessandro Farnese. The owners of this armor were the Dal Verme counts of Piacenza, from whom the collector purchased it.
