Palazzo dei Diamanti
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Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
, northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It is one of the most famous palaces in Italy, as well one of the most influential examples of European Renaissance architecture.
History
Designed by Biagio RossettiBiagio Rossetti
Biagio Rossetti was an Italian architect and urbanist from Ferrara. A military engineer since 1483, and the ducal architect of Ercole I d'Este, in 1492 Rossetti was assigned the project of enlarging the city of Ferrara....
upon commission by Sigismondo d'Este, brother of Duke Ercole I, in 1492, it was built between 1493 and 1503. Used as a residential home by the Este and then, starting in 1641, by the Villa marquees, in 1832 the palace was acquired by the municipal in order to house the National Gallery of Art and the Civic University.
Architecture
The most striking feature is the bugnato of the exterior walls: it consists of some 8,500 white (with pink veins) marbleMarble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
blocks carved to represent diamonds, hence its name. The positioning of the diamonds varies in order to maximize the light reflected off the building, creating quite the visual effect.
The palace is also well known for its candelabras and the phytomorphic corner motifs.
Inside, it has a typical Renaissance courtyard with a cloister and a marble well; the latter is a particular characteristic typical of gardens in Ferrara.
The National Gallery of Art in Ferrara
The main floor of the Palace houses the National Art Gallery of Ferrara, with paintings from the Ferrara school from the Middle Ages up to the 18th century.The oldest paintings are large frescoes (Triumph of sant'Agostino by Serafino da Modena) and wooden panels with gold-leaf backgrounds, such as the Madonna and Child by Gentile da Fabriano
Gentile da Fabriano
Gentile da Fabriano was an Italian painter known for his participation in the International Gothic style. He worked in various places in central Italy, mostly in Tuscany. His best known works are his Adoration of the Magi and the Flight into Egypt.-Biography:Gentile was born in or near Fabriano,...
. The main artists from the 15th century are Cosmè Tura (Giudizio and the Martyrdom of san Maurelio), Ercole de' Roberti
Ercole de' Roberti
thumb|240px|Portrait of [[Giovanni II Bentivoglio]] . National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.Ercole de' Roberti , also known as Ercole Ferrarese or Ercole da Ferrara, was an Italian artist of the Early Renaissance and the School of Ferrara...
, Vicino da Ferrara
Vicino da Ferrara
Vicino da Ferrara was an Italian painter of the 15th-16th century.-Gallery:...
and Michele Pannonio, who each have several works here. From the Este family collections, there are works by various artists, one of whom is Andrea Mantegna
Andrea Mantegna
Andrea Mantegna was an Italian painter, a student of Roman archeology, and son in law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with perspective, e.g., by lowering the horizon in order to create a sense of greater monumentality...
(Cristo con l'animula della Madonna). There are also two works by unidentified artists from the collection of the Marquee Leonello d'Este
Leonello d'Este
thumb|220px|Leonello D'Este portrayed by Pisanello.Leonello d'Este was marquis of Ferrara and Duke of Modena and Reggio Emilia from 1441 to 1450.-Biography:...
at the Belfiore Palace.
The 16th century is represented by the master of classicism Garofalo
Garofalo
Garofalo as a surname may refer to:*Agostino Garofalo , Italian footballer*Carlo Giorgio Garofalo , Italian composer and organist*Il Garofalo , Italian painter*Janeane Garofalo Garofalo as a surname may refer to:*Agostino Garofalo (b. 1984), Italian footballer*Carlo Giorgio Garofalo (1886-1962),...
; there are many works here by this artist, one of the most noteworthy being Pala Costabili, done in collaboration with Dosso Dossi
Dosso Dossi
Dosso Dossi , real name Giovanni di Niccolò de Luteri, was an Italian Renaissance painter who belonged to the Ferrara School of Painting.-Biography:Dossi was born in San Giovanni del Dosso a village in the province of Mantua...
. The period of mannerism is represented by Bastianino, who uses a technique similar to that of Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
in his works. Other artists present are Vittore Carpaccio
Vittore Carpaccio
Vittore Carpaccio was an Italian painter of the Venetian school, who studied under Gentile Bellini. He is best known for a cycle of nine paintings, The Legend of Saint Ursula. His style was somewhat conservative, showing little influence from the Humanist trends that transformed Italian...
, Ortolano, Manieri, Panetti, Coltellini, Maestro degli Occhi Spalancati and many more.
Exhibition Space
On the lower floor, there is the Civic Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, which has hosted high level temporary shows since 1992, when the space was inaugurated by the show on Claude MonetClaude Monet
Claude Monet was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting. . Retrieved 6 January 2007...
and his friends. Some of the most important shows held here were:
- From Dahl to Edvard MunchEdvard MunchEdvard Munch was a Norwegian Symbolist painter, printmaker and an important forerunner of expressionist art. His best-known composition, The Scream, is part of a series The Frieze of Life, in which Munch explored the themes of love, fear, death, melancholia, and anxiety.- Childhood :Edvard Munch...
and Alfred SisleyAlfred SisleyAlfred Sisley was an Impressionist landscape painter who was born and spent most of his life, in France, but retained British citizenship. He was the most consistent of the Impressionists in his dedication to painting landscape en plein air...
. Poet of Impressionism in 2002, - Edgar DegasEdgar DegasEdgar Degas[p] , born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, was a French artist famous for his work in painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing. He is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism although he rejected the term, and preferred to be called a realist...
and the Italians in Paris in 2003, - CubismCubismCubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
. Revolution and tradition in 2004, - Corot. Nature, emotions, memory in 2006,
- André DerainAndré DerainAndré Derain was a French artist, painter, sculptor and co-founder of Fauvism with Henri Matisse.-Early years:...
and symbolismSymbolismSymbolism is the applied use of symbols. It is a representation that carries a particular meaning. It is a device in literature where an object represents an idea.A symbol is an object, action, or idea that represents something other than itself....
in 2007, - Cosmè Tura and Francesco del CossaFrancesco del CossaFrancesco del Cossa was an Italian early-Renaissance painter of the School of Ferrara.-Biography:...
. The art of Ferrara at the time of Borso d'Este and Joan MiróJoan MiróJoan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
. The land in 2008, - TurnerTurnerTurner is a common surname of English 12th Century origin, meaning "one who works with a lathe". Turner is the 28th-most common surname in the United Kingdom.-List of people with surname Turner:...
and Italy in 2009, - Giovanni BoldiniGiovanni BoldiniGiovanni Boldini was an Italian genre and portrait painter. According to , he was known as the "Master of Swish" because of his flowing style of painting.-Early life:...
in Paris during Impressionism, From Braque to Kandinsky to Chagall. Aimé Maeght and his artists and Jean-Baptiste-Siméon ChardinJean-Baptiste-Siméon ChardinJean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin was an 18th-century French painter. He is considered a master of still life, and is also noted for his genre paintings which depict kitchen maids, children, and domestic activities...
. The painter of silence in 2010.