Musei Civici
Gian Giacomo Galletti
The Gian Giacomo Galletti Civic Museums of Domodossola are a multidisciplinary and eclectic context that narrates a frontier territory open to the world and nourished by a strong collecting impulse, especially between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
The first nucleus of the natural history museum of the Foundation mainly consisted of minerals and botanical specimens and was exhibited at Palazzo Mellerio (the remains of which are in the square next to the town hall) in 1875.
Nothing better than these words taken from Alessandro Malladra’s “The Simplon Tunnel” of 1905 exemplifies the grandeur of one of the greatest railway engineering feats ever accomplished.
The art gallery is dedicated to the paintings of the major representatives of the painting schools of Valle Vigezzo, active from the late 17th century until the early 20th century.
The archaeological section, formed starting from an initial numismatic donation in 1875, gathers evidence of civilizations from various geographical origins, ranging from the Neolithic period to the Roman era.
The collection of sacred art comprises several dozens of artifacts of various sizes and functions. On display are the processional banner, the processional cross, and the lantern.
The first nucleus of the natural history museum of the Foundation mainly consisted of minerals and botanical specimens and was exhibited at Palazzo Mellerio (the remains of which are in the square next to the town hall) in 1875.
Nothing better than these words taken from Alessandro Malladra’s “The Simplon Tunnel” of 1905 exemplifies the grandeur of one of the greatest railway engineering feats ever accomplished.
The art gallery is dedicated to the paintings of the major representatives of the painting schools of Valle Vigezzo, active from the late 17th century until the early 20th century.
The archaeological section, formed starting from an initial numismatic donation in 1875, gathers evidence of civilizations from various geographical origins, ranging from the Neolithic period to the Roman era.
The collection of sacred art comprises several dozens of artifacts of various sizes and functions. On display are the processional banner, the processional cross, and the lantern.
Palazzo
San Francesco
Palazzo San Francesco combines in its name the two souls of the building: San Francesco represents the dedication of the original church attached to a convent, which was later transformed, following the Napoleonic suppressions, into a noble palace for private use. From the stylistic and architectural analysis, it can be dated back to the late 1200s for the church within the perimeter of the current palace; it is known that the church was consecrated in October 1331.
Palazzo Silva
At the center of the city of Domodossola stands the palace of the noble Della Silva family, which still displays its Renaissance features to this day. Its simple smooth facades are embellished with large crossed windows sculpted in marble from the quarries of Crevoladossola. The palace developed from an original nucleus dating back to the late 14th century, accessible through a door dated ‘1348,’ of which no trace remains today.
In the Palazzo, among the most curious items on display, there are two bracelets (from the 19th century) made of carved wood, designed to resemble boxing gloves into which one can slip their arm.
After the archaic models, created in imitation of Korean and Chinese armaments, the first Japanese armors were devised between the 9th and 12th centuries.
At Palazzo Silva, several military headgear are preserved, and the following four are highlighted on display
At Palazzo Silva, there are also several examples of firearms, which, due to their variety and characteristics, cover a time span from the late 16th to the 20th century
Inside the museum collection, there is a large number of swords dating from the 16th to the 19th century. One of the oldest is a Venetian-made sword from the first half of the 17th century
The weapons collection at Palazzo Silva is composed of diverse artifacts. It is not a corpus collected according to historical or environmental criteria.
The sacred furnishings have different origins and have been collected over time. The sacred and secular furnishings are located on the second floor of the Palazzo.
Various small-sized objects, produced for different uses, have been decorated by artists specialized in the technique of miniatures.
The portraits in the collections of the Civic Museums are diverse in terms of historical period, context, and subjects. Their variety is understandable when considering how the heritage has been formed.
The heritage of the Civic Museums of Domodossola has undergone successive rearrangements, and since 2021, the paintings are partly exhibited on the second floor of the new Civic Museums in Palazzo San Francesco.
During the 1880s, many stone sculptures arrived at the museum from the surrounding areas, through purchases and donations. The marble courtyard represents an open-air museum with a nineteenth-century conception.
On the facades of the palace, there are eight marble coats of arms embedded. In addition to these, three fleurs-de-lis of France, also made of marble, are incorporated on the north side.
It is quite unusual for a private palace to have a chapel for the celebration of Mass. The della Silva family, also due to their nobility, had patronage over a chapel in the conventual church of San Francesco.
In the Palazzo, among the most curious items on display, there are two bracelets (from the 19th century) made of carved wood, designed to resemble boxing gloves into which one can slip their arm.
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