Civic Museum il Correggio

The Civic Museum il Correggio (Museo Civico il Correggio) is an art museum in Correggio, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, housed in the piano nobile of the Renaissance Palazzo dei Principi. Founded in 1995, it preserves and displays the artistic and cultural heritage of the Correggio area, from Roman archaeology through the nineteenth century, with particular strength in works connected to Antonio Allegri, called il Correggio, and the region's courtly and religious history. The museum reopened in 2004 after earthquake damage forced its closure in 1996.

The museum was founded in 1995, but closed the following October 1996 due to an earthquake that struck the city. After extensive restoration work, it reopened to the public in 2004. The collections it displays, however, have much deeper roots. Following the dispersal of the art and furnishings of the Princes of Correggio, the commune assembled its first collection: a series of Flemish tapestries that were protected and exhibited in 1786 in buildings formerly belonging to the Padri Scolopi. In 1813, the commune collected historical portraits from various families, and later assembled works by local engravers including Giuseppe Asioli, Samuele Jesi, Delfino Delfini, and Francesco Redenti. In 1859, Mayor Ferdinando Asioli reorganized canvasses that were copies of works by Antonio Correggio, previously owned by Ercole Scarabelli, and obtained a large series of engravings by Paolo Toschi. Additional works entered through the suppression of religious orders and from deconsecrated local churches.

The museum's collections span from Roman archaeology to the nineteenth century, organized in a chronological itinerary that reflects the cultural history of Correggio and its territory. The holdings include archaeological finds from the Correggio area, Renaissance and Baroque paintings, Flemish tapestries, a significant coin collection from the Correggio mint, works by local engravers, and objects associated with prominent local families, particularly the Asioli family. The collection documents both the refined court culture of the Correggio principality and the broader regional artistic currents of Emilia-Romagna.

Among the museum's most significant works is il Redentore (1493) by Andrea Mantegna, displayed in the Sala del Camino. This room also contains works by or attributed to Antonio Allegri, called il Correggio, including Volto di Cristo, Pietà, and a drawing. The museum holds the Madonna del Rosario by Francesco Madonnina. The Salone degli Arazzi displays nine Flemish tapestries from the late fifteenth century, woven in Brussels in the workshop of Cornelius Mattens, probably acquired by Camillo da Correggio in Antwerp. The first Gallery features works by Polidoro da Lanciano, Bartolomeo Schedoni (school), Francesco Madonnina, Arminio Zuccato, and the Lusuardi Collection of coins from the Correggio mint (1569-1630). The Galleria Asioli is dedicated to the Asioli family, with works by Luigi Asioli, Giuseppe Asioli, and Bonifazio Asioli, as well as Bonifazio Asioli's fortepiano.

The museum occupies the piano nobile of the Palazzo dei Principi, a significant example of Renaissance architecture in Correggio. The palace was constructed beginning in 1508 as the residence of Francesca di Brandeburgo, widow of Count Borso da Correggio, and her sons Gian Francesco and Manfredo. The brick facade features a valuable historiated portal that reflects Ferrarese and Lombard-Venetian styles. After the fall of the Correggio principality, the building served as the seat of the Este Governor and government offices for over two centuries. The palace suffered severe decline in the nineteenth century, when the entire east wing was demolished and rebuilt to house the Contarelli orphanage. A major reconstruction and refurbishment was commissioned by the Commune and carried out under architect Guido Zucchini from 1925 to 1927. Further restoration came in 1966-1968, including reorganization of the historic archives, and in 1971 with the opening of a new library. The interior preserves frescoes and friezes reflecting Paduan Renaissance court culture, notably in the Sala del Camino with its coffered ceiling and allegorical decorations, and the Salone delle Capriate, which houses the ancient holdings of the municipal library.

The Civic Museum il Correggio is located in Correggio, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, within the Palazzo dei Principi at the city's historic center. The palace also houses the Biblioteca Giulio Einaudi and the Archivio Storico Comunale. The museum's official website is http://www.museoilcorreggio.org. The chronological exhibition itinerary begins in the palace courtyard with a Roman funerary lion from the tomb of Caius Fuficius Hilario of the Julio-Claudian period (first to second century), then proceeds through rooms dedicated to archaeology and the territory, the Renaissance fireplace room, the sixteenth-century gallery and tapestry hall, and continues through rooms devoted to the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, concluding with the Galleria Asioli.