Museo Glauco Lombardi

Glauco Lombardi dedicated his entire life to recovering, studying, and conserving Parma's 18th- and 19th-century artistic and documentary heritage from the antiquarian market and private collections. The original nucleus of the museum was housed from 1915 to 1943 in the ballroom and adjacent rooms of the Ducal Palace of Colorno. A pivotal acquisition came in 1934, when Lombardi reached an agreement with Count Giovanni Sanvitale, the last descendant of the Sanvitale family, to purchase precious objects that had belonged to Duchess Marie Louise; the count was her great-grandson. These rooms had been adapted in 1763 from a design by the French architect Ennemond Petitot. The Second World War and subsequent post-war years, compounded by bureaucratic obstacles, delayed further progress. The museum finally reopened in 1961 in new premises within the Palazzo di Riserva in central Parma, taking the name Museo Glauco Lombardi. From 1997 to 1999, the museum underwent a comprehensive restoration necessitated by the acquisition of additional spaces, which allowed for more modern and efficient display systems while maintaining Lombardi's original arrangement criteria. The museum also promotes year-round initiatives and events, culminating in the traditional Settimana di Maria Lu deb Luigi held in mid-December to commemorate the duchess's birth and death dates (12 December 1791-17 December 1847). In 2016, the museum served as a focal point for celebrations marking the bicentenary of Marie Louise's arrival in Parma, with numerous exhibitions, conferences, and events.

The collections are notably eclectic, encompassing dresses, furniture, inkwells, engravings, jewelry, and porcelain alongside a significant painting collection. The holdings are distinguished by their strong connection to the imperial period of Marie Louise and her three-decade duchy in Parma. Items from her imperial era include portraits, crystal, ceramics, the majestic Corbeille Nuziale (wedding basket) that Napoleon presented to his young wife in 1810, designed by the celebrated Parisian couturier Louis Hippolyte LeRoy, as well as Bonaparte's swords and letters, and travel necessaires. From her time as Duchess of Parma, the museum preserves objects spanning public and private spheres: jewels, watercolors, crochet work, embroidery, diaries, gala dresses, and musical instruments. The collection also includes works by Italian and French artists active at the court of Parma during the 18th and 19th centuries, representing the prestigious Accademia di Parma founded by the Bourbons. The museum has produced numerous publications over the years, collected in the series Quaderni del Museo; in 2016 it published Parma 1816, dal Ministro Magawly alla duchessa Maria Luigia, available at the bookshop on the ground floor of the Palazzo di Riserva.

Among the most significant individual objects is the Corbeille Nuziale, the wedding basket given by Napoleon to Marie Louise in 1810, designed by Louis Hippolyte LeRoy. The museum also preserves Bonaparte's swords and letters, as well as a travel necessaire. The painting collection features 19th-century works by artists active or collected in Parma, including Paolo Toschi (1788-1854), Giuseppe Molteni (1800-1867), François Gérard (1770-1837), and Giuseppe Drugman (1810-1846). Additional artists represented include Ennemond Alexandre Petitot, Benigno Bossi, and Giuseppe Naudin, all associated with the court environment of 18th- and 19th-century Parma.

The museum is situated at Strada Garibaldi 5 in central Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, with its entrance at Piazzale della Pace. Its official website is http://www.museolombardi.it. The institution continues to function as an active cultural center, maintaining its role as a public museum dedicated to the history and art of 19th-century Parma, with particular emphasis on the legacy of Marie Louise and the Bourbon period.