Descrizione
Since 2014, the Galleria Sabauda has been housed in the new headquarters of the Manica Nuova of the Royal Palace, built between the late 19th and early 20th century by Emilio Stramucci, and it is part of the Royal Museums of Turin, one of the largest museum complexes in Europe. The book’s introduction traces the history of the Gallery, from its inauguration in 1832 at the behest of Carlo Alberto in Palazzo Madama, to Vittorio Emanuele II’s donation to the State in 1860, to its transfer in 1865 to the Palazzo dei Nobili in Via Accademia delle Scienze, and its current relocation. The selection of 100 masterpieces gives an idea of the extremely rich collection, with works by Piedmontese, Italian and European artists (from the 14th to the 20th century). The guide highlights the main core collections: that of the Savoy dukes and kings, formed from the end of the 16th century with the intention of comparing themselves with the major international courts (paintings by Veronese, Bassano, Valentin, Gentileschi, Cerano, Cairo, Reni, Albani, Guercino, Solimena, Ricci, Tiepolo, Van Wittel, Bellotto, Batoni and Mengs), to works from the Genoese palazzo of the Durazzo family purchased by the Savoys in 1824 (including paintings by Savoldo, Cambiaso, Veronese, Tintoretto, Grechetto, Angelica Kauffman), to 19th century acquisitions aimed at the Italian Renaissance (works by Beato Angelico, i Pollaiolo, Botticelli, Filippino Lippi, Schiavone, Bellini). In 1930 the gallery was enriched by the collection of the Piedmontese industrialist Riccardo Gualino: paintings, sculptures, precious objects, furniture and archaeological finds from different eras and cultures. The pride of the gallery is also the nucleus of works by Piedmontese masters of the Renaissance between the 15th and 16th centuries (Antoine De Lonhy, Gandolfino da Roreto, Martino Spanzotti, Defendente Ferrari, Macrino d’Alba, Pietro Grammorseo and Gaudenzio Ferrari). Of extraordinary importance is the collection of Flemish and Dutch painting: from the primitives (panels by Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Hans Memling and van Orley), to the masterpieces by Rubens, Van Dyck and Rembrandt, to the nucleus of 17th-century paintings.
