Collezione Giuseppe Acerbi
The first floor - the lower part of the former Hall of Triumphs - houses the Giuseppe Acerbi Collection with an initial thematic area dedicated to the collector. Islamic and ethnological materials are on display, including a Mamluk saddle, some Nubian weapons and utensils made of plant fibres, highlighting the multifaceted interests of Acerbi, the Austrian Consul in Egypt, an expert traveller and passionate scholar. Certainly the richest core of the collection is the one dedicated to Egyptian antiquities with the royal heads, the precious Ushabti of Seti I and documents from his personal archive.
Where is the exhibition section located
Piano 1
Camera delle Frecce
Hall of Triumphs
Camera dei Brevi
Camera delle Frecce
At the end of the section in the Camera delle frecce is the symbol of the entire collection, the Cat, the animal sacred to Bastet, goddess of hearth and family, as well as of beauty and self-indulgence. Bronze statuettes can also be found in this space.
Hall of Triumphs
The Hall of Triumphs was originally intended for ceremonial purposes and housed the nine canvases of Mantegna's Triumphs of Caesar. The decoration of the room, influenced by Mantegna's style, included paintings by Lorenzo Costa, but the current layout has provided for a division into exhibition sections, namely those dedicated to works from the collections of Vespasiano Gonzaga and Giuseppe Acerbi on the lower floor, and the one dedicated to Ugo Sissa on the upper floor.
Camera dei Brevi
The Camera dei Brevi is the space dedicated to the grave goods and is enriched by a papyrus from the Civic Archaeological Museum of Milan and a mummy from the Civic Archaeological Museum of Bologna. A series of Ushabty, mummiform-looking funerary statuettes, numerous amulets and four Canopic jars complete the section.
