Museo della Figurina di Gesso e dell'Emigrazione «Guglielmo Lera»

About the museum

The museum, founded in 1975 in the historic centre of Coreglia Antelminelli, is housed in Palazzo Vanni, a building once owned by Baron Carlo Vanni, a figurinaio who lived for a long time in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is dedicated to the figurinai, the artisans of the Media Valle del Serchio who worked plaster. In Coreglia this activity probably began between the 16th and 17th centuries and became the village's main occupation. The figurinai took light and inexpensive equipment across Europe and beyond, making and selling figures in temporary workshops.

The collection comprises around 1,300 plaster works that show the technical development of the craft from the 17th century to today. Among the best-known pieces are 18th-century kittens blackened with candle smoke, busts cast by the “stampa persa” (lost-mould) technique, and the original mask of Camillo Benso di Cavour. There are figures of historical and literary personalities, such as Napoleon, Garibaldi, Dante and Petrarch, and classical and mythological subjects, together with works by pupils of the School of Drawing and Modelling founded in 1883 by Carlo Vanni.

Teaching rooms illustrate the techniques of working plaster, while on the ground floor the section on emigration displays passports, letters, diaries and photographs of the figurinai who settled in many countries.

Highlights

• Around 1,300 plaster figures from the 17th century to today
• 18th-century kittens blackened with candle smoke
• Original mask of Cavour and busts in “stampa persa” technique
• Works by pupils of the School of Drawing and Modelling (1883)
• Emigration section with passports, letters and photographs

Founded

1975

Operated by

Comune di Coreglia Antelminelli

Admission & discounts

Full ticket €2, reduced €1.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Among the services listed for the museum are accessibility for people with disabilities and toilet facilities.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Workshops to create a plaster figure are available by appointment.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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