Museo delle ceramiche di Castelli
Civic museum in the former Franciscan convent in Castelli, with majolica from the 15th to the 19th century, the frescoed cloister and a reconstructed workshop.
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About the museum
The museum was established by regional law on 24 January 1984 to promote the culture and art of majolica and to preserve the evidence of Castelli’s ceramic production. It is housed in the former Franciscan convent of the Observant Friars Minor, dating from the mid-16th century. The building functioned as a convent until 1866, and in 1905 it housed the first seat of the Istituto d’Arte F. A. Grue, before becoming a museum in 1984.
On the ground floor are the Renaissance cloister, surrounded by a cycle of frescoes from 1712 with episodes from the life of Mary in twenty-one lunettes, and a reconstructed craft workshop with clay-settling tanks, the techniques of shaping, glazing and decoration, and a replica of the breathing kiln (forno a respiro). The first floor presents works in chronological order from the 15th to the 19th century, from the 16th-century compendiario style to Castelli istoriato painting, with works by the Grue, Gentili, Cappelletti and Fuina families.
The original core is the Raccolta civica (civic collection) promoted by Giancarlo Polidori in the 1930s and 1940s, later enriched by public deposits and private collections. Among the most important pieces are around two hundred bricks from the first 16th-century altarpiece of San Donato, two Orsini-Colonna type apothecary jars and the Madonna Nursing the Child by Orazio Pompei. Since 2008 the museum has also held a donation of two hundred works by Aligi Sassu.
Highlights
- Renaissance cloister with frescoes from 1712
- Reconstructed workshop with the breathing kiln
- Bricks from the 16th-century altarpiece of San Donato
- Orsini-Colonna type apothecary jars
- Madonna Nursing the Child by Orazio Pompei
- Donation of works by Aligi Sassu
Permanent exhibitions
- Maioliche di Castelli dal Quattrocento al Novecento – Chronological route through Castelli ceramic production, with the frescoed cloister and a reconstructed craft workshop.
- Donazione Aligi Sassu – Two hundred works in ceramic, bronze, sculpture and lithographs by the Futurist master, donated in 2008.
- Founded
- 1984
- Operated by
- Comune di Castelli
- Visitors per year
- approx. 857
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3Young people aged 12 to 18, people over 65 and groups of at least 10 people |
| Groups (10+ people) | €3 per personReduced rate for groups of at least 10 people. |
Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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Plan your visit
| Good to know | It is advisable to contact the museum directly before your visit. |
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