The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana in Milan, including its museum and library, serves as a testament to the altruism and vision of the great benefactor behind the institution: Cardinal Federico Borromeo (1564-1631). During his lifetime, Borromeo devoted his life and resources to cultivating art and literature that exemplified the ideals of beauty, wisdom, and moral imagination.
Borromeo’s contribution adds to the conversation about the patterns and shifts within art patronage. During Italy’s late Renaissance and Baroque periods, royalty, eminent families such as the Medici in Florence, and the Catholic Church supported artworks by artists like Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Botticelli, and Bernini.
Borromeo’s influence was similar to that of affluent collectors and dealers such as François Pinault, Larry Gagosian, and Dakis Joannou, who serve as great patrons of artists in the modern era. These individuals possess the capital and contacts to transform creative figures, like Jeff Koons or Damien Hirst into a business empire.
At the Ambrosiana, works by Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Raphael, and Caravaggio, among countless others, testify to Borromeo’s dedication, service, and patronage. Below, discover the art and books housed at the Ambrosiana, along with the man who manifested a vision for beauty and knowledge, which the world enjoys today as a cultural legacy, centuries later.
Who was Cardinal Borromeo?
Born in Milan to an aristocratic line, Borromeo was educated in Bologna as a Jesuit. From a young age, a lifelong curiosity and thirst for truth were instilled in him. As such, he promoted the values of the clergy through the establishment of institutions of higher learning and churches, with his own financial resources, within Milan and beyond. His initiative assisted in fostering decades of renewed cultural vitality.
In addition to his efforts as a cultural benefactor, he demonstrated devotion and sacrifice to the people of Milan during tumultuous times of famine and plague. At the time of the great famine (1627-1628), he worked to feed the impoverished, approximately 2,000 people daily at the gates of his home. During the Great Plague of 1630, the Cardinal remained in the city to help those in need, despite high mortality rates. Authors such as Ripamonti and Alessandro Manzoni have immortalized his intrepid devotion in works such as I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed).
Almost 250 years after his death, the citizenry of the Italian metropolis erected a grand statue in his honor adjacent to the gates of the Ambrosiana library. The pedestal of the statue features a quote from The Betrothed, reading: “He was one of those men rare in every age, who employed extraordinary intelligence, the resources of an opulent condition, the advantages of privileged stations, and an unflinching will in the search and practice of higher and better things.”
Highlights of the Art Collection
The foundation of the Pinacoteca museum rests in the paintings and drawings donated by Cardinal Borromeo beginning in 1618. The space features 24 rooms that begin with the collection of Borromeo through the early 20th century. Of particular note is Portrait of a Musician by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). Like many of the Great Master’s works, an element of mystery shrouds the work. Specifically, the painting originally was thought to render Ludovico il Moro, Duke of Milan. Yet, in 1905, restoration work revealed something new, as the removal of the overpainting uncovered a musician of the time–Franchino Gaffurio, chapel Master of the Duomo of Milan. In more recent times, a new interpretation of the work suggests it is a depiction of Atalante Migliorotti, who was a musician from Tuscany and friend of Leonardo who served in the court as a lyricist and singer.
The School of Athens (1509) drawing by Raphael Sanzio is a preparatory charcoal sketch for the finished Stanza della Segnatura at the Vatican museum in Rome, commissioned by Pope Julius II. While on loan to the Museum since 1610, Cardinal Borromeo purchased the work for the collection in 1626 from the widow of Fabio Borromeo Visconti for a tidy sum of 600 imperial lire. Interestingly, the precise title of the work is Philosophy, signified by the Ancient Greek philosophers depicted, including Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Plato is represented as carrying his book the Timaeus, while Aristotle holds his Ethics. Not to be outdone, Raphael inserts himself in the work covertly gazing directly at the viewer, thereby placing himself in the historical continuum of humanist minds within the Western tradition. The seminal work continues to inspire awe in observers and subsequent creative minds in more recent times such as Cy Twombly, who created his own rendition of the piece as an homage in 1961. Likewise, Titian’s Adoration of the Magi stands out as a hallmark work from the collection.
La Biblioteca
Founded in 1607, the Ambrosiana Library embodies Borromeo’s devotion to knowledge and wisdom. The Ambrosiana served as the first European public library. Borromeo, a prolific author himself of original ecclesiastical times, founded the institution with his own funds and sent scholars throughout Italy and Europe to procure 30,000 books and 15,000 manuscripts. A prominent acquisition included a copy of Homer’s Iliad, known as the Ilias Picta, featuring an illustrated rendering of the Greek epic poem.
Through July 4 of 2023, a special exhibition at the Ambrosiana Library showcases the hallmark books of the collection as described by Manzoni in The Betrothed. The exhibition consists of two rooms with seven sections of works, including astrology, philosophy, history, and politics by esteemed minds such as Aristotle and Machiavelli. Of particular note is a manuscript of the poet Virgil, which was owned by Petrarch. Another fascinating relic is Lucrezia Borgia’s tuft of hair, which has drawn inspiration since the 19th century, for visiting writers and poets to Milan.
The true treasure of the space, though, is the Codex Atlanticus, representing the largest collection of drawings and writings of Leonardo, including 1,750 technical drafts. A native of Tuscany, the artist spent approximately 20 years of his life working and living in Milan. There he produced some of his most seminal works, including The Last Supper. The Codex essentially provides a portal into the mind of the esteemed Renaissance figure and how he saw and interpreted the world in the spheres of nature, science, and art.
Leonardo da Vinci arrived in Milan in 1482 upon persuading the Duke Ludovico Sforza of his prowess as a military engineer. Not content with simply painting, Leonardo sought to explore deeper into his scientific interests, while enjoying the city’s pleasures. After time away from Milan, he returned in 1506, whereupon he continued to record his observations and thoughts which were eventually collected and organized into the codexes. The 12-volume work was gifted to the library in 1637 by Marquis Galeazzo Arconati. Although Milan is not necessarily considered a great Renaissance city in the vein of Florence, Venice, or Padua, perhaps, a reconsideration should take place, given the splendor of the epoch reflected in the Ambrosiana.
Other Cultural Considerations
Complimenting a visit to the Pinoteca Ambrosiana, the Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan offers a rendering of The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. The Duomo di Milano, where Cardinal Borromeo is buried and contributed to embellishments on the worship space, is located nearby. Another great addition, Pinoteca di Brea, houses a resplendent collection of works by Modigliani, Moriandi, and Brueghel, among others. All of the institutions described are in central Milan, easily accessible by taxi, public transportation, or pedestrian walkway.
Cover photo: © ITWORKS SRL
[Written May 2023]
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