A masterpiece by Francesco Albani, long lost, and a rare sculpture attributed to Alfonso Lombardi enter the collections of the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, enriching its path.
After the Caravaggio announced a few days ago, the Italian Ministry has indeed acquired another work.
What has the State acquired for the Pinacoteca di Bologna?
Two important works of art enter the collections of the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna thanks to funds from the Ministry of Culture. These are a painting by Francesco Albani, a Madonna in glory with cherubs, and a sculpture with the Face of Christ attributed to Alfonso Lombardi. The new acquisitions will be presented to the public starting March 17.
These entries strengthen the heritage of the National Museums of Bologna and are part of a broader strategy of protection and enhancement. They also confirm the role of the State in recovering works lost in the antique market, bringing them back to museum contexts accessible to the community.
Why is the painting by Francesco Albani so important?
The painting by Francesco Albani (Bologna, 1578 – 1660) has been recognized as a fragment of the altar with Saint William in prayer comforted by the Virgin. The work was executed around 1645 for the Bolognese church of Jesus and Mary of the Augustinian nuns, near Porta Galliera, a building later destroyed in the nineteenth century.
The canvas was identified by Tiziana Sassoli, owner of the Fondantico Art Gallery in Bologna, who recognized its provenance. It is a discovery of great significance for studies on the painter and, more generally, on seventeenth-century Bolognese painting, as it allows for the reconstruction of a long-fragmented devotional complex.
What is the history of the altar fragment by Francesco Albani?
The story of the work reflects the fate of many masterpieces in the nineteenth century. Following the Napoleonic requisitions, the church of Jesus and Mary was destroyed and Albani’s altar dismantled. The various fragments were dispersed and sold individually on the antique market, losing their original unity.
Over time, some parts have merged into the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna. The museum already preserves the fragment with Saint William, which arrived thanks to the Zambeccari bequest in 1883, and a Skull, an attribute of the lost figure of Saint Mary Magdalene, which entered the collection through donation in 2006. The new acquisition restores the most significant portion of the altarpiece.
How will the painting by Francesco Albani be displayed in the Pinacoteca?
The new fragment of seventeenth-century Bologna will be visible to the public from March 17 until mid-June in Room 30 of the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna. The setup has been designed to put it in dialogue with the other two fragments already present in the collection, offering a unified reading of the original complex.
Next to the three portions of the painting, a graphic representation of the entire altarpiece will also be displayed, useful for visualizing the original composition and understanding the relationships between the different parts. In this way, visitors will be able to better grasp the structure of the altar and the narrative intent conceived by Francesco Albani.
What role did private negotiation play in the acquisition?
The purchase of the new fragment was made through private negotiation, a tool that allowed the most relevant section of the dismantled painting to be brought back to the museum. This operation had long been hoped for by scholars of the Bolognese master, interested in recomposing the original project as much as possible.
That said, the intervention has not only a scientific value but also a symbolic one. Restoring unity, at least partially, to an altar torn apart by historical events means reaffirming the role of public institutions in caring for the figurative memory of the city, in continuity with other recent protection operations.
What do we know about the sculpture attributed to Alfonso Lombardi?
Alongside the seventeenth-century painting, a sculpture depicting a Face of Christ, attributed to Alfonso Lombardi (Ferrara, circa 1497 – Bologna, 1537), arrives at the Pinacoteca. The artist is a central figure in Emilian Renaissance sculpture, active mainly in Bologna, where he left some of his most famous plastic complexes.
The work was acquired through the exercise of the right of pre-emption, on the proposal of the Milan Export Office, precisely in favor of the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna. According to the most updated criticism, the piece is to be considered autograph, a circumstance that increases its significance within the catalog of the Ferrarese sculptor.
How does the Face of Christ fit into Lombardi’s production?
The Face of Christ appears as a fragment of a sculpture or a larger plastic complex, of which neither the provenance nor the original location is currently known. However, the quality of the modeling and the expressive strength of the features allow for close comparisons with the highest works of Alfonso Lombardi.
The most immediate comparison concerns the famous group of the Transit of the Virgin, preserved in the Oratory of Santa Maria della Vita in Bologna and created between 1519 and 1522. In both works, the same attention to the emotional intensity of the faces and the naturalistic rendering of expressions emerges, distinctive elements of his language.
What relationship emerges with Raphael’s legacy?
Both the complex of the Transit of the Virgin and the new fragment with the Face of Christ testify to the influence exerted on Alfonso Lombardi‘s research by the inventions of Raphael Sanzio. The translation into plastic forms of inner emotion and the refined care of the gazes refer to the Raphaelian lexicon.
Moreover, this new acquisition offers the opportunity to reconsider the relationships between early sixteenth-century Emilian sculpture and great Roman models. Insights on this interpretative line can be found, for example, in the contributions published by the Treccani and in essays dedicated to the reception of Raphael in the Padana area.
When and how will the sculpture be presented to the public?
Pending its definitive inclusion in the exhibition path, the sculpture will be presented on March 17 at 5 PM in the Aula Gnudi of the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna. The occasion will be a monographic conference dedicated to the sculptor, in which the reasons for the attribution and the data emerged from recent research will be illustrated.
The conference will also allow for an in-depth exploration of the historical-artistic context of the work and its significance in the production of Alfonso Lombardi and in the Emilian Renaissance plastic tradition. Further information on the museum’s scientific activity can be found on the official website of the Pinacoteca and, in a comparative key, on resources such as Musei Bologna and the portal of the Ministry of Culture.
Overall, the two acquisitions reaffirm the role of the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna as a stronghold of protection, study, and enhancement of the Emilian artistic heritage between the Renaissance and the seventeenth century, strengthening the dialogue between historical research, market, and public enjoyment.
IMAGE: Francesco Albani, Madonna in glory with cherubs (Bologna, Pinacoteca Nazionale)
As expert in digital marketing, Amelia began working in the fintech sector in 2014 after writing her thesis on Bitcoin technology. Previously author for several international crypto-related magazines and CMO at Eidoo. She is now the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Cryptonomist and Econique.
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