A brief guide to the exhibited pieces

The entrance to the building is at the top of a small stairway giving access to the portico where we can admire four vases in Vicenza soft stone, which once decorated the pediment of Asilo Rossi, the nursery school Alessandro Rossi built for this community in 1878. In the entrance hall we find the busts which were originally located in the entrance hall of that same nursery school.

The twelve marble of Carrara busts ’’Busti Rossiani’’ were exhibited in accordance to principles held dear by Alessandro Rossi, in fact they exemplified moral paragons for the children educated within the nursery: at the centre was the Savoia royal family, to the right educators and Church representatives, to the left Italy’s founding fathers.

Exhibited in the hall:

The educators
Giacomo Zanella commissioned to the sculptor Augusto Benvenuti.
Pio X, unattributed. Ludovico di Casoria, by Giulio Monteverde, and Valentino Pasini signed by Vincenzo Vela.

The founding fathers
Camillo Benso Count of Cavour, unattributed. Giuseppe Garibaldi, by Carlo Nicoli. Daniele Manin by Augusto Benvenuti. Quintino Sella by sculptor Odoardo Tabacchi.

Hanging on the wall are two paintings, which were originally part of a group of five. They are a valuable historical testimony of Schio and the civic history of the Vicenza territory. They represent some scenes painted to celebrate the figures of Giambattista Verla and of Gian Galeazzo Thiene, both Vicars of Schio, the former from 1609 to 1610 and the latter between 1626-1627.

The two paintings, Il battesimo di Roberto Verla (The Baptism of Roberto Verla) and La consegna dell’alloro a Gian Galeazzo Thiene (Gian Galeazzo Thiene Receiving Laurels of Honour), are probably an homage to these two characters. In fact, the emblem of Schio, a red cross on yellow, appears on both the canvases and the frames, leading us to believe they were commissioned by the City of Schio. Stylistically, the paintings are clearly in the style of early 17th century Vicenza art. The dating seems confirmed by the rigorous fashion of the black clothes, made livelier by the white lacy collars, inspired by the then fashionable dutch styles. At the time, up until 1630, art in the Vicenza area was dominated by the Maganza workshop, however, the simple rendering of space, the character’s stereotypical poses, the scarce attention to details and the naivety of the storytelling tells us this painting is to be attributed to a modest local artist who aims at recounting local history.

Exhibited along the staircase that takes to the second floor, we find a pair of oval paintings by French artist Louis Dorigny, born in Paris in 1654 in a family of artists.

After spending four years in Rome and various others traveling, the artist arrived in the territories of the Republic of Venice in the Seventies.
In 1700 the painter received a commission from nobleman Andrea Tron who asked him to decorate the Ballroom at Ca’ Tron at San Stea (Venice), in occasion of the 15th birthday of his son, Nicolò.

The three oval paintings in the collection come from that decoration.

The allegories present a human figure paired with an animal, useful to identify the subject. They all adopt the same solution in terms of perspective, which takes into account the fact they were meant to be seen from below. This perspective solution showcases the artist’s ability.

The Allegory of Eloquence is paired with a parrot with red and green feathers, isolated at the far right side of the painting, with its body turned to the female figure, but with its head facing the viewer.

The Allegory of Modesty shows a female figure lying on her side and twisting her shoulders almost to hide the face we only glimpse in profile. She’s paired with a turtle, a symbol, with its shell, of domestic virtues.

In conclusion, the Allegory of Fidelity, placed in the museum’s frescoed room, represents the virtue as a woman next to a crouched hunting dog, whose head is turned towards her: the position of her arm and of her hand, which is scratching the animal gently, connects the figures in a closed circuit, representing intimacy and trust.