Albani Museum
This itinerary in the extraordinary artistic heritage of the Archdiocese of Urbino – Urbania – Sant’Angelo in Vado, is named in memory of the noble family from Urbino of Pope Clement XI Albani (1700-1721) and its artistic patronage which contributed to enriching the “treasures of the cathedral”. Since 1964, the Episcopal Complex has been the location of a museum in continual growth, strengthened by recent discoveries and findings of which the Archdiocese territory is rich, and are today displayed in a completely renewed setting.
It holds a rich assortment of ecclesiastical furnishings, from the XIII century to our times; third and fourth century illuminated manuscripts, chalices and reliquaries of filigree and enamel, majolica and porcelain, amber, gold and silver, crystals, ivory pastoral staffs, and liturgical vestments lined with precious metals. Unique are the monumental brass lectern from the library of the Duke of Urbino, Federico da Montefeltro and the bronze candelabrum cast by Francesco di Giorgio Martini. There are many detached frescoes which tell the story of the diffusion of the International Gothic style in the land of the Salimbeni brothers, Jacopo and Lorenzo. The boards and canvases painted between the XIV and XVIII century provide evidence of the great artistic schools of Giovanni Santi, Mannerism and of great artistic personalities such as Federico Barocci (Repentant St. Jerome, Ecstasy of the Blessed Michelina) and Federico Zuccari (Christ at the Column) who have characterized the history of the territory over the centuries, as well as having conquered the national and international scene.
The grand Cathedral in Neoclassical style, designed by the architect Giuseppe Valadier at the end of the XVIII century, contains the Albani Museum and the Oratory of the Grotta, a place of worship and piety tied to tradition of the Holy week, and now, as an exhibition space, the fulcrum of the ecclesiastic artistic heritage of Urbino.
The Cathedral Museum officially opened in 1964.
It was named after the noble family, Albani, from Urbino, in order to honor their donation to Pope Clement XI (Giovan Francesco Albani, who was Pope from 1700 until 1721). The Pope showed his generosity to the city and the Cathedral by creating the first nucleus of the collection. In the “Guide to Urbino” which was written by Clement XI in 1703 to accompany the papal legates Origo and Lancisi on their visit to Urbino, this collection was referred to as the “treasures of the Cathedral”. A passage from this text is now inscribed on the museum entrance door.
The structure has recently been restored to include nine rooms created with the most up-to-date museum technology. This exhibition displays the precious art from the Archdioceses of Urbino-Urbania-Sant'Angelo in Vado
Room I | Storia della Cattedrale
The visual history of the construction and restoration of the Cathedral from its origins until today is on display here.
Designs and sketches show the interventions of architect Giuseppe Valadier (1762-1839) and Camillo Morigia (1743-1795). These architects worked on the original Renaissance structure (likely created by Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439-1502) of Siena after the collapse of the dome in 1789, substituting it with a Neoclassical style.
Room II | Gli Albani e la committenza urbinate
SAAL I : Der erste Saal des Museums zeigt die Geschichte der Kathedrale von Urbino und die verschiedenen Phasen seiner Restaurierung im 18 Jhd. im Neoklassizistischen Stil von dem Architekt Giuseppe Valadier. Man kann auch eine sehr seltene Zeichnung betrachten, wo man das aus dem sechzehnten Jahrhundert Kathedrale von Francesco di Giorgio Martini dargestellt wurde.
The works here display the origins of the current museum, which were generously contributed by the Albani family (especially Pope Clement XI and Cardinal Annibale nephew).
The family's patronage includes the presence of gold, silver and porcelain from the best Italian and European workshops; objects which are significant examples of seventeenth century culture. One such piece is the Reliquario della Santa Croce, 1703, in which the virtuosity of the workmanship gives voice to the expressiveness of the large sculpture. The fine white porcelain from the altar service (1736-1740) was created by Meissen of Germany. Here each element bears the heraldic emblem of the Albani family: three hills and a star.
Room III | Stagioni del Medioevo
This room puts paintings and objects on display which testify to the spirituality and devotion of the Medieval Age.
Here the signs of the bishop's authority are shown through pieces dating to the XIII-XIV century. These express antique symbolic and formal characteristics taken from the European Romanesque tradition. The Miter and Pastoral staff are exceptional examples of the technical expertise in the use of yarns, enamels, and ivory. They can be seen as a symbol of the power of the Church in the world. An example of the artistic personality of the Master of Bellpuig is the panel depicting the Madonna del Latte (XIV century): the presence of this Catalan painter in the territory of Urbino and Montefeltro certaintly is an example of the abundance of artistic pursuit in European art, when the exchange of goods, men and ideas helped spread culture. Another work, Crocifisso (The Crucifix) by Antonio di Agostino da Fabriano (documented 1447-1489) follows in the tradition of large crosses painted for church apses, a symbol of universal piety
Room VI | Urbino e le Arti del Rinascimento
This section of the museum tells the story of the extraordinary artistic experiences of the Duchy of Urbino during the Renaissance age, when the city was first universally recognized as being one of its premier capitals.
During the second half of the XV century, Federico da Montefeltro (1422 -1482), Duke of Urbino, created a cultural center in his court. Musicians, doctors, philosophers, writers, mathematicians, and artists, such as Piero della Francesca (1420- about 1492) came from all over Europe. The extreme foresight and eclectic spirit of the Prince was the cultural-artistic base of Urbino. Here they nurtured different types of expression, but were most interested in studies of prospective and in the construction of an ideal space. Giovanni Santi (before 1439-1494) and Timoteo Viti were protagonists of the local scene. Each gave life to flourishing workshops and contributed in a decisive way to the training of young Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520). The altarpieces are of great formal and expressive quality. They are attributable to the Coda, who were active in Rimini between the end of the 1500's and the beginning of the next century, both originating from the Cathedral.
Room V | Rinascimento maturo e il Manierismo
The cast bronze candelabra created by Francisco di Giorgio Martini for the Cathedral was commissioned by Federico da Montefeltro, as shown by his heraldic crest present on its base. The paintings here are examples of sixteenth century Mannerism in the Duchy, with artists such as Giustin del Vescovo (? - 1609) called l'Episcopi or Pierantonio Palmerini (d.1538). Other protagonists of the national scene are Raffaellino del Colle (1495-1556) and Pierpaolo Menzocchi (1530 – about 1589). They were engaged in the artistic enterprise of the Villa Imperiale in Pesaro, where the lessons of Raffaello and of the Roman artistic atmosphere of the beginning of the 1500's were passed down. Another work, Cristo alla Colonna was painted for the Confraternity of Santa Croce of Urbino. It is shown here in a preparatory sketch. The artist, Federico Zuccari (1540/41-1609), worked at some of the most prestigious European courts and founded the Academy of S. Luca in Rome. Here he shows the pain and suffering of man through the martyred body of Christ.
Room VI | La Maniera di Barocci
In the second half of the XVI century, Urbino became an artistic center once again, in an age which was strongly characterized by the genius of Federico Barocci (1533-1612). This painter was loved by the Della Rovere, dukes of Urbino, as well as being very appreciated in Rome. Under the wings of the Counter-Reformation, Barocci elaborated an artistic language which was capable of moving past the confines of the duchy to influence Masters such as Annibale Carracci (1560-1609) from Bologna as well as Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). Barocci was able to combine naturalism with an ideal beauty which often reveals itself in a divine epiphany. Through technical expertise used to dominate colors and forms, the artist gives fundamental importance to the invention and preparation of design. The ecstasy of the Beata Michelina and San Girolamo penitente (both sketches), express the profound religious devotion of the painter, who interprets his subjects with an infinite sweetness of form and unites it with the reality of everyday life. Students and followers of the Master frequently reproduced this model, not only by assuming both his stylistic traits, but also the compositional forms. Emblematic of the power of the Baroque model is the copy painted by Carlo Roncalli of the Madonna del Gatto by Barocci (first half of the XVIII century). This was commissioned by the Albani family and considered to have been an original by Barocci until recent times. It was so appreciated as to have been used as the key image of the Museum collection
Room VII | Tesoro della Cattedrale
Liturgical objects such as gold, silver, chalices, cruets and reliquaries, are used in the celebration of the Eucharist and in the ritual tied to the cult of the saints. They are signs of the earthly home of the Church. The preciousness of the materials and the elegance of the craftsmanship testify to the high technical expertise reached by the silversmiths in the XVIII century, especially the Romans. The Reliquario di San Crescentino, patron saint of Urbino, is a piece dating to the baroque period. It was used in the past during the holiday procession celebrating the patron saint's day.
The medals and commemorative coins make up an atlas of the pontificate of Clement XI, commemorating the most important events.
There are also paintings telling the story of the artistic climate in the XVII century, in which the work of Girolamo Cialdieri (1593-1646) and his workshop is exemplary. This painter makes use of the baroque style by taking example from the Veronese artist Claudio Ridolfi (1570- about 1644) bringing the Venetian colors to Urbino.
Old Sacristy
In the Old Sacristy we find wall paintings from the dome of the Cathedral by Mannerist painter Battista Franco (1798-1561) which were recovered after an earthquake in 1997.
In this same space, we can find a fresco cycle from the Church of S. Domenico in Urbino, which together with the Trinità from Casteldifabbri, gives evidence of Antonio Alberti da Ferrara's activity in the area (from the end of the XVI to the beginning of the XV century). This artist is one of the original exponents of the International Gothic style in the duchy of Urbino.
The illustrated manuscripts from the “treasures of the Cathedral” attest to the artistic commissions made by the Cathedral Chapter. In addition to fourteenth century hymn books which stand out for the richness and quality of their illuminated script, there is a missal created by an anonymous workshop of miniaturists from central Italy. The first letters of each page have a special design to capture the most important liturgical moments. Urbino was a cultural center during the Renaissance, especially known for its “mathematical humanism”. An example of this aspect is the illuminated missal, a masterpiece by Bartolomeo della Gatta which was influenced by Piero della Francesca's use of perspective. In his Martirio di Sant’Agata, he visually cites the celebrated scene from the Flagellazione.
In the sacristy display, used until the XVII century to conserve and exhibit art objects, you can find examples of the famous majolica and ceramic products from Urbino and Urbania, decorated with narrative designs.
New Sacristy
This sacristy, destined for canonical use, was realized thanks to the generosity of Clement XI, who entrusted the project to French masters. The complex was built within the first twenty years of the XVII century.
From the XVIII century until recently, the gold and silver of the “treasures of the Cathedral” have been on display in the closets located in this room. Today elegant and precious liturgical vestments from different moments of the liturgical year are displayed here.
The choir lectern is also displayed in this space. This piece was taken by Federico da Montefeltro during the siege of Volterra in 1472 and placed in his famous library. After the Duchy was taken over by the Papal State in 1631, the lectern was taken to Rome. It was restored to the city of Urbino in 1717 by Pope Clement XI.