The “Chamber of Wonders”: a comparison between different times.
The first room of the museum invites you on a journey through time, immersing you in the atmosphere of a “Chamber of Wonders”, a collecting typology of the Renaissance. Here is displayed the precious Mantova Benavides collection, the only Paduan collection of the time that was passed down to us, albeit partially preserved.
The layout of the room evokes the original context in which the collection was exhibited, recreating a perfect balance between objects from different periods.
Among the Renaissance works you cannot miss a group of artist’s sketches placed on the right side of the room, among which stands out a plaster cast of the head of the warlord Erasmo da Narni, best known as Gattamelata. This plaster cast is nothing more than a precious documentation of the creative process that led the master Donatello to the realization of the equestrian statue that today is in the churchyard of the Basilica of Saint Anthony in Padua. Next to it, you can observe two other sketches of allegorical figures: Architecture by Alessandro Vittoria and Wisdom by Bartolomeo Ammannati.
In the main showcase and the splendid 16th-century library-cabinet, perfectly restored, ancient and Renaissance works of art are displayed without interruptions, in a continuum where ancient and modern coexist almost in symbiosis.
Observe the differences between the two kraters (large vases used to mix wine) no. 2 and no. 27. Can you see the difference? The first is a Renaissance work from the 16th century, an “antique-style” krater inspired by Attic pottery, while the second is an authentic Greek red-figure krater, produced in Magna Graecia in the 4th century BC.
The artifacts preserved in this room can help us better understand not only the taste of Renaissance collectors but also some of the characteristics of the antique trade. If you look closely at the Greek female head at no. 63 and the head of Jupiter at no. 68, you will notice that the back part is cut vertically. The heads, in fact, probably come from a high relief, from which they were detached. A common practice, already in the Renaissance, was to cut and isolate the best-preserved parts of sculptures to sell them separately as standalone works.
Continuing the visit you will notice three niches: in the first two are a fragment of a funerary stele and a votive statuette of the goddess Athena, Greek works particularly from Attica, from the 4th century BC. These are important testimonies of the early presence of classical Greek art in the collections of the Venetian Republic, compared to most other Italian and European states.
The collection preserved inside this room of the museum was donated by Antonio Vallisneri Jr. in 1733 to the University of Padua along with other paternal scientific collections and contributed to introduction the first university museum in Padua.
To discover all the details of the Mantova Benavides collection, book a special guided tour here!