Annalisa Zanni

The Poldi Pezzoli Museum is an extraordinary example of a museum created in a house built in the latter half of the 19th century. It is perhaps the Milanese citizens' favourite museum, and a symbol of the city. It was founded in 1881 by a great collector and enlightened patron of the arts, Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli. Almost 6,000 objects are safeguarded here, comprising paintings and the decorative arts.

The different sections are: glassware, especially pieces made in Murano between the 15th and 19th centuries; paintings, prevalently from the Renaissance, but also 18th-century; weapons; goldwork including archaeological artefacts of Etruscan, Greek and Roman origins, objects from the Middle Ages and Renaissance, 17th and 18th-century jewellery and 19th-century parures; archaeology; watches, one of the most important collections in Italy; porcelain by numerous manufacturers including Meissen, Sèvres, Doccia and Capodimonte; Renaissance and 19th-century sculpture; fabrics; lace and embroidery, particularly from Lombardy and Flanders; furniture and elements of interior decoration. Thanks to its particularly active and inspired leadership, the museum hosts and promotes a busy schedule of cultural initiatives and temporary exhibitions centred mainly on the applied arts and the history of art collecting.

Heritage

An award to museums/collections open to the public and dedicated, all or in part, to excellent works of craftsmanship.