Villa Colloredo Mels is a suburban palace located on Via Gregorio XII, on the western edge of the urban center of Recanati, province of Macerata,

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

, Italy. It presently houses the civic archeologic and art museum of the town.

History

The villa was present prior to the 16th century, and was rebuilt in its present form in the 18th century. The staircase was built in the 16th century. The rooms were frescoed in the 18th century. In the mid-18th century the palace was the property of the aristocratic Colloredo Mels family, a prominent family which included

Filippo di Colloredo-Mels Filippo di Colloredo-Mels (29 November 1779 in Udine – 9 October 1864 in Recanati) was a leader of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. From the Friulian noble family of the counts of Colloredo-Mels, his decision to join the Order was a sudde ...

as one of its members. The Colloredo, who originated from Friuli Venezia Giulia, married the Countess Delia Maria Silvestri of Cingoli. Their son Fabio, born in 1705, married the Countess Teresa Flamini-Antici thus inheriting the original villa. The last member of the Colloredo family owning the property was the former-count Rudolf Colloredo who died in 1961. The villa was acquired by the commune, and restorations were begun. The museum was opened in 1998.

Collections

The archeologic section has findings from Neolithic and pre-Roman cultures, such as the Picena culture of the 9th century BC. Historical collections include objects from Roman through Renaissance period. Four rooms of the museum are dedicated to

Giacomo Leopardi Count Giacomo Taldegardo Francesco di Sales Saverio Pietro Leopardi (, ; 29 June 1798 – 14 June 1837) was an Italian philosopher, poet, essayist, and philologist. He is considered the greatest Italian poet of the nineteenth century and one of ...

and his era. The painting gallery has works from the 14th through the 20th century: including works by Giacomo di Nicola da Recanati,

Olivuccio di Ciccarello Olivuccio Ceccarello di Ciccarello (died 1439) was an Italian painter. Little is known of his life. He was a native of Camerino and was active from 1388 until his death. In 2002 works formerly attributed to an obscure painter named Carlo da ...

Felice Damiani Felice Damiani or ''Felice da Gubbio'' (1530-1608) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance or Mannerism period. Biography He was a pupil of Benedetto Nucci in Gubbio. Because of his lively coloring, he was nicknamed the ''Paolo Veronese ...

da Gubbio, Ludovico da Siena, Vincenzo Pagani, Lorenzo Lotto, Pomarancio,

Pier Simone Fanelli Pier Simone Fanelli (29 December 1641 - 1703) was an Italian painter active in the Region of the Marche, active in a Baroque style. Biography He was born in Ancona and died in Cingoli. His training is unclear. By 1665-1666 he was painting in th ...

, and

Biagio Biagetti Biagio Biagetti (21 July 1877 – 2 April 1948) was an Italian painter and art-restorer, mainly working with sacred subjects. Biography He was born in Porto Recanati and died in Macerata. He trained under Ludovico Seitz. In 1921, Pope Benedic ...

. The museum has ceramics by

Rodolfo Ceccaroni Rodolfo is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Rodolfo (footballer, born 1992), Brazilian footballer Rodolfo José da Silva Bardella * Rodolfo Albano III, Filipino politician * Rodolfo Vera Quizon Sr. (1928-2012), Filipino actor ...

. Among the highlights of the collections are master works by Lorenzo Lotto such as the ''

Recanati Polyptych The Recanati Polyptych (Italian: ''Polittico di Recanati'') is an oil-on-panel painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Lorenzo Lotto, executed in 1506–1508 and housed in the Civic Museum of Villa Colloredo Mels, Recanati, Italy. The work i ...

'' (1508) originally from the church of San Domenico, the ''

Recanati Annunciation The ''Recanati Annunciation'' (Italian: ''Annunciazione di Recanati'') is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Lorenzo Lotto, executed around 1534 and housed in the Civic Museum of Villa Colloredo Mels, Recanati, Italy. H ...

'', a ''San Giacomo Maggiore'', and a ''Transfiguration''.Villa Colloredo Mels
official site.

References

{{Authority control Museums in Marche Province of Macerata Art museums and galleries in Marche Buildings and structures in the Province of Macerata Villas in Italy Recanati