Galleria degli Antichi (Corridor Grande)

Sabbioneta's Galleria degli Antichi was built in 1583–1586 for Duke Vespasiano Gonzaga's collection of ancient marbles. Nearly 97 metres long, it combines twenty-six ground-floor arcades with an upper hall richly painted with allegories and architectural perspectives.

Why it matters

The gallery made collecting part of the duke's public image. Statues, busts, inscriptions and reliefs acquired chiefly in Rome and Venice associated his court with classical antiquity, while the painted programme celebrated his virtues and dynasty.

What to notice

Giovanni and Alessandro Alberti, assisted by collaborators, decorated the walls in the late 1580s. Perspective views occupy the short ends, and allegorical female figures line the long walls. Victory, Peace and the seasons appear alongside the theological and cardinal virtues and the Liberal Arts.

Context and history

Vespasiano expanded his collection after returning from Spain in 1578. Hunting trophies received from Emperor Rudolf II also joined the antiquities. In 1774 the Austrian administration removed the marbles to Mantua. The gallery's architecture and frescoes remain to evoke the collection's original setting.