Galleria dell'Accademia Tadini di Lovere

The Tadini Academy Gallery, one of the most ancient museums in Lombardy, is housed in the neoclassical mansion built by Count Luigi Tadini over the period 1821-26 at Lovere, a characteristic landmark on the shores of Lake Iseo. The frescoed rooms of the gallery, which was created in 1829, offer an enchanting walk through the collection of a 19th-century gentleman and a fine example of neoclassical taste. The centrepieces of the collection are two rare works by Antonio Canova, a longstanding friend of Count Tadini, namely a terracotta model entitled Religion and the marble Tadini Tombstone in the chapel in the middle of the garden. The Greek and Roman antiquities and the items of porcelain, including an epergne by Filippo Tagliolini with a depiction of the Judgment of Paris, recall the Count's visit to Naples in the last decade of his life. Similarly, the delicate French china recalls his stay in Paris, where he met Napoleon. The suppression of numerous religious institutions made it possible to purchase masterpieces in Venice, including a Madonna and Child by Jacopo Bellini, in Verona (works by Francesco Benaglio, Domenico Brusasorci and Bernardino India), and in Cremata, including altarpieces by Vincenzo Civerchio and Paris Bordon.