The 19th-century Palazzo dell’ex Pretura, restored starting in 1981, houses the collection of works by Faenza painter and lithographer Giuseppe Ugonia (1881-1944), donated to the Brisighella Municipal Administration by his widow Elena Mignini. On the first floor of the building, Ugonia’s studio has been reconstructed, complete with bench, press, and all the artist’s tools, alongside watercolors, cards, and ex libris. In an adjoining room, the master’s complete works are preserved and available for consultation upon request. On the second floor, paintings mostly from local churches are exhibited, an interesting repertoire of local art. Some pieces come from the Church of San Bernardo, owned by the Ravenna Health Authority, restored and now part of the tourist-cultural circuit in the Brisighella area. The works span a chronological range from the 14th to the 20th century and include paintings by Bertucci the Younger (‘Prayer in the Garden’), Nicolò Paganelli (‘Crucifixion’), Tommaso Missiroli, Antonio Fanzaresi, Pietro Piani, as well as the large altarpiece by Guercino with ‘St. Francis of Assisi and St. Louis of France’, commissioned for the Naldi chapel in the Church of St. Francis. There are also antique prints from the 18th and 19th centuries, ceramics produced in Faenza (14th-19th centuries), silverware, and sacred furnishings that provide a vivid snapshot of the rich heritage still preserved in the churches of the surrounding area. Among the most notable pieces is a late 15th-century polychrome terracotta nativity scene, crafted in Faenza, originating from the nearby parish church of Zattaglia. The devotional ceramic plaques are few but important: among them is painted Faenza maiolica depicting the Blessed Virgin of Graces of Faenza, known as “Maria Saletti.” Finally, an oval piece featuring the eucharistic chalice from the Ferniani Manufacture of Faenza is noted, attributed to the “Painter of 1740.”
Information about G. Ugonia Civic Museum
Piazzetta Porta Gabalo, 6,
48013 Brisighella (Ravenna)
0546994407
cultura@comune.brisighella.ra.it
Source: MIBACT
