Costituted of various theatrical memorabilia, Biblioteca e raccolta teatrale del Burcardo di Roma, testifies to the history of Theatre from the 1500s to the present day.
Comprends 40 costumes, a collection of terracotta figurines depicting masks of the commedia dell’arte and popular theatre, puppets and marionettes (among the latter some Chinese from the 18th century). Numerous drawings and prints (over three thousand pieces), scenic sketches, portraits (about 120) in oil or tempera of actors and theatrical authors of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The collection, acquired through sale and donation from the S.I.A.E. (Italian Society of Authors and Publishers), has been housed since 1926 in the 15th-century Palazzo Burcardo, residence of the then papal chamberlain Johannes Burckhardt.
The prelate was known by the appellation “episcopus argentinus” from the Latin name of his native city, Argentoratum (today’s Strasbourg). With the name Argentina, the tower of the Palazzo, now disappeared, began to be called, and subsequently the entire area. The Biblioteca e il Museo Teatrale del Burcardo are the locations of the theatrical collection owned by the Italian Society of Authors and Publishers, open to the public since 1932.
The museum collections are housed in the spaces of the Museo Teatrale SIAE del Burcardo and include different types of materials: sculptures, paintings, costumes, memorabilia, accessories and stage objects. The exhibition rooms of the little palace host a permanent exhibition of some of the most significant documents and objects from the collections of the Library and the Museum.
All the library, documentary, and museum collections are constantly enriched, also thanks to gifts from enthusiasts and personalities from the world of entertainment.
