The “Great Corridor” or the “Corridor of the Ancients” was built between 1584-86 to house the antiquities and archaeological collection of Duke Vespasiano Gonzaga. The gallery, the second level of which is  built above an arcade of arches, adjoins the Garden Palace and does not lead to another building. This group of marbles, including bas reliefs, epigraphs, busts and statues were purchased from dealers and collectors in Rome and Venice after the duke returned from the royal court of Spain in 1578. Also included among the works in this collection were hunting trophies from the imperial collections in Prague. Twenty pairs of antlers, a gift of Emperor Rudolph II, were displayed in the gallery between the statues and epigraphs, attesting to the strong ties between the duchy of Sabbioneta and the Hapsburg empire. The collection was private, and only special people were privileged to see it, as these objects were considered to be a symbol of the duke’s greatness. The collection remained in this gallery until 1773, then were removed to the Palazzo dell’Accademia in Mantua, by Austrian decree. Only the architecture and frescoes, attest to the scale of the collection formerly housed here.

PHOTOS: Left Column: 1. View of the street level arcade of arches of the gallery building. 2. Detail, wall decorations of the gallery. 3. Detail, wall decorations of the Gallery of the Ancients. 4. Detail, wall fresco of the trompe l’oeil design at the far end of the hallway. Center, Top:  View of the full length of the Corridor of the Ancients. Center, Bottom:  Detail of the fresco at the entrance end of the gallery. Right Column: 1. Exterior view of the building. 2. Detail, wall fresco. 3. Fresco detail of interior decoration. 4. Trompe l’oeil detail at the far end of the hallway.

JOURDAN ARPELLE-ZIEGLER                                           BACK TO MAP PAGE