The Wondrous Cabinet of Wonders at Palazzo Grimani in Venice - A Celebration of Art in Nature

George Loudon discusses his astonishing collection with curator Thierry Morel
Photo: Cat Bauer

UPDATE: A Cabinet of Wonders - A Celebration of Art in Nature is a great success, and has been extended until October 5, 2025.

(Venice, Italy) George Loudon has a whimsical soul and an eclectic mind. I had the chance to chat with the Dutch collector about his astonishing assortment of 19th-century life science artifacts while sipping a Select spritz out in the courtyard of Palazzo Grimani on a chilly winter’s day after the press conference for A Cabinet of Wonders - A Celebration of Art in Nature. The retired investment banker loves living in London and has an endearing curiosity about how life works. 

Just when you think all hope is lost and humanity is doomed, you encounter another cluster of creatures of light right here in Venice. George Loudon said he loved being based in London because there were so many things to do. I said I loved being based in Venice because it is a town oozing with art and culture, and everyone who is interesting comes here. “Look where we are right now! Look what you’ve brought with you! How wonderful is that! Thank you so much!”

The George Loudon Collection is unlike anything you've seen before. It's displayed in the majestic piano nobile of Palazzo Grimani like a Darwinian art installation. Handcrafted teaching models -- papier-mâché flowers, taxidermy (there's a two-headed kitten), anatomical specimens, and much more -- are laid out as if they are precious artifacts. It's nature as a work of art.

Venetian Cabinet - courtesy of Galerie Kugel, Paris
Photo: Cat Bauer

And that's only half of the exhibition that awaits you at the top of the palace's monumental staircase. Sharing the space is "Mythical Rooms," a recreation of the "Cabinets of Curiosities" or "Wunderkammer" that flourished in the rooms of gentlemen-turned-curators in the 16th and 17th centuries. The space is brimming with rare antiquities, paintings, bronzes, furnishings, and other assorted masterpieces from private collections, galleries, and institutions.

Only human invention can blend these two distinct collections inside Palazzo Grimani to create a singular show like A Cabinet of Wonders: A Celebration of Art in Nature. The exhibition, curated by crackerjack French art historian Thierry Morel, pays tribute to the art of collecting. And Palazzo Grimani sets the scene with the perfect backdrop.

 

Domus Grimani - Sala della Tribuna inside Palazzo Grimani
Photo: Venetian Heritage

PALAZZO GRIMANI

 

Palazzo Grimani was home to some of the most ardent collectors in history. The palace was acquired by Antonio Grimani (1434-1523) in the late 15th century. Antonio would go on to become the 76th Doge of Venice, and the patriarch of a large and powerful family.

One of his grandsons, Giovanni Grimani (1506-1593), the influential Patriarch of Aquileia, enlarged Palazzo Grimani and created the impressive Sala della Tribuna to display the Grimani family's bountiful collection of antiquities. The palace was a Renaissance gem and a magnet for the world's greatest travelers, thinkers, and diplomats.

 

Palazzo Grimani was the Grimani family home until 1865. As the centuries drifted by and ownership changed hands, the palace slowly slipped into decay. The Italian state acquired the building in 1981 in "deplorable condition." It underwent years of extensive restoration and opened as a public museum in 2008, but there was not much left inside except the phantoms of the past. I wrote a detailed post about it in 2021:

A Brief History of Palazzo Grimani + Domus Grimani & The Room of the Doge

After languishing for years, Palazzo Grimani was brought roaring back to life when Toto Bergamo Rossi, Director of Venetian Heritage, and Daniele Ferrara, Director of the Veneto Regional Directorate for National Museums, curated the stunning Domus Grimani exhibition in 2019. They hauled a load of the original Grimani loot out of the National Archeological Museum in Piazza San Marco and put it back inside Giovanni's Tribuna and the Sala del Doge in Palazzo Grimani where it belonged. 

Palazzo Grimani is now part of the National Archaeological Museums of Venice and the Lagoon. The new autonomous institute also includes the National Archaeological Museum of Venice in Piazza San Marco, the Archaeological Park of Altino, and the Archaeological Museum on Lazzaretto Vecchio in the Venice lagoon. The world's first lazaretto, the former quarantine station will transform into the headquarters for the institute, all under the domain of the dynamic new director, Marianna Bressan. 

 

A Cabinet of Wonders - Installation view
Camerino di Callisto - Photo: Cat Bauer

 MYTHOLOGICAL ROOMS

 

A Cabinet of Wonders begins in the Sala di Psiche. It's designed to sweep you back to a Renaissance Wunderkammer with paintings, tapestries, sculptures, furniture, and other goodies typical of what you might have found in the Grimani family home. 

Giovanni Grimani's private apartment was likely comprised of the Camerino di Callisto and the Camerino di Apollo. The Camerino di Callisto is laid out like a Renaissance scholar's study, as though Giovanni had just stepped out of the room. A never-before-exhibited painting, Christ in Glory, by Paolo Veronese hangs over the fireplace. Lush Rubelli fabrics give the room that lived-in Venetian palace feeling. 

A Cabinet of Wonders - Camerino di Apollo - Installation View
Photo: Massimo Listri

Adding to the enchantment, the Camerino di Apollo is decorated with surreal prints by contemporary French artist Erik Desmazières. Weird and wonderful objects like a crocodile stuffed with sawdust are mounted directly onto the prints. It's disorienting and makes you wonder what century you've stumbled into.

 

Two-headed kitten, Preserved by G. F. Bushell, 216 Graham Road, HACKNEY
George Loudon Collection
Photo: Cat Bauer

THE GEORGE LOUDON COLLECTION

The pièce de résistance of the entire experience is George Loudon's extraordinary collection of 19th-century life science objects.

Loudon has been a collector since childhood, inspired by a fascination with carpentry tools. He began collecting seriously in the late 1970s while working in the banking sector, focusing on young contemporary artists. 

 

In 2004, Louden visited Harvard where his daughter's husband was doing his PhD. His daughter took him to see the glass flowers at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Louden was blown away by the glass flowers created in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Dresden glass artist Leopold Blaschka and his son and apprentice, Rudolf Blaschka.

 

The Blaschkas had a thriving business making glass models of marine invertebrates before they turned to flowers. Harvard was a world center for the study of botany, but dried and pressed specimens were difficult to use as accurate teaching tools. The realistic glass botanical models crafted by the Blaschkas solved the problem. 

 

According to Wikipedia: "Over the course of their collective lives, Leopold and Rudolf crafted as many as ten thousand glass marine invertebrate models and 4,400 botanical models, the most famous being Harvard's Glass Flowers."

 

Pomegranates - George Louden Collection
didactic models attributed to Francesco Garnier Valletti
Late 19th-century - wax, pigments
Photo: Matteo De Fina

That started Louden out on his quest to collect teaching materials crafted by artisans in the 19th century. It took him several years to realize that he was gathering visual 19th-century science, which became the theme of his collection.

 

The hunt is part of the thrill. Louden finds didactic objects in flea markets and junk shops and the storage rooms of university museums. He's got boxes of Italian wax plants and fruit -- deformed lemons and peaches -- which were used at an agricultural college to teach students about imperfections in horticulture.

A Cabinet of Wonders - Installation View
Photo: Massimo Listri

Louden remembers where he found every object, and speaks with affection about each one. There are no labels or descriptions; you must examine each piece and let your imagination wander. The collection is a tribute to the artistry and ingenuity of the creators of the objects. 

It took me some time to realize that I was seeing two separate chapters of the same exhibition. One section of The Cabinet of Wonders flows seamlessly into the other. Curator Thierry Moral sums it up: "These two sections, while distinct, mirror and engage with one another, creating a dialogue that invites reflection on the art and practice of collecting."

A Cabinet of Wonders - Installation View
Photo: Massimo Listri

 

Afterwards, I spoke to Toto Bergamo Rossi, the Director of Venetian Heritage and a mighty force behind much of the movement of art and culture in Venice, especially Palazzo Grimani. I told him I remembered how barren and empty Palazzo Grimani seemed when it first opened as a museum in 2008, and how exciting it was to see it filled with life again. 

"I'm sure you have made Giovanni Grimani very happy," I said.

Toto smiled. "I speak to him every night."

 

A CABINET OF WONDERS. A Celebration of Art in Nature. The George Loudon Collection at Museo di Palazzo Grimani runs through May 11, 2025, and is curated by Thierry Morel. UPDATE: The exhibition has been extended through October 5, 2025.

The exhibition is promoted by the Italian Minister of Culture, the Musei archeologici nazionali di Venezia e della Laguna, Musei Italiani, Venetian Heritage, and the Loudon Collection in collaboration with Scuola Grande Arciconfraternita di San Rocco. The main sponsor is Viking. Go to Venetian Heritage for more information in English. 

Ciao from Venezia,

Cat Bauer

Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog

Happy New Year! It's Sunshiny & Bright in Venice on the Last Day of 2024

The Accademia Bridge on the Grand Canal
on New Year's Eve Day 2024
Photo: Cat Bauer

"Be at war with your vices, at Peace with your neighbors, and let every New Year find you a better man." 

---Benjamin Franklin

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."

---Albert Einstein

 

"Onward!"

---Cat Bauer

 

Have a Happy, Hallowed, Healthy, Harmonious New Year!

 

Ciao from Venezia,

Cat Bauer

Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog

Free Museums Sunday in Venice 2026 -- 6 Free Italian State Museums on the First Sunday of Each Month - Updated Monthly

Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice - Photo: Cat Bauer

This post was updated in September, 2026.

The Italian Minister of Culture's websites that I had linked to in English are still only in Italian (temporarily, we hope:-) as Venice navigates its new organization, National Archaeological Museums of Venice and the Lagoon. Patience!

Quick Tip: There are 6 free museums in Venice in the historic center run by the Italian State that are free to enter on the first Sunday of each month. Scroll down to the end of this post for Quick Facts and the short list.

(Venice, Italy) If it's Sunday, this must be Venice. And if it's the first Sunday of the month, it's Domenica al Museo, when all national museums in Italy are free to enter for both residents and tourists. 

So, which 6 State museums in the historical center of Venice are free to enter on the first Sunday of each month? Keep reading to find out.

An Abundance of Museums

Venice is rich with museums and galleries, both public and private, municipal and state. Some say that the town of Venice itself is like strolling through a museum, with some of the most powerful architecture and monuments on earth dotting the landscape. 

There are now 14 Civic Museums that fall under the umbrella of the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (MUVE), a private entity that manages a public heritage whose only founding member is the City of Venice. 

As of June 30, 2025, for a period of 9 years, the Torcello Museum, out in the lagoon, became a new member of the museum system managed by MUVE. In addition, MUVEC, la Casa delle Contemporaneità (the House of the Contemporary World) opened on the mainland in Mestre on Saturday, April 25, 2026. The Wagner Museum, located inside Venice's Casino in the 15th-century Ca' Vendramin Caliergi on the Grand Canal, also recently joined MUVE, and is set to become operational in 2027. 

Then there are private museums like the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, and the Pinault Collection's Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana — always exciting, with dazzling exhibitions of contemporary art. There are foundations like Fondazione Cini and Fondazione Querini Stampalia, brimming with treasures. There are priceless works of art in churches and scuole. The Venice Biennale enlivens ancient venues with contemporary art and architecture. Even Venice's local hospital is an architectural masterpiece.

But there is also a handful of museums in the historic center of Venice overseen by the Italian Ministry of Culture, the branch of the State government in charge of national museums. These Venice museums are free to the public on the first Sunday of every month. 

Figuring out which museums in Venice are operated by the Italian State and where they are located can be challenging. I took a quick survey, and even Venetians didn't know which 6 museums they were. Here's some help:

6 FREE MUSEUMS IN VENICE ON THE FIRST SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH

Feast in the House of Levi by Paolo Veronese at Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice
Photo: Cat Bauer

1. Gallerie dell'Accademia

Gallerie dell'Accademia - Perhaps the best-known of all the national museums, the Gallerie dell'Accademia is located at the foot of the Accademia Bridge on the Dorsoduro side. It's packed with masterpieces of Venetian art up to the 19th century by artists such as Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese. An entire section is devoted to Canova. 

Leonardo da Vinci's drawing of the Vitruvian Man is here, but rarely on display because it is so fragile. If you were one of the lucky ones, you caught Leonardo's masterpiece during the terrific Corpi Moderni exhibit, which closed on July 27, 2025. 

On free museum Sundays, I have seen the line to enter stretch far down the block, so you should plan to get there early. You can't make reservations. Access is first-come, first-served. You can skip the line if you've got a special access card like the Dorsoduro Museum Mile. 

 Yellow Figure with Hummingbird by Leiko Ikemura
 Photo: Jörg von Bruchhausen

 

UPDATE: From September 10 through November 22, the Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia presents Leiko Ikemura. TransLucent — The Form of Light, an exhibition dedicated to the glass sculptures of Leiko Ikemura, one of the most acclaimed contemporary artists on the international art scene.

Transforming Energy by Marina Abramovic
Photo: ©Yu Jieyu 

UPDATE: The acclaimed artist Maria Abramovic turns 80 on November 30, 2026. To celebrate, she is the first living female artist to be honored with a major exhibition at the Accademia. Marina Abramović: Transforming Energy opened May 6 and runs until October 19, 2026.

No phones, photos, or talking. Lots of crystals. I loved its healing energy so much that I went through twice. You cannot book a reservation on Domenica al Museo, but you can wait on line (again) to enter once inside. 

Giorgio Franchetti Gallery at the Ca' d'Oro on the Grand Canal - Photo: Cat Bauer

2. Giorgio Franchetti Gallery at the Ca' d'Oro

Giorgio Franchetti Gallery at the Ca' d'Oro - Ca' d'Oro, or Palazzo Santa Sofia, is an elegant, distinct palace in Cannaregio on the Grand Canal. It's one vaporetto stop past the Rialto Market on the other side of the canal. Ca' d'Oro means "House of Gold." Built in 1428, it is the best surviving example of Venetian Gothic architecture.

The last owner, Baron Giorgio Franchetti, bequeathed his considerable art collection along with his palace to the Italian State in 1916. The view of the Grand Canal from the loggia is impressive, and the mosaic floor of the courtyard designed by Franchetti himself is astonishing.

UPDATE: From April 7, 2025, Ca' d'Oro will be closed temporarily for restoration until May 2027. The re-opening will coincide with Biennale Architecture in 2027. But you will still be able to visit the marvelous mosaics designed by Baron Giorgio Franchetti on the ground floor, and Andrea Mantegna's Saint Sebastian on the first floor with dramatic new lighting.

Mosaic floor designed by Baron Giorgio Franchetti
Photo: Cat Bauer

 

Piazza San Marco

Marciana Library on right - Photo: Veneto.Info

Piazza San Marco, where things start to get complicated: 

This is the part of the story where Italian and Venetian bureaucracy meet, so please bear with me.

Both the gilded monumental rooms of the Marciana Library, designed by Jacopo Sansovino, and the Archaeological Museum are national museums under the supervision of the Italian State. Both are located in Piazza San Marco in the enormous structure that faces the Doge's Palace and then turns the corner at the Campanile and becomes the Procuratie Nuove.

To enter both museums, you normally have to go through the Correr Museum, far down at the other end of Piazza San Marco in the Napoleonic wing, the structure that faces St. Mark's Basilica. The Correr is a Venetian municipal museum under the umbrella of the Venice Civic Museums (MUVE). It is not part of the Italian Ministry of Culture. It is run by Venice. Therefore, it is not free on the first Sunday of the month.

However, during normal operations, the Marciana Library and the Archaeological Museum are included in the price of the ticket you pay to enter the Correr Museum because the layout is such that you can walk right through all of them. But not on the first Sunday of the month!

The Italian Minister of Culture was once very clear:

“Domenica al museo”: free admission to the National Archaeological Museum of Venice and Monumental Rooms of Marciana Library (NOT Museo Correr) for everyone on the first Sunday of each month.

Now, I see they have completely overhauled its website, and it is only in Italian. I'm sure they will get to the English version sometime dopo agosto (after August).

The fix: since May 6, 2025, the historic entrance to the Archaeological Museum at No. 17 Piazzetta San Marco has its own ticketing, right across from the Doge's Palace and a few doors from the Marciana entrance. The Agrippa Courtyard around the corner in the Procuratie Nuove has also reopened (see photo below in No. 4), and entering through No. 17 brings you into that courtyard anyway. Once inside, you can visit both the Marciana and the Archaeological Museum.

[CAT TIP: Visit the Marciana before you visit the Archaeological, or you could end up going round in circles...]

Reading room of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana
Photo: Wikipedia

3. Monumental Rooms of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana

Monumental rooms of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana - One of the earliest public libraries on the planet, the Marciana was founded in 1468 when the humanist scholar Cardinal Bessarion donated his collection of Greek and Latin manuscripts to Venice. However, it took Venice some time to build the library, which was designed by Jacopo Sansovino and constructed between 1537 and 1588.

In addition to paintings by Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese, you can marvel at Fra Mauro's original 1450 map of the world. The last will and testament of Marco Polo is here, dated January 9, 1323 M.V. (according to the Venetian calendar). 

When you enter the vestibule at the top of the monumental staircase, look up. In the center of the ceiling, you will see one of my favorite paintings, Wisdom by Titian. 

Monia Ben Hamouda
Fragments of Fire Worship
Photo: Cat Bauer

During the Biennale Art Exhibition 2026, there is yet another labyrinth to navigate. Bvlgari has become the Exclusive Partner of the International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale for the next three editions, through 2030. At the Marciana, the Bvlgari Foundation presents two contemporary Italian artists, Monia Ben Hamouda, in the Vestibule with Fragments of Fire Worship, and Lara Favaretto in the Salone Sansovino with Momentary Monument – The Library. On Free Museums Sunday, you enter through the Archeological Museum. 

But, wait, there's more! During Biennale Art, from Monday, June 8, through Sunday, October 18, on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, you can also enter for free through the Marciana's magnificent staircase at Piazzetta San Marco 13a. However, on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, you pay to enter through the Archaeological Museum. 

And then, from October 19 to November 22, you enter the Marciana for free on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and pay to enter on Wednesdays at the Archaeological Museum entrance. What about Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays, you ask? I don't know! I hope to find out soon. If I had to guess, I would say that they are closing on the weekends for the winter. 

National Archaeological Museum of Venice- Agrippa Courtyard
Photo: Cat Bauer

4. National Archaeological Museum of Venice

National Archaeological Museum of Venice - Surprisingly, the Ministry of Culture website for the Archaeological Museum is clear and in English, a rarity, so you can read it yourselves. (HA! UPDATE, AUGUST 2026 - The English page is no more! Let's hope they get to it soon!) However, the history of the collection is chaotic, with enormous, ancient, heavy statues being shuffled from Rome to Venice and then all over the place. The collection contains ancient Greek and Roman statues, as well as coins, relics, marbles, and busts. The Archaeological Museum has put together an excellent timeline (also only in Italian in August 2026) of where and when the collection was moved over the centuries.

We'll continue the story of the Archaeological Museum and the ancient sculptures over at Italian museum No. 5, Palazzo Grimani.

Domus Grimani - Sala della Tribuna at Palazzo Grimani - Photo: Venetian Heritage

5. Museo di Palazzo Grimani

Museo di Palazzo Grimani - In 2021, I spent a considerable amount of time trying to unravel the history of the Grimani family and what was going on over at Palazzo Grimani. Where did the sculptures come from in the first place? How did ancient Greek and Roman statues end up in Venice? Who was the very important Grimani family? To me, the clearest answers to those questions are in my post IN ENGLISH:

A Brief History of Palazzo Grimani + Domus Grimani & The Room of the Doge (+ Georg Baselitz Does Double Duty in Venice)

Let's start with this: the collection was first established in 1523 by Cardinal Domenico Grimani, who bequeathed it to the Republic of Venice. The Signoria would later give most of it back to the family.

Domenico's father, Antonio (who would go on to become the Doge), had bought a plot of land in Rome where he had been living in exile since 1502, and started construction. During excavation for the foundations, a number of ancient sculptures were discovered, igniting the Grimanis' passion for collecting fine antiquities. At the end of the 16th century, Giovanni Grimani, Antonio's grandson, donated his collection to the Republic of Venice.

Palazzo Grimani is right off Campo Santa Maria Formosa, about a 10-minute walk from Piazza San Marco. It rewards you with the breathtaking Sala della Tribuna, a room designed specifically to display the Grimani family's antiquities. 

In 2019, the Grimani's collection of classical sculptures was reassembled in its original setting for the first time in four centuries in the Sala della Tribuna. The venue is so astonishing, you should plan to incorporate Palazzo Grimani into your visit. Make the trip from the Archeological Museum to the palace to get a fuller understanding of the history of the collection -- especially because, instead of paying €14 to enter, on the first Sunday of the month, it's free. 

During Venice Biennale Arte 2026, through November 22, Ghanaian artist Amoako Boafo has conquered the entire second floor of the Palazzo with It Doesn't Always Have to Make Sense, which I loved. 

Parrot by Amoako Boafo
Photo: Cat Bauer

Palazzo Grimani has a new permanent resident: the intriguing Luca Giordano masterpiece Samaritan Woman at the Well, which I find so fascinating that it got its own post: 

A Flirty Jesus Meets the 'Samaritan Woman at the Well" by Luca Giordano - Palazzo Grimani Welcomes a New Masterpiece to Venice

Samarian Woman at the Well by Luca Giordano
Photo: Cat Bauer

Lots of excitement is going on in the world of archaeology. In July 2025, the dynamic Dr. Marianna Bressan was confirmed as the director of a new institute in Venice, which was created in May 2024: the National Archaeological Museums of Venice and the Lagoon -- hence, the new website not yet in English. 

The new institute includes Palazzo Grimani Museum (I keep linking to my post because the official one is in Italian), the National Archaeological Museum of Venice, the Altino Archaeological Museum complete with pre-Roman ruins (which I have never visited, but will), and the future Museo Archeological Nazionale della Laguna di Venezia, which will be out in the lagoon on the Island of Lazzaretto Vecchio, also home to the Venice Immersive section of the Venice Film Festival. It will explore the evolution and transformations of the city of Venice from antiquity to the present day.

 

FROM THE ARCHIVES: If you missed George Loudon's wondrous Cabinet of Wonders that ran through October 5, 2025, at Palazzo Grimani, you can always read about it here.

Wood, lacquer & painted ivory Chinese chess set from the 18th century
Photo: by concession of the Ministry of Culture

6. Museum of Oriental Art

Museum of Oriental Art - Another Italian Ministry of Culture website in English! (And this one still is in English... I'm not even going to try to explain how each individual museum is managed:-). The Museum of Oriental Art is located on the top floor of Ca' Pesaro, Venice's International Gallery of Modern Art. (That it has such an odd location should no longer surprise us.) This unusual stash from the East is the result of travels taken by Prince Henry of Bourbon-Parma, Count of Bardi, to Asia between 1887 and 1889. Prince Henry was a great-grandson of King Charles X of France. 

The culmination of Prince Henry’s journeys is one of the most important collections in Europe of Japanese art of the Edo period (1603-1868), with additional sections dedicated to China, Indonesia, and South-Eastern Asia.

Prince Henry had no kids, but did own Palazzo Ca' Vendramin Calergi across the Grand Canal from Ca' Pesaro. It's where Richard Wagner died and where the Venice Casino is located. 

We can only imagine how the Asian art collection of Prince Henry morphed into an Oriental art museum on the other side of the Grand Canal, located on the top floor of Venice's modern art museum. But why not?

FROM THE ARCHIVES: If you could not visit the restored parchment from the 1350 court case that was on display in the spring of 2025, you can still learn the fascinating story by reading the 6 Venetian Merchants on the Silk Road in 1338 - from Venice to Delhi.

Enjoy the free museums in Venice on the first Sunday of each month!

Venice National Museums in Historic Center: Quick Facts

• How Many: 6 State-managed museums
• Location: All sites are within the Venice historic center
• Management: Ministero della Cultura (Regional Directorate of National Museums Veneto)
• Free Entry: Participating in Domenica al Museo (1st Sunday of the month)
• Discover: Everything from Renaissance masterpieces to an ancient Chinese chess set

THE 6 VENICE NATIONAL MUSEUMS

1. Galleria dell'Accademia (Dorsoduro)

 

2. Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca' d'Oro (Cannaregio)

 

3. Sale Monumentali della Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana (San Marco)

 

4. Museo Archeologico Nazionale (San Marco)

 

5. Museo di Palazzo Grimani (Castello) 

6. Museo d'Arte Orientale (Santa Croce)

 

Ciao from Venezia,

Cat Bauer

The Venice Gazette 

Venetian Cat - Venice Blog
Buy Me a Spritz

EGYPT. Journey to Immortality - An Intriguing Day Trip from Venice to Conegliano

EGYPT. Journey to Immortality - Photo: Cat Bauer

 

(Venice, Italy) Thought-provoking. That is how I would describe the EGYPT. Journey to Immortality exhibition at Palazzo Sarcinelli in the town of Conegliano. I was fascinated by how focused the ancient Egyptian culture was on preparing for the afterlife. And that provoked many thoughts.

The Field of Aaru, also called the Field of Reeds, was the Egyptian heavenly paradise ruled over by the god Osiris, full of lush fields, waterfalls, and eternal peace. 

As I wandered through the exhibition and absorbed the sacred artifacts, I tried to get myself into the heads of the ancient Egyptians and their mysterious culture. If you truly believed that you had the capacity to become immortal, living in the same paradise as the gods, eating the same food, hunting in the same fields, it would make sense to do everything you could to prepare for the journey to the afterlife. And from what the ancient Egyptians have left behind for us to witness, it is clear they took the voyage to immortality very seriously. 

The Egyptians believed the soul resided in the heart. After death, the deceased had to complete a long and perilous journey through Duat, passing tests to enter through gates and portals guarded by deities. At the end of the voyage, the heart was weighed on a scale balanced by an ostrich feather. Hearts that balanced the scale would be allowed to enter paradise. Hearts that were heavy with evil would tumble off the scale and into the jaws of Ammit, a fearful female demon. 

EGITTO. Viaggio Verso L'Immortalità gives the public an opportunity to explore the history and spirituality of this mystifying culture.  There are over 100 artifacts, including sarcophagi, mummies, statues, amulets, and objects of everyday life. 

Eyes for a funerary Mask (664-332 BCE)
Museo Arcaologico Nazionale di Firenze

I saw many ancient artifacts that I didn't understand. I had many questions that weren't answered. So I decided that I would experiment with Gemini AI, and ask it a bunch of questions. Here's how that went.

Gemini, are the souls of the ancient Egyptians tied to the earth?

That's a fascinating question. While the ancient Egyptians believed that the soul needed a physical body to exist in the afterlife, they didn't necessarily believe that the soul was tied to the Earth in the same way we might think of a ghost being tied to a specific location.

Here's a breakdown of their beliefs:

• Afterlife: The Egyptians believed that after death, the soul would embark on a journey to the afterlife. This afterlife was a spiritual realm, not a physical place on Earth.
  
  
• Judgment: The soul would be judged by the gods to determine its fate in the afterlife. If the soul was deemed worthy, it would be allowed to enter the Field of Reeds, a paradise-like place.
  
  
• Eternal Existence: The soul was believed to exist eternally, even after leaving the body. However, its experiences and quality of life in the afterlife depended on its actions and behavior during life.

While the soul might need a physical body to exist in the afterlife, it wasn't necessarily tied to a specific location on Earth. The Egyptians believed that the soul could move freely and experience the afterlife without being confined to a particular place.

Thank you, Gemini, but I am still not clear. The body is mummified and stationary. It is wrapped in linen and placed inside a sarcophagus. The soul is free and wandering around. Why was the body mummified? Does the mummy come back to life?

That's a great point! The Egyptians didn't believe that the mummy would come back to life in the physical sense. The mummification process wasn't intended to resurrect the body.

Instead, they believed that the soul would use the preserved body as a kind of "spiritual vehicle" in the afterlife. It was like a spiritual body that the soul could inhabit and use to interact with the spiritual world.

Think of it like a car. The car itself doesn't move, but it's a vehicle that allows someone to travel. In the same way, the mummified body was a vehicle that allowed the soul to "travel" and experience the afterlife.

So, while the body was immobile, it was still considered essential for the soul's existence and activities in the spiritual realm.

So, the body was like a home?

Exactly. The ancient Egyptians believed that the body was like a home for the soul, providing a place for it to reside and interact with the spiritual world. It was a crucial part of their understanding of the afterlife and their beliefs about the soul's journey.

OK. But I still don’t quite get it. You die. You have a soul. But why do you need the body? Can you please delve deeper?

That's a great question! The ancient Egyptians had a unique belief about the afterlife that might seem different from our modern understanding.

They believed that the soul, or "ka," needed a physical body to exist in the afterlife. This body wasn't just for appearances; it was thought to be essential for the soul's activities and interactions in the spiritual realm.

Here are a few reasons why they believed the physical body was so important:

• A Home for the Soul: The body was seen as a kind of vessel or home for the soul. Without it, the soul might wander aimlessly or be unable to perform certain tasks.
  
  
• Interaction with the Afterlife: The Egyptians believed that the soul needed a physical body to interact with the gods, ancestors, and other beings in the afterlife. It was like having a physical form to communicate and participate in the spiritual world.
  
  
• Preservation of Identity: The body was seen as a unique identifier of the individual. It was believed that the soul would recognize its body in the afterlife, helping to maintain a sense of identity and continuity.

While this belief might seem strange to us today, it was a central part of ancient Egyptian culture and religion. It helps us understand why they went to such great lengths to preserve their bodies through mummification.

Mummy of a Baby with Sarcophagus (1st-2nd century CE)
Museo Arcaologico Nazionale di Firenze

I then said adieu to Gemini, which is renowned for its inaccuracies, and consulted the PBS.org site NOVA: 

"The ancient Egyptians believed that a person's Ka (vital force) and Ba (personality) left the body at the time of death. But they also believed that Ka and Ba could be lured back if an idealized re-creation of the body was offered. This re-unification of body and spirit was the ticket to the nether world....

Egyptians stopped making mummies beteen the fourth and seventh century AD, when many Egyptians became Christian. But it's estimated that, over a 3000-year period, more than 70 million mummies were made in Egypt."

Canopic Chest (1550-664 BCE)
Museo Arcaologico Nazionale di Firenze

That is a very brief overview. EGYPT. Journey to Immortality has got some fascinating artifacts, and is an excellent introduction to the spirituality of ancient Egypt. But, to me, it did not provide enough detail and explanation of what we are witnessing. The ancient Egyptians left us so many astonishing physical realities about their version of the Afterlife to ponder. After all, there is a pyramid on the back of the U.S. dollar bill!

If you are thinking of taking a day trip to Conegliano to visit the exhibition, I would suggest first playing some Egyptian kid games on the British Museum website, a fun and easy introduction to the culture, so that you will better appreciate the precious objects you are seeing in real life. Thankfully, the descriptions of the actual artifacts inside the museum are in both English and Italian.

I was curious as to how an Egyptian exhibition with actual mummies and ancient artifacts had made its way to Conegliano. It turns out that the curator, Egyptologist Maria Cristina Guidotti, was the former head of the Egyptian section of the National Archaeological Museum of Florence. 

The Florence collection is second in Italy only to the Egyptian Museum of Turin. It was mainly formed during the 19th century thanks to Grand Duke Leopoldo II of Tuscany, who, together with King Charles X of France, financed an expedition to Egypt in 1828. They split the loot between Paris and Florence. 

Amulets in the Shape of the Wdjat Eye
Museo Arcaologico Nazionale di Firenze

It's simple to get to Palazzo Sarcinelli in Conegliano from Venice, about an hour by train. When you arrive, walk outside the front of the station. Cross the street, staying to the right. Head toward the great stone staircase. At the top, turn right, walking under the promenade until you arrive at Palazzo Sarcinelli. The museum is less than 10 minutes from the station. 

EGYPT. Journey to Immortality runs until April 6, 2025, and has funky, old-fashioned Italian hours with lunch figured in. From Wednesday to Friday, it's open from 10am to 1pm, and then from 2pm to 7pm. On Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays it runs from 10am to 7pm. 

Go to the Visit Conegliano website to make a day of it, and plan your adventure away from the crowds of Venice. 

Ciao from Venezia,

Cat Bauer

Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog