ITINERARY – BRESCIA
tosio martinengo
art gallery
TOSIO MARTINENGO ART GALLERY
The Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo was founded in 1832 inside Palazzo Tosio, owned by the Count and collector Paolo Tosio, who was passionate about art. He donated his library and art collections to the Municipality of Brescia, thus making it the Civic Art Gallery. The Tosio Gallery was opened to the public in 1851, respecting the original arrangement of the works. The continuous influx of works led to the opening of a second art gallery in 1884, when Francesco Leopardo Martinengo da Barco left his palace to the city. In 1903 the city administration decided to merge the two municipal art galleries at Palazzo Martinengo da Barco; a complex reorganization followed and – in 1914 – the Tosio Martinengo Art Gallery was opened to the public.

San Gerolamo in penance (1516)
The work, dated to the beginning of the sixteenth century, represents Saint Jerome – a learned scholar and author of the first Latin translation of the Bible – while he is worshipping a crucifix and beating his chest with a stone as a sign of penance. At his foot, the meek lion and the cardinal’s hat, rejected by the Saint to devote himself to contemplation and prayer.
Supper at Emmaus (fresco on canvas, 1530)
The two frescoes, now preserved in the Pinacoteca, were originally painted in the refectory of the guesthouse in the Olivetan Abbey of San Nicola in Rodengo Saiano; they were torn up in 1864. Both represent scenes related to welcome and hospitality, a very dear theme and well cared for by the monks for pilgrims. The episodes are set in the spans of a porch, conceived as an extension of the refectory space.
The Nativity (1545)
The large altarpiece adorned a side chapel of the Church of San Giuseppe in Brescia, which was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. This theme influenced the production of the work, characterized by particular colours that enhance the Virgin’s mantle, emphasizing its purity. The scene is set at dusk, which refers to the iconographic tradition of the “crib at night”.
San Domenico’s Altarpiece: Coronation of the Virgin and San Domenico among Saints (1545/1548)
The large canvas adorned the high altar of the lost church of San Domenico in Brescia. The altarpiece celebrates the Dominican order by depicting the most famous figures of its history, such as Domenico di Guzmàn at the center of the scene, between the Patron Saints of the city Faustino and Giovita, dressed as soldiers. In the upper part of the altarpiece, there is a hilly setting with some buildings and the scene of the Virgin who is crowned by the Holy Trinity above the clouds.
Info and opening hours
- Piazza Moretto, 4, Brescia
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Tuesday - Sunday – 10.00 – 18.00
Monday (except bank holidays) – Closed
Paid admission -
Info and reservation:
+39 030 2977 833 - cup@bresciamusei.com
- www.bresciamusei.com