Fireplace Room

You are now in the central body of the building, erected as an extension of the ancient palace Miniscalchi in Via San Mammaso in 1880. 

The tiles that cover the amazing fireplace in front of you represent a wonderful example of Faenza majolica art (17th-18th centuries).

Portraits of Teresa Malaspina and Gamberto Giusti with their first born Carlo 

On your right you can see two important portraits. Both paintings are signed and dated “Aug. Ugolini Pinx 1790”: the first on the dial of the clock, while the second signature and date are on the nut that connects the table top with the leg, tapered in perfect Louis XVI style. The two paintings are an extraordinary example of portraiture and an exceptional document of the costume of the time. The accurate description of luxury objects expresses a refined taste and lover of luxury, underlined by the richness of the fabric of the dress of the lady. The letter resting on the table in the second portrait is addressed to "Monsieur le Comte [...] Verone;" next to it is an edition of Virgil’s work. Book, paper, pen and the little sword are symbols of the social rank and cultural level of the character portrayed. The child pictured is the eldest son of Teresa and Gomberto Giusti: Carlo-Giuseppe, born in 1786.

Under these 2 portraits there is a carved and inlaid dresser, dated to the end of the 16th/17th century. The prevailing motif in the carving is a continuous wreath of laurel leaves, while the fronts of the drawers are each decorated with three symmetrically arranged tiles. The side panels are inlaid with elegant racemes that are equipped with a double volute: the central ones have an original and complex decorative inlaid pattern, made with two different types of wood.