The catalogue of the exhibition “Palazzo Madama. Arts and Crafts in Italy, 6th–19th Century” has been published

Both the exhibition “Palazzo Madama. Arts and Crafts in Italy, 6th–19th Century” and the accompanying catalogue are a collaborative project between the Museum of Ancient Art Palazzo Madama in Turin and the Art Museum RIGA BOURSE.

The exhibition features masterworks from craft workshops and manufactories across various regions of Italy, created between the 6th and 19th centuries, with a special focus on the art of the late Middle Ages and the High Renaissance, preserved in the collection of the Museum of Ancient Art at Palazzo Madama in Turin. This ambitious project has been made possible thanks to the support of the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation and the Embassy of the Italian Republic in Latvia.

The exhibition offers an outstanding opportunity to explore Italian craftsmanship broadly and in high quality throughout its historical development—from the treasures of 6th-century Genoa to the late 19th-century Art Nouveau period.

The masterworks selected from the Palazzo Madama collection serve as a kind of answer to why, century after century, so many European countries were influenced by Italian art—striving to imitate it or desiring to acquire it for their private collections to embellish palace interiors.

The published catalogue is also an art historical study on the types of crafts, materials, and the most significant centers of craftsmanship.

Publication details:

Publisher: Latvian National Museum of Art

Published with the support of the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation and the Embassy of the Italian Republic in Latvia

Chief editor of the exhibition catalogue: Silvija Grosa

Text authors: Daiga Upeniece, Giovanni Carlo Federico Villa, Clelia Arnaldi di Balme, Simone Baiocco, Simonetta Castronovo, Cristina Maritano, Maria Paola Ruffino

Catalogue design: Zane Ernštreite

Photography: Archive of the Turin Museums Foundation

Printed at Jelgava Printing House, 2025