The story of the gallery begins at the end of the 1970s, when Massimo Mossini, led by the passion for ancient paintings and carpets, launched a space dedicated to exhibitions in the central via Cavour in Mantua in 1978. Years later, the gallery moved a few meters in a larger space, the same place where we can find the Mossini Gallery today. Four windows welcome visitors and tourists. The gallery is located below the medieval tower called “Della Gabbia” and next to the famous Sordello Square. Marcello Mossini, the son of the founder Massimo, joined the gallery in 2011. He represents the second generation, taking forward the family tradition, determined to look towards the future and at the same time paying homage to their cultural roots. To be present for more than forty years in the art field (a field which is complex but also extremely fascinating) means to be able to build and consolidate a faithful bond with collectors, dealers, public and private institutions. It also means to be passionate about the profession, even if this means putting aside commercial aspects to endorse the cultural ones. Over the years, the Mossini Gallery has worked together with museums, archives and foundations in order to advance many cultural activities. Getting closer to the fifty years’ anniversary of activity, Massimo and Marcello are more and more convinced that the most important features of this job are the experience developed throughout the years and an honest and clear relationship with institutions, colleagues, customers and scholars. A relationship that aims at promoting the passion for art and to inspire its study. Mossini Gallery focuses on the study, advice and sale of Old Masters paintings from the 16th to the 18th century, furniture and works of art, peculiar and uncommon objects moving from renaissance up to contemporary art. The gallery is available to cooperate for exhibitions and events. Marcello Mossini is member of Associazione Antiquari d’Italia (National Antique Dealers’ Association) located in Florence and an expert for the Mantua Chamber of Commerce.
The work is of historical and theatrical nature and represents the fulfillment of a sacred vow for victory: the soothsayers had promised victory to the Romans over the Samnites on condition that one of the two consuls sacrificed himself. The work depicts the roman consul Decius Mure surrounded by his legionaries wearing the pretest toga and sacrificing himself to the gods in exchange for victory.Giuseppe Bazzani was one of the most important painters of the Italian late Baroque.He is particularly known for his religious paintings, which display impressive technical mastery and a skillful use of light and color to create evocative and spiritual atmospheres. His mythological paintings are often characterized by a vibrant vitality and a wealth of detail. Bazzani had a successful career, becoming director of the Mantua academy in 1758. His works decorate numerous churches and palaces in the city and his paintings are present in major European and American museum collections.
The imposing portrait depicts Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, in a majestic and seraphic pose, reflecting the power and grandeur of the subject. The Duke is depicted standing, with a regal posture and proud bearing. He is dressed in a rich gorget and wears burnished armor. Around his neck he wears the collar of the Redeemer, an honor created by the duke himself in 1608. Behind him is a red curtain, a typical element of Pourbus' portraiture which adds theatricality to the scene. Vincenzo I Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Monferrato, was born in 1562 in Mantua, Italy, to Guglielmo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, and Eleonora of Austria, daughter of Emperor Ferdinand I. Vincenzo Gonzaga was a patron of the arts and letters and an avid art collector, assembling one of the most important art collections of his time. His reign is remembered as a period of cultural splendor for Mantua, during which the city prospered and became a renowned center for art, culture and diplomacy.
