The collections of Villa Vigoni. Beauty and identity
The art historical collections, library stocks and archival holdings of Villa Vigoni belong to the Federal Republic of Germany, represented by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). They are part of the estate of Ignazio Vigoni (since 1983) and are located in the Villa Vigoni. The collection consists of furniture, furnishings, books, paintings, sculptures, drawings, engravings, documents and photographs from the time of Heinrich Mylius and the succeeding generations of the Mylius Vigoni family.
Its preservation, research, dissemination and valorisation play an important role in Villa Vigoni´s work.
There are two main reasons for this:
- the heritage is the primary source of the German-Italian cultural exchange that forms the origin of Villa Vigoni;
- the heritage largely consists of the ‘furniture’ of the two historic villas in which Villa Vigoni carries out its statutory activities.
Paintings and sculptures
They represent the most important part of the artworks. Almost half of the 380 paintings from the 15th to the 20th century are currently on display in the villas. The focus of the collection is on 19th century Italian painting. In addition, there are more than 50 sculptures – made of various materials: marble, wood, bronze and terracotta – which also take up a lot of space.
Giovanni Migliara, La filanda Mylius (‘The Mylius spinning mill’), 1828
Heinrich Maximilian Imhof, Ruth, 1848
Giovanni Boldini, Ritratto di G. Braga (‘Portrait of G. Braga’), 1889
Jacob Suter, Veduta di Bellagio (‘View of Bellagio’), 1863
Furniture
The furniture is distributed throughout the historic rooms. It contributes to the special charm and unique atmosphere of the two villas Mylius Vigoni and Garovaglio.
Crystal and gilded bronze chandelier, 19th century
La Speranza che nutre la chimera (‘The hope that nourishes the chimera’), bronze clock, 19th century
The Great Library
Books, prints, engravings
The historical library of Villa Vigoni comprises the collections of the Mylius Vigoni family. It contains important original editions of 19th century Italian and German literature, travel books, atlases, art books and botanical works. The collection totals around 8,000 volumes. In addition, more than a thousand prints and graphic artworks from the 16th to the 19th century are held.
The Great Library
Dedication by J. W. Goethe to Federica Mylius (Friederike Schnauss), 1827
Federico Lose, Panorama di Loveno (‘Panorama of Loveno’), 1852
Porcelain
The porcelain is mainly 19th century tableware and decorative elements from Italy, France, England and Germany.
Wedgwood porcelain, 19th century
Historical archive
The historical archive preserves documents and papers relating to the Mylius Vigoni family and the administrative records of the Loveno estate from the 18th to the 20th century.
