Mantua's civic museum

This painting depicts the surroundings as they appeared at the time of the erection of the Teresian Library. In the background, looking through the open window, it is possible to identify the contour of the great dome of the church of Sant'Andrea, the town's landmark. Instead of books and work tables, the subject of the painting is the important collection of ancient works in marble, later moved to the Palazzo Ducale, property of the city. The absence of visitors and the vertical harmony of the work, today rightly kept in the halls of the library, create a sense of immersion and of wonder.