Global Milan - Room II (2021) by Museum of CulturesMudec - Museum of Cultures
Milan becomes 'global'
In 1559 the Duchy of Milan became part of the Habsburg Empire. The connection with foreign countries, in particular with Spanish colonies such as those in South America, became stronger. Habits and customs of the city are changed by this contact.
Global Milan - Room I (2021) by Museum of CulturesMudec - Museum of Cultures
Manfredo Settala Collection
One of the earliest examples of global trade is the collection of the Milanese Manfredo Settala (1600-1680), one of the earliest European ethnographic collections.
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Global Milan - Room I (2021) by Museum of CulturesMudec - Museum of Cultures
Not just a 'Wunderkammer'
The collection included objects from the natural world as well as man-made ones. Settala had a network of correspondents who sent him items from the Far East to South America.
An ideally reunited collection
The objects depicted only in drawings were lost long before the collection reached the Ambrosiana, which has now partially loaned it to Mudec. The drawings and the printed catalogue were commissioned by Settala himself, aware of the importance of his collection.
Merenda Lucini (Portrait of Lucini family after hunting) (17th century) by Lombard painterMudec - Museum of Cultures
The 'fashionable' Lucini Family
Around 1680 this Milanese family is portrayed with precious items coming from South America: corn cobs, chopped sugarloaf, and especially chocolate, served in typical coconut cups called 'chicchere'.
Global Milan - Room I (2021) by Museum of CulturesMudec - Museum of Cultures
Pre-Columbian Art
A vitrine traces the rich artistic production of the pre-Columbian civilizations of South America, particularly the Andean ones.
Twin Vases, Huari Culture, 7th-10th century
Many objects used in Andean ritual celebrations are couples, like those vase depicting warriors. The couple refers to a key element of Andean religiosity: the existance of an alter ego, a double, a prerogative of whom dominated the political world and the religious world.
Global Milan - Room I (2021) by Museum of CulturesMudec - Museum of Cultures
Silver and Gold
The double-sided vitrine shows the different fates of precious metals in South America.
Native Crafts
On the one hand we see Andean gold production, which reached a very high level of mastery before the encounter with the Spanish.
Maltagliati (Coins) (16th-17th century) by Spanish colonialismMudec - Museum of Cultures
Colonial Exploitation
On the other side we find the 'maltagliati', silver coins destined to be remelted in Europe. The massive exploitation of mines (such as that of Potosi, Bolivia) in search of wealth destined only for Europe, destroys the environment and the local economy.
Global Milan - Room I (2021) by Museum of CulturesMudec - Museum of Cultures
A brief history of chocolate bowls
The wall that connects the first and second rooms shows a series of bowls and cups for sipping chocolate and coffee.
Globular Cup
From the oldest of Mayan origin (7th-10th century)...
Cup with Mancerina plate
...to those produced in the Middle and Far East for the European market in the 18th century.
