The volume accompanies the exhibition dedicated to Pisanello and held at Palazzo Ducale in Mantova from 7 October 2022 to 8 January 2023. The exhibition is conceived on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the exhibition curated by Giovanni Paccagnini, which presented in the halls of Palazzo Ducale the discovery of the decorative cycle of chivalrous theme painted with a mixed technique around 1430-1433 by Antonio Pisano, known as Pisanello. The new exhibition presents a programme of a wide vision and a long period to enhance the work and of the room dedicated to the artist, together with the adjacent Sala dei Papi (Room of the Popes). The setting up is redesigned in a permanent way, with the aim of providing the best possible enjoyment of an exceptional find of the Italian artistic heritage. The project previews to give back a complete reading of the paintings, torn out and relocated more than fifty years ago, thanks to a new lighting system: a warm light and heading towards the Pisanello’s wall paintings – instead of the previous diffused natural light -exalts the reflections of the golden insertions and the magnificent details of the drawing. Furthermore, an overhead platform allows the visitor to appreciate the paintings at the correct distance calculated by the artist.

A ‘new’ path enriched by in-depth apparatuses, which allow the public to rediscover according to a ‘correct’ point of view the reality rich in particulars and details described by Pisanello, his sinuous line and the artist’s extraordinary meticulousness of touch.

The richly illustrated catalogue shows and describes the 30 works exhibited, including international loans as Pisanello’s masterpieces Virgin and Child with Saints George and Anthony Abbot (Madonna col Bambino e i santi Antonio e Giorgio) from the National Gallery in London, for the first time in Italy since its ‘departure’ in 1862, and the drawings from the Louvre Museum in Paris but also the Adoration of the Magi (Adorazione dei magi) by Stefano da Verona from the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan and, last but not least, the precious Madonna of the Quail(Madonna della Quaglia), an early panel by Pisanello, considered one of the symbolic works of the Museo di Castelvecchio in Verona.