Our Collections: the ‘3 Rs
Get ready for a small journey through time.
We guide you through imperial splendors, Renaissance brilliance, and the republican dreams of independence that made Italy shine in the firmament of world history.
Please note: canvases with a textured, layered surface must not be rolled or folded, as they may become damaged.
ANCIENT ROME
Our first canvases are dedicated to three figures who, more than any others, shaped the destiny of Rome and the Western world: Gaius Julius Caesar, Octavian Augustus and Marcus
Aurelius. Three men with different temperaments and styles of leadership, yet each capable of transforming History.
Caesar represents the breaking point. In an age marked by political crises, factional struggles, and
a Senate unable to govern an expanding empire, Caesar emerges as an extraordinary general and an ambitious reformer. His campaigns in Gaul, the crossing of the Rubicon, and his perpetual dictatorship forever change the face of the Republic. His assassination on the Ides of March in 44 BCE does not close a chapter, it opens a new one.
That legacy is taken up by Octavian Augustus, the young adopted heir who, with political intelligence and strategic patience, builds a new order. After defeating Mark Antony and Cleopatra, Augustus inaugurates an era of stability and prosperity: the Pax Augusta. He reforms the army, reorganizes the provinces, renews the institutions, and transforms Rome into a monumental capital. With him, the Empire is born, and so is the very idea of an “eternal Rome.”
Two centuries later, the Empire reaches its full maturity under Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-emperor. Stoic, thoughtful, and committed to governing with moral integrity, he faces wars, crises, a pandemic, and hardship without ever abandoning virtue. His Meditations reveal a ruler seeking balance and humanity at the heart of power. With him, the golden age of the Roman Empire reaches its completion.
These canvases are not mere portraits, they are gateways into a world that continues to inspire us and to reflect who we are.
RENAISSANCE
Our collection on the Italian Renaissance is dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci.
Leonardo embodies the Renaissance ideal of the universal man: curious, multifaceted, and tireless in his pursuit of knowledge. Born in Vinci in 1452, the illegitimate son of a notary, he received his first training in the Florentine workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio, where he refined his skills in drawing and painting. Yet his mind reached far beyond art.
Leonardo was a painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, anatomist, botanist, cartographer, and inventor. In his famous notebooks, he sketched flying machines, bridges, weapons, and studied the human body with scientific precision. His approach was empirical: direct observation and experimentation formed the foundation of his method.
Among his most iconic works are the Mona Lisa, with its enigmatic smile, and The Last Supper, a masterpiece of composition and dramatic tension. But Leonardo sought more than beauty: he pursued harmony between art and science, between humanity and nature. His Vitruvian Man symbolizes this vision — the human being as the measure of the universe.
After moving to Milan in 1482, he worked for Ludovico il Moro, and later for the King of France, Francis I, at whose court he died in 1519.
His legacy is immense: Leonardo was not only an artist but a revolutionary thinker, a precursor of modern science. His genius continues to inspire, reminding us that knowledge is born from wonder.
RISORGIMENTO
And finally, our collection on the Italian Risorgimento explores Milan during the Five Days.
Between March 18 and 22, 1848, Milan became the stage of a popular uprising that marked a turning point in the Italian Risorgimento: the Five Days. The city, then under the rule of the Austrian Empire, rose up against the garrison of Field Marshal Radetzky, giving life to an act of heroic resistance.
Discontent had been smoldering for a long time, fueled by political and social oppression. On March 18, the spark ignited: marches and barricades multiplied, bourgeois and common citizens fought side by side, armed with courage and improvisation. The streets turned into battlefields, with more than 1,600 barricades erected in just a few hours.
Leadership of the revolt soon passed to a war council led by Carlo Cattaneo, who refused any compromise with the Austrians. On March 20, a provisional government was formed — a symbol of the will for self‑determination.
Despite their military superiority, Radetzky’s forces were forced to retreat on March 22, leaving Milan temporarily free.
The following day, King Charles Albert of Savoy declared war on Austria, beginning the First War of Independence.
The Five Days were not only a military victory, but a powerful act of collective will. Milan proved that a united people could challenge an empire, an episode that still embodies the courage and dignity of the struggle for freedom.