Pinacoteca Ambrosiana

Gallery in Milan

The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, founded in 1618 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo, is one of Milan’s finest art galleries. The gallery was created with the purpose of inspiring and supporting future fine art students through its collection of artworks. Cardinal Borromeo also established the Biblioteca Ambrosiana and the Accademia del Disegno, providing opportunities for young Counter-Reformation artists to study.

The gallery houses a remarkable collection of paintings, including masterpieces by renowned artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Bramantino, Titian, Caravaggio, and Pieter Brueghel the Elder. Some of the most renowned works in the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana include:

“The Madonna and Child with Three Angels” (Madonna del Padiglione) by Botticelli.
“Basket of Fruit” (Canestra di frutta) by Caravaggio.
“Portrait of a Musician” by Leonardo da Vinci.
“Adoration of the Magi” by Titian.

The Biblioteca Ambrosiana, inaugurated in 1609, is one of Europe’s earliest public libraries. It houses an extensive collection of over 750,000 books and more than 35,000 manuscripts. Among its most prized possessions are over 1,000 pages of the Codex Atlanticus by Leonardo da Vinci, featuring drawings and explanations of his inventions.

The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Milan!

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