Status Intact Architectural style Mannerist Opened 1593 | Type Palace Location Genoa, Italy | |
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Alternative names Palazzo Francesco Grimaldi Address 1, Piazza di Pellicceria Similar Galleria nazionale di palazz, Palazzo Angelo Giovanni, Palazzo Podestà, Palazzo Bianco, Palazzo Carrega‑Cataldi | ||
Palazzo spinola di pellicceria genova
The Palazzo Spinola di Pellicceria, also known as Palazzo Francesco Grimaldi, is a palace in Piazza di Pellicceria, Genoa, Italy. It currently houses an art gallery known as the National Gallery of Palazzo Spinola, and it is one of the 42 Palazzi dei Rolli listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites.
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History
The palace was built according to the will of Francesco Grimaldi, and was constructed in 1593 on the foundations of a medieval building. An etching of its façade is included in Peter Paul Rubens's 1622 book Palazzi di Genova. Some alterations were made to the structure in the mid-17th and 18th centuries.
The palace belonged to the House of Grimaldi until it was transferred to Ansaldo Pallavicini in 1641, in order to settle a debt. The palace eventually passed from the Pallavicini to the Doria family, and in the 18th century it became the property of the House of Spinola. The building has characteristics typical of late 16th-century Genoese palaces, having an entrance hall and an inner courtyard. The interior is richly decorated with many frescoes, including works by Lazzaro Tavarone and Lorenzo De Ferrari. The palace also had an extensive art collection, including paintings by Luca Cambiasi, Bernardo Castello and Bernardo Strozzi.
The third floor of the palace was destroyed during World War II. In 1958, the marquis Paolo and Franco Spinola donated the building, complete with its furnishings, artworks, silverware, ceramics, etchings and books, to the Italian government. The damaged part was subsequently rebuilt, and it has housed the National Gallery of Palazzo Spinola since 1993.