Galleria Estense. The Galleria Estense is an art gallery in the heart of Modena, centred around the collection of the d'Este family: rulers of Modena, Ferrara and Reggio from 1289 to 1796. Located on the top floor of the Palazzo dei Musei, on the St. Augustine square, the museum showcases a vast array of works ranging from fresco and oil painting to marble, polychrome and terracotta sculpture; musical instruments; numismatics; curios and decorative antiques. It was publicly established in 1854 by the last duke Francesco V of Austria-Este, and was relocated in 1894 to its current situation from the Palazzo Ducale. Since 2014, the Gallery has formed a part the Gallerie Estensi, an independent complex of museums merging the Estense University library, and the Lapidary Museum in Modena, the Palazzo Ducale in Sassuolo and the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Ferrara. Together, they reflect the progressing tastes of an Italian court of nobility. The Estense Gallery consists of sixteen exhibition rooms with four large salons arranged thematically. The collection houses an eclectic range of oeuvres executed by both notable and local artists. Although for the most part centred around Italian painters, it also includes a modest number of Flemish, German and French artworks, as well as non-Western examples from Sierra Leone and Persia. Among the decorative objects of note, the mannerist Estense Harp stands out. A rare musical instrument, the double harp's 148 cm were crafted entirely by hand through a collaboration between five Ferrarese and Flemish artists: Giacometti, Marescotti, Bastarolo, Rosselli and Lamberti. It then comes as no surprise that it featured on Italian 1,000 lire banknotes next to Verdi from 1961 to 1981. The gallery also houses a Madonna and Child and a Telamon by the Modenese sculptor Wiligelmo, an 18th century coral nativity scene and a still-life carved in wood celebrating the ascension of James II of England. In 1598, the duchy seat in Ferrara was forced to yield to Pope Clement VIII and the capital of the dukedom was relocated to Modena. Duke Cesare tried to bring with him as much of the Este inheritance as possible, including many cases full of rare and precious objects. As for the remaining works in Ferrara, Cesare, who was perhaps not as fond of art patronage as his ancestors, did not hesitate to donate large parts of the collection to seek favour with powerful political figures, notably the Cardinal Borghese and the Austrian Emperor. Francesco I, successor of Alfonso III, was a man of great ambition. He was determined to both regain Ferrara and restore the artistic atmosphere characteristic of the Ferrarese court in Modena. For the new capital of the diminished duchy of Modena and Reggio, he envisioned an imposing ducal residence, entrusting the project to Bartolomeo Avanzini. The Roman architect was advised by Bernini, whose engagement with the Pope prevented him from accepting the task. During a diplomatic trip to Spain, Francesco had his portrait made: the result, painted by Diego Velazquez, remains a precious treasure of the Estense collection. An equally revered marble portrait executed by Bernini now welcomes viewers entering the gallery. Not only does it effortlessly capture the duke's likeness and bravura, Bernini also never once laid eyes on his subject in the flesh, using effigies by Justus Sustermans and Jean Boulanger as prompts instead. To overcome the reluctance of the sculptor, who in a letter to the duke's brother, Cardinal Rinaldo, judged the task as not only extremely difficult but reckless, an exorbitant sum of 3000 scudi was offered, the exact amount paid to Bernini by the Pope Innocent X for his Four Rivers Fountain in Rome. Other valuable works donated or purchased by the duke joined the collection at this time, such as paintings by Paolo Veronese, Salvator Rosa, Hans Holbein and another marble bust by Bernini, this time dedicated to his lover. Ever the art lover, Francesco began appropriating paintings from churches and monasteries within the duchy: a habit to be routinely adopted by his successors in the years to come. The works were replaced by second-rate copies, often veiled from the eyes of the priests who tried to resist. Pieces by Correggio, Parmigianino and Cima da Conegliano all entered into the ducal collection in this way. Francesco's son Alfonso IV was the first to open the gallery to the public. His wife Laura Martinozzi, granddaughter of Cardinal Mazzarino, became regent to the duchy on the death of her husband, given their son, Francesco II, was only two years old.