Ambrosiana

Eliseo Sala (1813-1879)
Portrait of Cesare Beccaria, detail
oil painting on canvas

THE TREATISE ON CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS BY CESARE BECCARIA
FROM MILAN, TO EUROPE, TO THE WORLD

Exactly two hundred and sixty years ago, in 1764, the well-known Milanese jurist Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794) finished writing his masterpiece, the treatise On Crimes and Punishments, and published it in the same year. In the exhibition The treatise On Crimes and Punishments by Cesare Beccaria, from Milan to Europe to the World the original manuscript of the work, the Italian editio princeps, will be exhibited, and all the other first editions that followed in the various European languages, including two recent non-European publications, testifying to a diffusion that spread from Milan throughout Europe and the entire world.

THE BECCARIA LIBRARY AND THE AMBROSIANA

Upon Beccaria’s death, his library, including his manuscripts, printed works and various personal memorabilia, passed to his son Giulio Beccaria, who in turn bequeathed it to his wife Antonietta Curioni de’Civati. Donna Antonietta, significantly, in her will of 29 March 1866, hoped that her daughters would undertake to place this precious cultural heritage «in some public institute in perpetual memory of the illustrious philosopher, such as for example in the Ambrosiana Library, already rich in monuments and other national illustrations”. This wish did not come true immediately, because Cesare Beccaria’s library passed to one of his son-in-laws, the Milanese commendatore Angelo Villa Pernice, a well-known bibliophile, as well as an economist, public administrator and politician.

When, in 1910, after the death of her husband, his wife Donna Rachele Villa Pernice donated the entire family book heritage to the Ambrosiana Library, the collection of manuscripts and printed matter belonging to Cesare Beccaria also arrived there: thus, what with foresight the Marchesa Antonietta Curioni de’ Civati had hoped for was fulfilled. This generous donation, of high cultural patronage, was facilitated by the Nogara brothers (in particular Giuseppe, Bernardino and Bartolomeo), relatives of Rachele Villa Pernice, who acted as mediators with Monsignor Achille Ratti, then Prefect of the Ambrosiana Library.

WHAT’S ON

OCTOBER 12: SPECIAL EVENING OPENING

Ambrosiana

OCTOBER 12: SPECIAL EVENING OPENING

From 18.00 to 19.30 (last admission) entrance to the Art Gallery and Crypt at the special price of €3.00

06/10/2025-06/10/2025
SPECIAL REDUCED TICKETS € 3 FOR STUDENTS

Ambrosiana

ARE YOU IN LOVE? NO I'M IN MILANO

Ambrosiana

ARE YOU IN LOVE? NO I'M IN MILANO

19/09/2025-14/10/2025
Exhibition
Natura morta<br>Jago and Caravaggio: two views on the transience of life

Pinacoteca

ONLINE COLLECTION

(158 online artworks)

Dantesque window, Giuseppe Bertini (1825-1898)
The Blessed Soul, Anonimo lombardo (XVII secolo)
The Last Supper, Andrea Bianchi detto il Vespino (attivo 1612-1640)
Still Life with Fruit, Isaac Soreau (1604-1638)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 29 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
The Madonna and Child with a Worshipper, Bernardino Betti detto il Pinturicchio (1454-1513)
Allegorical Female Figure, Giovanni Serodine (1600-1631)
Portrait of a Young Girl with a Dove, Natale Schiavoni (1777-1858)
Saint Michael the Archangel, Giulio Cesare Procaccini (1574-1625)
Susanna at her Bath, Carlo Francesco Nuvolone (1609-1661)
Portrait of Giovanni Battista Morosini, Francesco Hayez (1791-1882)
Portico in Ruins, Giovanni Migliara (1785-1837)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 3 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Portrait of Giuseppina Negroni Prati Morosini, Francesco Hayez (1791-1882)
The Assumption of the Virgin, Giovanni Agostino da Lodi (1467-1524 circa)
The Adoration with Saint Roch, Gian Pietro Rizzoli detto Giampietrino (1508-1549)
Washerwomen at the Canal, Emilio Gola (1851-1923)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 844 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Basket of fruit, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610)
Portrait of Emilia Morosini Zeltner, Francesco Hayez (1791-1882)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 909 verso, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Cup with Turbo marmoratus shell, Christoph Lencker (1556 circa-1613)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 1006 verso, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Sacra Conversazione, Ambrogio da Fossano detto il Bergognone (1453-1523)
The infant Jesus with a Lamb, Bernardino Luini (1480-1532)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 149 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
The Adoration of the Magi, Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli also known as Morazzone (1571-1626)
Portrait of Napoleon King of Italy, Andrea Appiani (1754-1817)
The Holy Family with Saints Anne and John, Bernardino Luini (1480-1532)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 873 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Judith and Holofernes, Giuseppe Vermiglio (1585-1635)
Armillary sphere, NA
Napoleon Bonaparte’s gloves, NA
The Madonna of the Pavilion, Sandro Botticelli (Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi detto) (1444 o 1445-1510)
Male portrait, Hans Muelich (1516-1573)
Winter Landscape with Skaters, Hendrick Avercamp (1585-1634)
Adoration of the Magi, Tiziano Vecellio (1480-1576)
The Arco della Pace in Milan, Giovanni Migliara (1785-1837)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 1069 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 71 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
The Magdalen and the Angel, Giulio Cesare Procaccini (1574-1625)
The Adoration of the Magi, Maestro del Santo Sangue (XVI secolo)
Portrait of a Pilgrim, Monogrammista HL (XVI secolo)
Self Portrait, Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844)
Head of Christ the Redeemer, Gian Giacomo Caprotti detto Salai (1480-1524)
Mouse with Roses, Jan Brueghel il Vecchio “Dei Velluti” (1568-1625)
The Ambrosian Virgil of Francesco Petrarca, NA
Christ Crowned with Thorns, Bernardino Luini (1480-1532)
Portrait of Alessandro Negroni Prati Morosini, Francesco Hayez (1791-1882)
The Placing of Christ in the Sepulchre, Tiziano Vecellio (1480-1576)
Figured casket, Scultore lombardo
Landscape with Saint John the Baptist, Paul Bril (1554-1626)
Naturalis Historia, Plinio il Vecchio (23-79 dC)
Ceremonial saddle and stirrups. Detail of the wooden horse of Troy, Arte armaiola milanese
The Madonna and Child with Saint Peter and Saint Jerome, Cesare Magni (1511-1534)
The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, Jacopo da Ponte detto il Bassano (1510-1592)
De divina proportione, Luca Pacioli (1445 circa – 1517)
Display case with the hair of Lucrezia Borgia, Alfredo Ravasco
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 455 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 307 verso, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 117 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Octagonal casket, Bottega degli Embriachi (XIV-XV secolo)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 26 verso, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 845 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
The Damned Soul, Anonimo lombardo (XVII secolo)
Self Portrait, Antonio Canova (1757-1822)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus) f. 851 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Mary Magdalene, Tiziano Vecellio (1480-1576)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 33 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Portrait of Peter Leopold of Habsburg-Lorraine (later Leopold II), Anton Raphael Mengs (1728-1779)
Still Life with Fruit, Isaac Soreau (1604-1638)
Portrait of Saint Charles Borromeo, Giovanni Ambrogio Figino (1548-1608)
The Kiss, Francesco Hayez (1791-1882)
Crib, Federico Barocci o Baroccio detto il Fiori (1535-1612) (replica di)
The Madonna Enthroned with Saint Ambrose and Saint Michael, Bartolomeo Suardi detto il Bramantino (1465-1530)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus) f. 199 verso, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 49 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 663 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Portrait of a Young Man, Giorgione (Giorgio da Castelfranco copia da) (1478 circa-1510)
Portrait of a Young Man, Vittore Ghislandi detto Frà Galgario (1655-1743)
The Madonna and Child with Saint John the Evangelist and Saint John the Baptist, Marco d’Oggiono (1470-1525)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 860 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 1058 verso, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
The Holy Family with Sain John, Tobias and the Archangel Raphael, Bonifacio Veronese (1487-1553)
The Dormition of the Virgin, Anonimo ferrarese (XV secolo)
The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, Pietro Antonio Magatti (1691-1767)
Christ on the Way to Calvary, Giovanni Busi detto Cariani (1480-1547)
Daggers with sheath (eared sfondagiaco dagger), Milanese Gunsmiths
The School of Athens, Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520)
Mary Magdalene Penitent, Guido Reni (1575-1642)
Jael and Sisera, Giuseppe Vermiglio (1585-1635)
Mercury and Argus, Anonimo genovese (XVII secolo)
The Madonna Nursing the Child by the Fountain, Bernaert van Orley (1488-1541)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 116 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
The Martyrdom of Saint Peter of Verona, Alessandro Bonvicino detto Moretto (1490-1554)
The Virgin of the Rocks, Andrea Bianchi detto il Vespino (attivo 1612-1640)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 812 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus) f. 710 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Flowers and Roses, Gaetano Previati (1852-1920)
The Holy Family, Carlo Francesco Nuvolone (1609-1661)
Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Jan II Brueghel il Giovane (1601-1678)
Laocoon (copy of the Vatican original), Leone Leoni
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 272 verso, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, Antonio Badile (1518-1560)
Portrait of a Musician, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Horse’s head (Copy from the equestrian monument to Marcus Aurelius on the Capitol in Rome), NA
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 72 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Christ Resurrected, Marco Basaiti (1470-1530)
Codice Atlantico (Codex Atlanticus), f. 1 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 858 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Libro d’Ore Borromeo, Cristoforo de Predis (1440-1486)
Man in Armour, Tiziano Vecellio (1480-1576)
View of the Interior of the Duomo, Giovanni Migliara (1785-1837)
Portrait of Bernardino da Lesmo, Bartolomeo Veneto (1502-1530)
Flowers in a Vase, Jan Brueghel il Vecchio “Dei Velluti” (1568-1625)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 12 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Seascape, Paul Bril (1554-1626)
Codice Atlantico (Codex Atlanticus), f. 104 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Still Life with Musical Instruments, Evaristo Baschenis (1617-1677)
Original Sin, Jan II Brueghel il Giovane (1601-1678)
The Annunciation, Gerolamo Mazzola Bedoli (1500-1569)
Portrait of Manfredo Settala, Daniele Crespi (1600-1630) attribuito a
Portrait of a Gentleman (Michel de l’Hospital), Giovan Battista Moroni (1520-1578)
A Soul in Purgatory, Anonimo lombardo (XVII secolo)
Allegory of Water, Jan Brueghel il Vecchio “Dei Velluti” (1568-1625)
The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist, Ubertini Francesco detto Bachiacca (1494-1557)
Clock with astrolabe, Sconosciuto
Portrait of a Lady, Giovanni Ambrogio De Predis (1455-1508)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 5 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Apse of San Satiro and View of the Duomo, Giovanni Migliara (1785-1837)
Portrait of Paolo Morigia, Fede Galizia (1578-1630)
Kids and Lambs, Francesco Londonio (1723-1783)
Nautilus shell, Sconosciuto
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 21 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Moses and the Brazen Serpent, Cesare Ligari (1716-1770)
Lesenes and trophies, Agostino Busti detto il Bambaia (1483-1548)
llias picta, NA
The Adoration of the Magi, Andrea Schiavone (1510-1563)
The Triumph of David, Lucas Hugenszoon detto Luca di Leida (1494-1533)
Locked out of school, Emilio Longoni (1859-1932)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 145 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, Giandomenico Tiepolo (1727-1804)
Allegory of Fire, Jan Brueghel il Vecchio “Dei Velluti” (1568-1625)
Maternity, Mosè Bianchi (1840-1904)
Saint John the Baptist, Gian Giacomo Caprotti
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 4 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
The Wedding of Peleus and Thetis, Ambito di Francesco Albani (1578-1660)
Orrery, Sconosciuto
The Adoration, Bartolomeo Suardi detto il Bramantino (1465-1530)
Noctes Atticae, Aulo Gellio
Diana the Huntress, Joachim Friess (XVI-XVII secolo)
Burse, Artista dell’Italia centrale
Plato, Giovanni Antonio Piatti (1447-1480)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 719 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Latin astrolabe, Anonymous
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 139 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Pietà (copy from Michelangelo), Leone Leoni
Vase of Flowers with Jewel, Coins and Shells, Jan Brueghel il Vecchio “Dei Velluti” (1568-1625)