Ambrosiana

Art and faith

60 minutes

For all Age

Christmas at the Ambrosiana
The weeks of Advent or, for those who are staying in the city, the holidays, are the perfect time to spend a few hours in the Art Gallery. Leave behind for a moment the rush to buy gifts and the hectic atmosphere that all too often dominates this time of year to be enchanted by the authentic beauty of the Christmas paintings preserved here, to rediscover the deeper meaning of this festive season.

Visita

Start in Room 1 with the Nativity by Martino Piazza, where Leonardesque impressions are fused with influences from Northern Europe, and then focus on one of the gallery’s masterpieces: Titian’s Adoration of the Magi. Immerse yourself in this lively scene by joining the caravan of the Kings that, winds through the background guided by the star to arrive in the Saviour’s presence.

SALA 1 | Nativity by Martino Piazza and Adorazione dei Magi di Tiziano

The tour continues in Room 2, where a Nativity from the workshop of Ghirlandaio plunges us into the late Quattrocento atmosphere in Florence.

Visita

In Room 6, you will be carried away by the magic of the painting that Cardinal Borromeo loved most of all: the Nativity by Federico Barocci. A marvellous light emanates from the Christ Child and fills the whole scene, illuminating the robe of the Madonna with a shimmering glow and being reflected in the eyes of the ox and the donkey.

SALA 6 | Presepe di Federico Barocci

Next to Room 6, in the gallery with a Dante-themed stained glass window, you will find another scene of the Adoration of the Magi interpreted by a Flemish artist known only as the Master of the Holy Blood, active in the first quarter of the 16th century.

SALA DELLA VETRATA DANTESCA | Adorazione dei Magi, Maestro del Santo Sangue

To conclude, we suggest you to continue with a stroll through the Galbiati Wing, to reach the second floor and Room 15. Here you can admire another little jewel with a Christmas subject: the Adoration of the Magi by Morazzone.

SALA 15 | Adorazione dei Magi del Morazzone

Art and faith
Art and faith Art and faith Art and faith Art and faith Art and faith Art and faith

WHAT’S ON

READING ROOM CLOSURE FROM SEPTEMBER 24 TO 29

Ambrosiana

READING ROOM CLOSURE FROM SEPTEMBER 24 TO 29

Reading room closed from September 24 to 29 included

24/09/2025-29/09/2025
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
SEPTEMBER 28: SPECIAL EVENING OPENING

Ambrosiana

SEPTEMBER 28: 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

28/09/2025-28/09/2025
Natura morta<br>Jago and Caravaggio: two views on the transience of life

Pinacoteca

The other faces of the Ambrosiana

The most magical and ancient places of Milan: the ancient Forum where Constantine, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine and Theodosius walked, and the lower Church of Santo Sepolcro, built by the Crusaders… as well as a colossal statue of St. Charles Borromeo on Lake Maggiore; a Museum-Home at the Sacro Monte of Varese; a Foundation dedicated to the promotion of young artists: this is also the Ambrosiana!
Discover the other institutions of the Ambrosiana

ROMAN FORUM

THE OTHER INSTITUTIONS

ROMAN FORUM

Between 1990 and 1992, archaeological excavations conducted underneath the ancient cellars of the Ambrosiana brought to light a portion of the pavement of the ancient Roman forum, the heart of Mediolanum's political, economic and religious life.

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CHURCH OF SAN SEPOLCRO

THE OTHER INSTITUTIONS

CHURCH OF SAN SEPOLCRO

The church of San Sepolcro was founded in 1030, when a Milanese moneyer named Rozzone built a church on the ancient Roman forum. Archbishop Ariberto d’Intimiano solemnly consecrated it to the Holy Trinity.

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LODOVICO POGLIAGHI MUSEUM-HOME

THE OTHER INSTITUTIONS

LODOVICO POGLIAGHI MUSEUM-HOME

Lodovico Pogliaghi was one of the most significant Lombard artists to live in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

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MARCO MANTOVANI FOUNDATION

THE OTHER INSTITUTIONS

MARCO MANTOVANI FOUNDATION

The Marco Mantovani Foundation seeks to preserve and enhance the works of the sculptor Marco Mantovani, as evidence of the life of an artist dedicated to sculpture and art.

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THE COLOSSUS OF SAINT CHARLES IN ARONA

THE OTHER INSTITUTIONS

THE COLOSSUS OF SAINT CHARLES IN ARONA

The Colossus of Saint Charles in Arona, which popular tradition has affectionately dubbed San Carlone, was created in the seventeenth century at the behest of Federico Borromeo, archbishop of Milan and founder of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana.

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ONLINE COLLECTION

(158 online artworks)

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