Ceramics in Este

The legacy of ancient tradition also lives on in medieval and modern ceramics, of which the museum has a collection of specimens produced or found in Este and surrounding areas. The selection on display brings together 13th-14th-century fragments that have emerged from excavations in the castle area, along with several Renaissance types and 18th-19th-century majolica and earthenware from the famous local manufactures Brunello, Franchini, and Contiero. The formation of the collection of modern ceramics is due to Adolfo Callegari who, in the 1920s, recognizing the value of local production promoted the expansion of the collection through state acquisitions and major donations, including the nucleus from Carceri Abbey that was offered by Count Lorenzo Carminati in 1936.