Galleria d'arte antica

The Gallery was set up in 1866 to house a collection of local artworks from churches, houses and palaces around the region; subsequently enriched by purchases and donations, it contains important Italian and international paintings.

Housed in 13 rooms on the first floor of the Castle, the collection is arranged in chronological order, ranging from the 15th to the 19th century. Its best works include Bellunello’s Crucifixion, Vittore Carpaccio’s Christ with the Symbols of Passion, Pomponio Amalteo’s Last Supper, the large St Mark places Udine under the protection of St Hermagoras, painted in 1595 by Palma il Giovane, self-portraits by Sebastiano Bombelli, Giambattista Tiepolo’s Guardian Angel, alongside more recent works by Francesco Chiarottini and Odorico Politi.
Half-way along the gallery there is the vast «Salone del Parlamento» (m. 26 x 13) where the National Assembly of Friuli used to meet yearly on 12 July, on the day of Saints Hermagoras and Fortunatus, patron saints of the city of Udine. The walls were beautifully frescoed in the late 16th century by Pomponio Amalteo and Gian Battista Grassi according to the directives of the Venetian governor, Filippo Bragadin. Making reference to religious and civic values and stressing the importance of loyalty in politics, the frescoes emphasize the didactic function of art, asserted only a few years before by the Catholic Council of Trent. This approach was followed by the other artists who contributed to the decoration of the Hall over the centuries, such as Secanti in the 1600s and Giambattista Tiepolo in the 1700s, who painted the same scenes as Amalteo and Green but changed the posture and clothes of the figures. The coats-of-arms of the Venetian governors of Friuli between 1420 and 1797 can be seen just below the ceiling.

Special exhibitions are held at regular intervals in these halls.