Capodimonte

(Capodimonte National Museum and Galleries), in Naples, one of the largest art museums of Italy, founded in 1738. It is located in the former Royal Palace of Capodimonte (1738, architect G. A. Medrano; reconstructed, 1952–57). It includes mainly the art collections of the Farnese princes and the Neapolitan kings. The museum houses European art from the 13th to the 19th century. There are paintings by Simone Martini, Masaccio, Giovanni Bellini, Parmigianino, Titian, P. Brueghel, and El Greco, as well as sculptures by A. Pollaiuolo and Bologna. The museum houses Italy’s best collections of 17th-century Italian paintings, European and Oriental ceramics, weapons, furniture, and decorative fabrics.