Image: Marco Antonio Franceschini, I santi Lucia, Cecilia, Margherita d'Antiochia e Osvaldo di Northumbria, modello per la pala dipinta dal figlio Giacomo per la chiesa di Santa Maria Incoronata, collezione privata
A guided visit in Bologna will focus on a preparatory model by Marcantonio Franceschini, presented in the exhibition ‘Franceschini segreto. Un modello rivelato’. The work is on display through 20 September, with the programme scheduled for Sunday 30 August at 5pm at the Museo Civico Medievale, according to the Musei Civici d’Arte Antica of the Comune di Bologna.
The visit will be led by Antonella Mampieri. Its central subject is Franceschini’s model for one of the altarpieces in the Church of the Incoronata. The completed altarpiece was painted by his son, Giacomo Franceschini, establishing a direct connection between the preparatory work and the finished commission.
The museum presentation places the model in dialogue with paintings by Marcantonio Franceschini held in the institution’s permanent collection. The arrangement is intended to give visitors an opportunity to consider the model alongside works by the same artist already displayed by the museum, while also drawing attention to the relationship between the father’s preparatory work and his son’s completed altarpiece.
The exhibition title, which translates as ‘Secret Franceschini. A Revealed Model’, refers to the featured preparatory object. The available programme information identifies the model as the focal point of the visit but does not provide further details about its materials, dimensions, provenance or date.
The event appears in a 26 August newsletter from Bologna’s Musei Civici d’Arte Antica, which also lists activities at the Museo Davia Bargellini and the Museo Civico Medievale. The newsletter identifies the museums as part of the city’s civic network dedicated to ancient art. The listing for the Franceschini programme pairs the Museo Davia Bargellini with the Museo Civico Medievale, while the event schedule specifies the Museo Civico Medievale as the venue.
Admission to the guided visit is free and no reservation is required. The presentation begins at 17:00 on 30 August 2026, and the featured model remains available to view until 20 September.
