Museo Del Sigillo (Museum of the Seal), La Spezia

The Civic Museum of the Seal was inaugurated in 2000 following the donation, by the spouses Lilian and Euro Capellini, of the most complete sphragistic collection that has ever been assembled by private individuals. Rich in over fifteen hundred original seals from various eras ranging from the 4th millennium BC to the present day, the collection aims to show the visitor the development of imprints in the history of civilization. From the numerous finds from the Asian Fertile Crescent, where these instruments made their first appearance, we move on to Egyptian amulet-matrices in stone or ceramic, to signet rings from the Roman era, to medieval, Renaissance, baroque, neoclassical and floral specimens. There is no shortage of specimens from Pre-Columbian America, China, Japan and from areas of Islamic influence. A particular section is dedicated to Lalique and Fabergé artefacts. In recent years the collection has been implemented by donations from the Fiocchi and Maulella families. The Civic Museum of the Seal is completed by a tactile itinerary, inaugurated in 2018 and aimed mainly at visually impaired and blind visitors, school audiences and anyone who appreciates a more complete approach to the topic, both scientific and sensorial. A jade seal, already part of the collection owned by the Countess of Bismarck, comes from the Forbidden City and was used by the Chinese emperor during rites dedicated to Heaven.

Civic museum born following the donation, by the spouses Lilian and Euro Capellini, of the most complete sphragistic collection that has ever been brought together by private individuals.

Housed in the Palazzina delle Arti (Palace of the Arts) “Lucio R. Rosaia”, a neo-Gothic building overlooking the ancient Via del Prione, the Civico Museo del Sigillo della Spezia was founded in 2000 following a donation by M. and Ms. Lilian and Mr. Euro Capellini from the most complete sphragistic collection ever assembled. The collection, which is the result of thirty years of research in the field, as well as collaboration with the most famous auction houses, has benefited from contacts with the greatest specialists in the sector who oversaw the publication of catalogs specific. An architectural gem, containing little treasures: seals from all over the world. The Palazzina delle Arti was designed in the 1920s, originally as a hygiene office. Neo-medieval in style – note the pointed arch openings and ceramic basins inserted above the windows – it is ideally, but not historically, linked to the adjacent convent of San Francesco da Paola, which today houses the Museo Civico “Amedeo Lia”. After the opening of the Museo “Lia”, this building was also restored to accommodate the Special Library of Art and Archaeology, the permanent exhibition of the seal collection and spaces for temporary exhibitions and conferences. The collection of seals is the result of the donation to the municipality of La Spezia of more than 1,500 pieces by the Capellini and Fiocchi families and constitutes the largest and most complete collection of seals in the world. Seals arise from the need to confirm the authenticity of a given document and generally attest to its legal validity; they are therefore instruments that have been widely used throughout history. This is why the La Spezia Museum collects and exhibits in good order seals of very different ages and origins, from those of ancient Egypt to matrices produced in China, Tibet and Nepal, specimens made in West in the Middle Ages with the soft and elegant lines of Art Nouveau seals. ***PH***