In Crema, an exhibition dedicated to Egyptomania, between painting and set design

The Museo Civico di Crema e del Cremasco returns to highlight the treasures hidden in its storerooms with the third edition of the Depositi esposti exhibition, inaugurating on Saturday, May 17 at 6 p.m. an exhibition dedicated toEgyptomania. A cultural and artistic phenomenon that exploded in Europe during the nineteenth century, Egyptomania represents the renewed interest in ancient Egypt, inspired in part by the Napoleonic expedition and the subsequent publication of such seminal iconographic works as Voyage dans la Basse et la Haute Égypte by Dominique Vivant Denon and the monumental Description de l’Égypte, ou recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l’expédition de l’armée française.

Set up in the Museum’s Pinacoteca spaces, theexhibition Egittomania. Luigi Manini e Antonio Rovescalli tra pittura e scenografia, which can be visited until September 28, 2025, explores this phenomenon, highlighting how the Cremasque area was also invested in it, thanks to figures such as Luigi Manini and Antonio Rovescalli. Manini, in particular, made extensive use of the reproductions contained in Dominique Vivant Denon’s famous Voyage dans la Basse et la Haute Égypte, from which he drew numerous tracings employed as models for stage settings. His collections of plates, prints and engravings, now the holdings of the Crema Civic Museum, grew out of careful iconographic research and were donated to the Municipal Library in 1925, before officially joining the museum in 1960. The precision in the rendering of hieroglyphics, architecture and decorations testifies to Manini’s philological approach, which was motivated by the demands of his work as a set designer, engaged in the creation of sets for operas such as Aida, Nephte and Il figliuol prodigo. Manini’s career took him far beyond the borders of Italy: from 1879 to 1912 he lived in Lisbon, collaborating with leading Portuguese theaters, bringing with him a passion for Egyptian aesthetics and helping to spread it internationally as well.

Alongside him, Antonio Rovescalli emerged with a work emblematic of his talent: a watercolor with an Egyptian subject, awarded the silver medal at the final exam of the School of Perspective at the Brera Academy (1882-1883). The work, inspired byAida, is based on the architecture of the Ramessee, the memorial temple of Ramesses II, likely known to the artist through the plates of the Description de l’Égypte.

The exhibition also features historical photographs documenting Rovescalli’s scenographic activity, particularly his staging of Aida at the Teatro São Carlos in Lisbon, where he was invited to work by Manini himself in the late 19th century. The exhibition also recounts his long career at La Scala in Milan, where he was an absolute protagonist in the field of set design until his death.

The exhibition itinerary, curated by Alessandro Barbieri, Christian Orsenigo and Gabriele Valesi, is enriched by period photographs, scenic sketches, preparatory studies and rare documents, accompanied by an illustrated catalog with critical essays and fact sheets dedicated to the works. The initiative is promoted by the Municipality of Crema, with the collaboration of the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the provinces of Cremona, Lodi and Mantova, under the patronage of ICOM Italia, the Municipality of Casalbuttano ed Uniti, the Municipality of Torlino Vimercati and the Carla Maria Burri Association.

On the occasion of the European Night of Museums, on May 17 the exhibition will be open until 11:30 pm.

Hours: Tuesday from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.; Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to noon and 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 10 a.m. to noon and 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Closed Mondays. Free admission without reservation.

In Crema, an exhibition dedicated to Egyptomania, between painting and set design

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