Museo Lapidario Estense, Archaeological museum in Palazzo dei Musei, Modena, Italy.
The Museo Lapidario Estense occupies a ground-floor quadriportico of the Palazzo dei Musei in Modena. It holds stone stelae, inscriptions and reliefs, a group of Roman sarcophagi made in Ravenna in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, and later funerary monuments moved here from Modena's cathedral and other city churches.
The museum was founded in 1828 by Francesco IV d'Este, and its first catalogue was compiled in 1830 by Carlo Malmusi. Its core came from the Este collection, including Alfonso II d'Este's Ferrarese Antiquarium and Cardinal Rodolfo Pio da Carpi's Roman collection, later enlarged with finds from the provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
The collection features Roman honorary bases and public inscriptions that reveal how the ancient inhabitants of Modena honored their leaders and gods. These objects show the values and beliefs that mattered most to the people who lived here centuries ago.
The museum is located in Palazzo dei Musei and is open from Tuesday to Sunday with tablet guides available to help you navigate the collection. The galleries are easy to walk through, and the objects are clearly displayed along the walls.
The core of the collection comes from two private holdings: the Antiquarium of Alfonso II d'Este in Ferrara and the Roman collection of Cardinal Rodolfo Pio da Carpi. Later finds from the provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia were added, and the first catalogue was drawn up in 1830 by Carlo Malmusi.
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