Date
1853
Object Type
Painting
Subject
History of Milan: Duke Francesco Sforza Laying the Foundation Stone of the Ospedale Maggiore (1456)
Holding institution
Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera. On long-term loan to the Istituto Lombardo di Scienze e Lettere, Milan, since 2025
About The Work
In 1451, Francesco Sforza pledged to establish a 'large and solemn hospital' in Milan, a vow that culminated in the decree of 1 April 1456. Following the official endorsement by Pope Pius II, Duke Francesco Sforza and his wife, Bianca Maria Visconti, founded the hospitale grando ('the great hospital'). By centralising the administration of sixteen hospitals operating in the city at that time, it earned the title Maggiore, or 'Major'.
This pivotal moment, illustrating Milan’s long-standing vocation for providing assistance to the needy, was chosen in 1853 for the Concorso Canonica at the Brera Academy. The winner of this prestigious competition was Ismaele Teglio Milla, a pupil of Francesco Hayez. Scant documentary information exists regarding Milla, as he was 'snatched from art all too soon', according to the testimony of Antonio Caimi (“Delle Arti del disegno” 1862, p. 61).
The painting captures the ceremonial laying of the foundation stone for the new Ospedale. At the centre of the composition, Duke Francesco Sforza is shown lifting the foundation stone from a red velvet cushion held by a kneeling page. Beside him stands Bianca Maria Visconti, elegantly dressed in a white gown adorned with golden accents. Gabriele Sforza, Archbishop of Milan and Francesco’s stepbrother, is also present blessing the event in traditional ecclesiastical attire, including a mitre. Atop the scaffolding, some workers are depicted alongside a figure believed to be Filarete, the architect responsible for the site, who holds the building’s blueprint. In the foreground and behind the main characters, a crowd attends the public event, while the Basilica of San Nazaro in Brolo is recognisable in the background (see Fermo, Paola, Comite, Valeria, Lombardi, Chiara Andrea et al. 2025).
This pivotal moment, illustrating Milan’s long-standing vocation for providing assistance to the needy, was chosen in 1853 for the Concorso Canonica at the Brera Academy. The winner of this prestigious competition was Ismaele Teglio Milla, a pupil of Francesco Hayez. Scant documentary information exists regarding Milla, as he was 'snatched from art all too soon', according to the testimony of Antonio Caimi (“Delle Arti del disegno” 1862, p. 61).
The painting captures the ceremonial laying of the foundation stone for the new Ospedale. At the centre of the composition, Duke Francesco Sforza is shown lifting the foundation stone from a red velvet cushion held by a kneeling page. Beside him stands Bianca Maria Visconti, elegantly dressed in a white gown adorned with golden accents. Gabriele Sforza, Archbishop of Milan and Francesco’s stepbrother, is also present blessing the event in traditional ecclesiastical attire, including a mitre. Atop the scaffolding, some workers are depicted alongside a figure believed to be Filarete, the architect responsible for the site, who holds the building’s blueprint. In the foreground and behind the main characters, a crowd attends the public event, while the Basilica of San Nazaro in Brolo is recognisable in the background (see Fermo, Paola, Comite, Valeria, Lombardi, Chiara Andrea et al. 2025).
Title
Il duca Francesco Sforza pone la prima pietra dell'Ospedale Maggiore di Milano
Creator
Ismaele Teglio Milla
Subject
History of Milan: Duke Francesco Sforza Laying the Foundation Stone of the Ospedale Maggiore (1456)
Object Type
Painting
Original Function
Competitions and artistic fellowships (Premio Canonica, 1853)
Date
1853
Inscriptions
On the reverse: "1853"
Crest
On the reverse of the frame: "1853"; on the stretcher, top center, paper label: "441"; paper label: "ACCADEMIA DI BELLE ARTI E LICEO ARTISTICO / MILANO / N. 441 Tellio Milla / Ismaele / Il Duca Francesco Sforza / mette la prima pietra all'ospe= / dale Maggiore di Milano / cm 174x234 L. 60.000"; paper label: "FEBBRAIO / 18 / Mercoledì / S. Simone 317"
.
.
Technique / Support
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
cm 175 x 235.2
Acquisition
Acquired as the winning piece of the Premio Canonica competition in 1853
Holding institution
Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera. On long-term loan to the Istituto Lombardo di Scienze e Lettere, Milan, since 2025
Inventory number
Inv. 1980, 441
Bibliography
Zatti, Paola. Entry no. 725. In Pinacoteca di Brera. Dipinti dell’Ottocento e del Novecento. Collezioni dell’Accademia e della Pinacoteca, vol. 2, Musei e Gallerie di Milano. Milano: Mondadori Electa, 1994. 653–654, ill. (with previous bibliography).
Conservation status
Good
Restoration history
Conservation work carried out in 2024 by Simona Fiori, Studio di Restauro, Milan.
Type of interventions:
on the canvas: micro-aspiration for the removal of deposits, cleaning of the reverse of the stretcher, suturing of tears and repair of holes and losses in the support, re-tensioning;
on the pictorial surface: removal of surface deposits, surface cleansing, cleaning to remove ingrained deposits and thinning of the discoloured varnish, infilling of losses, pictorial retouching, application of a final protective coating.
Supervisory Authority: Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Metropolitan City of Milan
Internal scientific director: Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Chiara Nenci
Technical director / Qualified restorer: Simona Fiori
Restored as part of the 8th Art Bonus Awards (2024)
An initiative by the Ministero della Cultura and ALES, in collaboration with Promo PA Fondazione – LuBeC. With the contribution of Value Search Srl.
Type of interventions:
on the canvas: micro-aspiration for the removal of deposits, cleaning of the reverse of the stretcher, suturing of tears and repair of holes and losses in the support, re-tensioning;
on the pictorial surface: removal of surface deposits, surface cleansing, cleaning to remove ingrained deposits and thinning of the discoloured varnish, infilling of losses, pictorial retouching, application of a final protective coating.
Supervisory Authority: Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Metropolitan City of Milan
Internal scientific director: Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Chiara Nenci
Technical director / Qualified restorer: Simona Fiori
Restored as part of the 8th Art Bonus Awards (2024)
An initiative by the Ministero della Cultura and ALES, in collaboration with Promo PA Fondazione – LuBeC. With the contribution of Value Search Srl.
Diagnostic analysis
Multi-Spectral Imaging (MSI)
Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF)
Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX)
Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR)
Visible Reflectance Spectroscopy (Vis-RS)
Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF)
Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX)
Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR)
Visible Reflectance Spectroscopy (Vis-RS)
Restoration bibliography
Fermo, Paola, Comite, Valeria, Lombardi, Chiara Andrea et al., Preliminary findings from a non-invasive and micro-invasive multi-analytical study of the painting “Posa della Prima Pietra” by Ismaele Teglio Milla (1853), 2025, DOI: 10.21014/tc26-2025.146
Frame, base, secondary support
IRR imaging also revealed a phrase written on the frame of the canvas: “DEL SIG. ISMAELE TEGLIO MILLA MILANESE” (“Of Mr. Ismaele Teglio Milla from Milan”), referring to the painter’s name and birthplace Conservation treatment of the frame comprised micro-aspiration, surface cleansing to remove coherent and incoherent deposits, localised consolidation of lifting areas, infilling of the most visually disruptive losses and subsequent tonal lowering.
Unique identifier
0302201002