Gli ambienti di origine sforzesca

The Ducal rooms

Once the Milanese residence of Galeazzo Maria Sforza and Bona di Savoia (from 1468), the ducal apartments, which are on the ground floor adjacent to the Ducal Courtyard, today house the Museum of Ancient Art. In addition to elegant cloister vaulted ceilings, some of the rooms still conserve the original, although extensively restored, painted decorations. The third room of the museum is the chapel of Saint Donatus, the ceiling depicts a scene of the resurrection of Christ, most likely commissioned by Galeazzo Maria Sforza and completed before 1477.

The Sala delle Asse (room VIII of the Museum of Ancient Art)

This renowned room on the ground floor of the Falconiera Tower was not commissioned by Galeazzo Maria, but rather by his brother Ludovico, who entrusted its decoration to the genius of Leonardo da Vinci. For this closed room, Leonardo envisaged a bower formed by 18 thickly interlaced trees through which the sky can only be glimpsed. On the walls of the north-eastern corner of the room, rocks split open by the roots of the tree are rendered as monochrome fragments. Three plaques on the ceiling celebrate defining moments of Ludovico il Moro's reign: the alliance with Emperor Maximilian, made possible by the marriage of his niece Bianca Maria Sforza in 1493 with the sovereign himself; the confirmation of his ducal title in 1495 and the request for assistance made by Moro to the Emperor to counter the King of France, Charles the VIII. A fourth plaque, erased during the restoration of the 1950s, commemorated the capitulation of Milan to King Louis the XII and was added after il Moro's escape in 1499. This painted room, one of Milan's most iconic works, was discovered between 1893 and 1894.

The Room of Ducal Heraldry (room XI)

The vault of this room is adorned with the coats of arms of Galeazzo Maria Sforza upon a blue background accompanied by the initials, “GZ MA” and the title “DVX MLI”, shorthand for Galeazzo Maria Duke of Milano. A fan of heraldry, the Duke of Milan had his initials placed in many rooms of the residence.

The Ducal Chapel (room XII)

A project of great interest to Galeazzo Maria Sforza, the Ducal Chapel was built by Benedetto Ferrini and Bartolomeo Gadio and frescoed by a group of painters, which, according to existing documents, included Bonifacio Bembo, Giacomino Vismara and Stefano De Fedeli. The construction of the chapel began in 1473 and was completed within the year in order to accommodate twenty-two cantors chosen from courts throughout Europe. On the walls is depicted a procession of saints in gold pastework with a radiant sun, while upon the lunettes one can still just make out the Sforza coats of arms. At the centre of the ceiling is the risen Christ, who, encased in a golden almond, seems to be rising towards the Father surrounded by angels. Also on the ceiling, the motif of the guards at the sepulchre, presents a new and unusual iconography: instead of being asleep at the moment of the resurrection, the guards seem to have been blown into the air, falling to the ground in contorted positions. This unusual approach is echoed on the ceiling of the Chapel of San Donato, built shortly afterwards.

Room of Doves (room XIII)

Trimmed as if it were fabric, the room depicts the exploits of the dove, while in the background is a radiant sun and the motto “à bon droit” (“well deserved”). It is an affectionate homage to his viscount forbears. This motto was suggested to Gian Galeazzo Visonti, Duke of Milan, by the poet, Francesco Petrarca.

The Room of the Echelons (room XV)

So called for the red and white zig-zag striped decorations, which are visible today thanks to the extensive restorations of the 1800s. The dukes used this room for audiences and for convening secret councils.

Treasure Room

The Sforzas decided to safeguard the treasure in the keep of the Rocchetta, the most impregnable part of the castle. The treasure room, which today houses the Trivulziana Library and temporary exhibitions, still conserves part of a decoration commissioned by Ludovico il Moro. Dated to between 1489 and 1491 and traditionally attributed to Bartolomeo Suardi, known as il Bramantino (before 1480 after 1530), a large fresco depicts Argus, a mythical 100-eyed giant, chosen as the symbolic custodian of the treasure. Architectural changes in the Sforza period deprived the central figure of his head. He is dressed in an animal skin, holding a stick in one hand and a medical-staff in the other. Argus would have been wearing either a diadem or a turban made of peacock feathers, an allusion to his 100 eyes. Two medallions to the side narrate how Mercury was able to lull him to sleep with music and then slay him. The reading of the scene on the central medallion is, however, altogether more complicated. Here, a group of people are depicted around a central figure whose right foot is resting upon a globe. The presence of a set of scales has led some art critics to hypothesise that this represents the “weighing of gold”, but doubts remain as to the symbolism of the scene. The only reference to the Sforza family seems to be the medical-staff or caduceus, which may have been added after the completion of the initial decorative project.

The Ponticella (rooms IX and X Museum of Ancient Art)

The Ponticella, or little bridge, was built on the orders of Ludovico il Moro and is said to have been designed by Bramante. The bridge is an airy construction that spans the moat and is made up of a portico and three rooms. We know from sources of the time that Ludovico il Moro, distraught for the premature death of his wife, Beatrice d'Este in 1497, retreated to one of these room, which had been prepared for mourning. To this day the rooms still carry the name, Salette Nere (little black rooms), after il Moro referred to them as black in two letters dated 1498. Unfortunately, no trace remains of the pictorial decorations that the Duke of Milan commissioned of Leonardo. The graffitos that decorate the portico today, were applied during Luca Beltrami's restoration and recall those of Chiaravalle Abbey and Pozzobonella farmstead. Beltrami also added a 17th century map of the castle.

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