The Museum is equipped with Educational Devices that give visitors young and old the opportunity to become acquainted with the extraordinary wealth of our collection with the help of experienced instructors. The Casa Museo is open to small groups and visitors will be able to enjoy an overall view of the displayed works, but also to delve into specific iconographic themes or technical details of the artifacts according to their personal interests. Traditional tours, subject-oriented itineraries, and creative workshops ensure an inclusive approach to the material, which will be presented according to the age and interests of each audience.
Educational workshops are available for kindergarten and elementary school children.
In the Museum
Mythological iconography is the fil rouge of this tour. Its aim is to analyze, through paintings, furniture, and applied art objects, some of the most important pieces contained in the museum. From Giuseppe Maggiolini’s commodes, to the mannerist bronzes, and Canaletto and Tiepolo’s paintings, our selection focuses on the depicted subjects, as well as on technique and materials, to fully convey the atmosphere and the taste that permeate this collection.
In the Workshop
When visitors are welcomed to the museum, they will be able to analyze the museological aspects of our display, exploring the tradition of houses turned into museums as well as a description of the unique features of the Zani collection.
Who
Museum educators and teachers/chaperons
For Whom
Boys and girls from first and second level secondary school, young people in general, and adults
Objectives
Becoming acquainted with Zani Museum House which belongs to the Paolo and Carolina Zani Foundation in Cellatica (Brescia);
discovering a significant part of the collection through a theme-oriented itinerary connected to mythological iconography;
analyzing the historical aspects of houses that have been made into museums, including their genesis and main features.
Instruments
A significant selection of the works belonging to the collection;
information sheets (for secondary schools).
Duration
The activity lasts approximately 1h/1h 15m
In the Museum
This itinerary focuses on the landscape genre by delving into and comparing some of its most illustrious Venetian exponents, such as Antonio da Canal a.k.a Canaletto, Francesco Guardi, and Bernardo Bellotto. The atmosphere of the time is recreated by analyzing several contemporary pieces of furniture and applied arts objects, which help us reconstruct the cultural context.
In the Workshop
When welcomed to the Museum, visitors will become acquainted with the unique features of the Zani collection thanks to an overview of the house museum tradition. This will be followed by an analysis of the landscape genre which will give visitors a good understanding of the cultural context in which it was born.
Who
Museum educators and teachers/chaperons
For Whom
Boys and girls from first and second level secondary school, young people in general, and adults.
Objectives
Becoming acquainted with Zani Museum House which belongs to the Paolo and Carolina Zani Foundation in Cellatica (Brescia);
discovering a significative part of the collection through a theme-oriented itinerary connected to the landscape genre;
analyzing the historical aspects of house museums, with mentions of their genesis and main features.
Instruments
A significant selection of the works belonging to the collection;
information sheets (for secondary schools).
Duration
The activity lasts approximately 1h/1h 15m
To stimulate everyone’s wellbeing, the Casa Museo offers the following program
In the Museum
This tour is meant to encourage visitors to spot the different shades of blue, especially in the works of Venetian landscape painters contained in the exhibit. In particular, attention is brought to the following artists: Giovanni Antonio Canal, a.k.a. Canaletto, Francesco and Giacomo Guardi, Bernardo Bellotto.
In the Workshop
Participants will be instructed in the basics of oil and gouache painting previously observed during the tour. Practical activities include experimenting with the different kinds of pigment, exclusively in shades of blue, with the aim of painting a marine landscape on construction paper or cotton paper.
Who
Museum educators and teachers
For Whom
Kindergarten and elementary school children
Objectives
Becoming acquainted with Zani Museum House which belongs to the Paolo and Carolina Zani Foundation in Cellatica (Brescia);
Coming to understand painting through the analysis of oil and gouache painting.
Experimenting the gouache technique and producing a painted work.
Instruments
Oil and gouache paintings;
Instruments and supports for oil painting on canvas and gouache on construction paper or cotton paper.
Pigments.
Duration
The activity lasts about 1 h
In the Museum
After an introduction describing the museum’s layout, this tour offers an in depth look at pieces of jewelry and ornamental furnishings crafted out of copper and coral from the ancient workshops in Trapani.
In the Workshop
Participants are given basic information on coral working, especially the particular technique used in Trapani which is called retroincastro. Each participant will produce their own artifact using synthetic materials similar to coral.
Who
Museum educators and teachers.
For Whom
Kindergarten and elementary school children.
Objectives
Becoming acquainted with Zani Museum House which belongs to the Paolo and Carolina Zani Foundation in Cellatica (Brescia);
understanding coral through the analysis of the composition and productive purposes;
experimenting an assembly technique using decorative elements similar to coral to produce an artifact.
Instruments
Raw and finished coral;
copper-like modeling compound. Synthetic ornamental elements;
supports for the assembly of the artifact.
Duration
The activity lasts about 1 h
In the Museum
This tour invites visitors to carefully observe the different hues of golden-yellow in the museum’s collection, with a special focus on furniture and objets d’art with the purpose of verifying structure and effect.
In the Workshop
Participants will be given basic notions on historically documented gilding techniques. Then each participant will finish a wooden cutout by applying gold leaf.
Who
Museum educators and teachers
For Whom
Kindergarten and elementary school children
Objectives
Becoming acquainted with Zani Museum House which belongs to the Paolo and Carolina Zani Foundation in Cellatica (Brescia);
becoming familiar with gilding by analyzing traditional techniques;
experimenting the technique of oil gilding to decorate an artifact with gold leaf.
Instruments
Supports painted with shell gold or gilded with oil or gouache techniques;
gilding instruments;
wooden cutouts in different shapes (bookmarks, ornaments…)
Duration
The activity lasts approximately 1 h
In the Museum
This tour focuses on the different white items contained in the museum with the purpose of identifying the materials employed. In particular, visitors will be guided in the analysis of a selection of porcelain ornamental objects (paintings and vases) produced by the Florentine Doccia manufacture in the 18th century.
In the Workshop
Visitors will be given basic information on clay working, distinguishing between terracotta and porcelain. Each participant will then produce an item in cold porcelain which they will then be able to decorate as they please once it hardens.
Who
Museum educators and teachers
For Whom
Kindergarten and elementary school children
Objectives
Becoming acquainted with Zani Museum House which belongs to the Paolo and Carolina Zani Foundation in Cellatica (Brescia);
becoming familiar with porcelain by analyzing composition and productive purposes;
experimenting with the manipulation of cold porcelain to produce an artifact.
Instruments
Porcelain vases and plates;
white modeling compound (cold porcelain);
utensils necessary to work the cold porcelain.
Duration
The activity lasts approximately 1 h
In the Museum
After visitors have been welcomed to the museum, a moment in which they will be able to get an idea of the house’s unique features, they will be guided in the identification and analysis of certain pieces of furniture, specifically those produced in the French ateliers of André Charles Boulle, Nicolas Sageot, and Étienne Levasseur. Special attention will be given to materials and techniques.
In the Workshop
Participants will be given the rudiments of cabinetmaking by offering practical examples including the identification of the main types of wood and the composition of an inlay with plant-shaped decorations.
Who
Museum educators and teachers
For Whom
Kindergarten and elementary school children
Objectives
Becoming acquainted with Zani Museum House which belongs to the Paolo and Carolina Zani Foundation in Cellatica (Brescia);
becoming familiar with cabinetmaking applied to house furniture;
experimenting with wood inlay techniques to produce an artifact.
Instruments
Wooden mandala and tangrams;
Xylotheque;
die cutter;
die boards with plant designs in different materials (balsa wood, marbled construction paper, copper sheet…).
Duration
The activity lasts approximately 1 h
Tailored to the needs of special groups of visitors.
For families with children, we will periodically present theme-based tours tailored to specific needs. For all our 2020 Art Appreciation Activities at the Casa Museo – download pdf