Palermo Museum of Majolica

The Majolica Museum (Museo delle maioliche, Stanze al Genio in Italian) of Palermo occupies a “house museum” on the main floor of the Palazzo Torre Pirajno (16th century) in the historic Kalsa district.
The Palazzo Torre Pirajno is an aristocratic building of Renaissance origin, remodelled in the following centuries. The name “Stanze al Genio” refers to the symbolic figure of the Genius of Palermo, the mythical protector of the city.

Presentation and collections

This museum was founded and developed from the 1990s by collectors, currently managed and self-financed by the Stanze al Genio association, without public or private contribution, and can currently be visited by appointment, with a guided tour route.

The main collection, spread over eight rooms, comprises more than 4,900 Italian majolica tiles, made between the 15th and 19th centuries. They come from different regions of Italy – including Sicily, Campania, Liguria, Tuscany and the Marche – and illustrate the technical, stylistic and iconographic evolution of Italian majolica over nearly five centuries. An important group of Sicilian tiles allows the study of local specificities, marked by Spanish, Arab and Renaissance influences.
The decorations cover various themes: mythological scenes, allegories, landscapes, grotesques, floral motifs, noble coats of arms, religious representations and scenes of daily life.

Other ancient objects can be found inside, such as old paper, toys, tin boxes and others. They help to recreate the atmosphere of a Palermitan scholar’s palace between the 18th and 19th centuries.

Where is the Palermo Majolica Museum

Information

Museums of Palermo