hortus conclusus 2023

after the success in 2019, the second edition of hortus conclusus will once again have three ancient palazzos of upper bergamo as its stage, which at weekends, exceptionally, on the occasion of the programme of opening historic dwellings, will welcome the public, who will be able to visit the spaces normally reserved for the owners.

while the previous edition had the carpet as a portable garden, as a private oasis and as a representation of the ideal parks of paradise as its narrative theme, this year hortus conclusus will also enable to the carpet’s being interpreted in terms of its formal aspects and its inclusion in the major currents of the history of art, underlining its close bond with the western figurative tradition. not coincidentally, over the centuries some of the best known and most elegant of the carpets of asia minor have taken on the names of western painters: crivelli, ghirlandaio, lotto, Tintoretto, holbein. this because it was precisely these artists who depicted carpets of this kind in their paintings on a number of occasions.

therefore, presenting the precious antique carpets that probably decorated their rooms in the 15^th and 16^th centuries inside historical palazzos that conserve antique and composite furnishings becomes an unprecedented journey back through memory and a way of re-evoking what the artists were able to observe and reproduce in their paintings. this is a discourse, then, that, while it obviously applies to lotto, who actually was a guest in the main houses of bergamo, can also be revisited for ghirlandaio in florence and for tintoretto in venice.

the carpets selected – thirteen in total – are all high-quality, genuine masterpieces of the tassara collection, and are datable in the 16^th and 17^th centuries. they originate from the western part of asia minor, where ushak is located, the famous city that gives its name to the carpets made there; kilim rugs, which are identified by the name of the type of weave, also originate from the same zone.

each of the three types of carpet will be allocated to a palazzo so as to make the itinerary more easily comprehensible for visitors, who will be able to enjoy this precious inclusion in the environments of sophisticated dwellings. as these are carpets of medium format, the display method will be vertical, presenting them as works to observe close-up on account of their extraordinary fineness of execution.

guided visits

castle of valverde

via giovanni maironi da ponte 3, bergamo

16 april – 30 april – 7 may – 21 may – 24 september – 1 october 2023

hours: 2.30pm – 4pm – 5.30pm
cost: € 8.00 adults; € 5.00 children aged 6–14

booking obligatory at micaelacarrara2014@gmail.com
www.ilcastellodivalverde.it

palazzo agliardi

via pignolo 86, bergamo

23 april – 30 april – 14 may – 21 may – 17 september – 1 october 2023

hours: 2.30pm – 4pm – 5.30pm
cost: € 10.00 adults; € 8.00 children aged 6–14

booking obligatory at info@contiagliardi.it
www.contiagliardi.it

palazzo terzi

piazza terzi 2, bergamo alta

16 april – 23 april – 7 may – 14 may – 21 may – 17 september – 24 september 2023

hours: 2.30pm – 4pm – 5.30pm
cost: € 10.00 adults; € 8.00 children aged 6–14

booking obligatory at info@palazzoterzi.it
www.palazzoterzi.it