The first official guide to Italy's first public museum, the Milan home of famous paintings by Bellini, Mantegna, Piero della Francesca, Raphael, Tintoretto, and Veronese. For the first time ever, this book combines detailed information about each artwork and hundreds of color reproductions with a guide, leading the reader room by room and wall by wall through the glorious riches of the Brera's permanent collection. To help with even the quickest visit, the guide notes the most important paintings in the collection. The account describes each work of art, including its symbolism and cultural references, and critical commentary about it. Also featured is an introduction by museum director Luisa Arrigoni about the history of the Pinacoteca di Brera (Italy's first museum for the people), a glossary, and a bibliography. 450 full-color illustrations