The ethnographic collection

Established when the Museum was founded, the ethnographic collection contains artifacts related to the customs and traditions of the peoples encountered by the early donors during their explorations on different continents. About 30 specimens are currently preserved.

Among the best-known pieces is the Tsantsa, a ritual head created by the Amazonian Shuar (or Jivaros) people, donated in 1871 by Count Gualtiero Gulinelli. The collection also includes ethnographic materials from seizures. Before World War II, numerous artifacts were loaned to other institutions in anticipation of a major exhibition on Italian overseas colonies, which was never realized due to the outbreak of the conflict.