The Gallery of the Castle, result of purchases, donations and bequests
On the first floor there is the entrance to the extremely rich Art Gallery of the Castle, the result of purchases, donations and bequests (from the Finocchiaro Collection to the Mirone, Zappalà-Asmundo and Balsamo funds). Alongside other works from the 15th and 16th centuries, a Virgin Enthroned with Child (Antonello De Saliba, 1497) welcomes visitors in Room 16, described by Federico De Roberto as "the pearl" of the Civic Art Gallery. In the same room, the Portrait of a Gentleman by Domenikos Theotokopoulos, known as El Greco, is worthy of note. In the Parliament Room (Room 15) there is a large space used for receptions and meetings; in fact, its name comes from the fact that during the Aragonese reign, from 1283, the Castle was the site of the assemblies of the first Sicilian Parliament. On display here is part of the collection of Giovan Battista Finocchiaro, President of the Supreme Court of Justice of Palermo, works that he had collected during his life and bequeathed to his hometown, Catania.
Among the most suggestive ones are those by Matthias Stomer (Death of Cato, Suicide of Seneca, Christ mocked). Among the other works on display, the gallery holds some exceptional masterpieces such as St. Christopher by Pietro Novelli, Adoration of the Magi by Simone de Wobrek, Nativity with Saints Lawrence and Francis, oil on canvas by Paolo Geraci. The latter is a contemporary copy of a 1609 original by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, documented in Palermo between 1621 and 1631, and stolen by the Mafia in 1969 while on display in the Oratory of San Lorenzo in Palermo.
In the adjacent room (Room 18) there is the Portrait of Prior Placido Scammacca, represented with an Attic pelike, displayed in a vitrine next to the painting. Proceeding through the rooms, one reaches Room 18-Bis, which displays several masterpieces of 19th-century Catania, including The Sicilian Vespers by Michele Rapisardi, a painting of great interest in Sicilian history. The staircase inside Room 18-Bis leads to the upper floor, Room 19, where portraits, and more, of the nobility of the late 19th century are on display, painted by Rapisardi, Sciuti, Reina, Abate, Gandolfo and Attanasio. There are also Chinese vases, ceramics, the Speziali Vases, Sicilian majolica from the 15th to the 19th century and two valuable violins: an Amati, renowned Cremonese violin makers, and a Goffriller.
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