Library

In addition to prints, the Bertarelli Collection conserves approximately 25.000 volumes and 700 periodicals, both in and out of print. The specialist library was founded upon a core group of volumes from Achille Bertarelli’s heterogeneous personal collection. Subsequent acquisitions allowed for the most important sections of the collection to be augmented. The 200 finely illustrated and bound 15th century editions are particularly valuable, and remarkable are the historical and geographical treatises, travel guidebooks and volumes on the history of Milan. The areas of book illustration, editorial graphic design, advertising and the history of posters are in-depth and up-to-date collections. The section relating to daily life, describes the historical evolution of clothing, accessories, textile art, needlework, jewellery, hairstyles, cosmetics, sumptuary laws, statutes and etiquette.