The Estense Gallery in Modena was inaugurated in 1854 by Francesco V of Austria-Este in the Ducal Palace.

The Gallery has been housed in the Palazzo dei Musei since 1894 and is made up of four halls and sixteen rooms dedicated to the rich collection of the Este family.

The Estense Gallery, thanks to its collection, shows the multifaceted and aristocratic taste of the family, which is expressed through a large number of paintings that cover a chronological period from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century, among which the Emilian painters have great prominence. Alongside the sculptures in marble, terracotta and bronze, there is also a rich collection of decorative arts which includes majolica, medals, ivories and musical instruments.

Among the masterpieces of the Estense Gallery are the Pietà by Cima da Conegliano, the Madonna and Child by Correggio, the Portrait of Francesco I d'Este by Velazquez, the portable altar by El Greco, the Crucifixion by Reni and finally the bust in marble of Francesco I d'Este sculpted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.