Costabili collection
The Costabili collection or Costabili Gallery was a large art collection in Ferrara in the 19th century, mainly consisting of Ferrarese art. Works from the collection were purchased by mid and late 19th-century art collectors like Giovanni Morelli, Austen Henry Layard and Charles Eastlake, eventually ending in many of the major collections of art around the world. A significant group of paintings ended up in the National Gallery in London. History. The collection was created by Marchese Giovanni Battista Costabili Contain, and continued by his grand nephew Marchese Giovanni Costabili Contain. By the late 1850s, the collection  was deteriorating, with many works in poor condition, and the Marchese started selling works to pay of his debts. His son Marchese Alfonso Costabili Contain eventually sold the remainder of the collection in 1885. The Costabili collection also included a library with some 400 manuscripts, 400 incunables, and 800 books from the Aldine Press. It was sold in four sales in 1858 and 1859.