The Museum Mandralisca set in the same street makes (let) Cefalù be much proud both for its cultural heritage and for his founder’s memory: the
Earl Enrico Piraino di Mandralisca, who was born in Cefalù the 5th december 1809.
This building, where he spent most of his life, opens into the hall of the Museum, where some remains found in Cefalù can be seen: the ruins of a little damaged
mosaic paving, with a central polychromatic decoration, representing a white swan led into its flight by a nake cupid and next to it there are other bichromate decorations with geometrical motives; a section of a fluted column and finally an epigraph of the I century B.C.sculptured on a block of lumachella limestone, which surely was a tomb inscription.
Going upstairs on the right room there is the library , containig very important books about the XVII and XVIII century history of Sicily.
In the little room on the left there is the “Monetiere”, a numismatic collection, collected by mandralisca himself and containig all the sicilian money, as well as some Greek and Roman one.
The various coins, from the older age show the evolution of the Sicilian minting. The other coins also exposed in the Museum are from the mints of Himera, Agrigento, Selinunte, Gela, (rather than) Messina.
Coming from Cefalù is the amber button, representing a naked cupid with a helmet tying a sandal, which can be dated earlier than 409 B.C.
The famous crater of the tunny teller can be seen in one of the show cases and it is the most precious archeological rest. It is a ceramic vase belonging to the IV century B.C. that was used to pour the drink. It is a bell shaped crater, black in the background with red pictures.
It was made by a ceramist called “the Painter of the tunny seller” and on the A side it represents the tunny fish cutting the portion of the fish asked by the client.
On the
B side it is represented on the contrary a conversation between two young people and then floral motives.
From the 7th to the 12th showcases the terra-cotta collation can be seen: one of thr most important pieces is Eracle’s head, belonging to the second half of the 1st century B.C.
The collaction of the theatrical masks is also characteristic and stands in the number 9 showcase. Some go back to the 1st half of the IV century B.C. and some to the second half. On the contrary, it is rather uncertain the place of their discovery: Cefalù or Lipari. The masks are related to the comedy or the satire or even the tragedy as their expression easily show.
The most interesting ones are: the big mask of a whore with earings and a ribbon getting her red hair together and 2 smaller masks symbolizing one "the perfect young man" and the other "the delicate one".
In the number 10 showcase there are the lepinakes: small votive pictures in terra-cotta linked to the cult of Persefone and Demetra to whom the Eleusinian misteries were dedicated.
These objects come probably from Lipari, because of their analogy with some rests found in the Tesmophorion excavations, that is the sanctuary of the island where the above-stated mysteries are celebrated. This analogy has allowed to date them to the IV century B.C. It was a structural decorative element of the Greek, Etruscan and Roman buildings, with its Gorgon face and its duty to take away the malefic influences from the houses.
In the number 12 showcase there is an antefix that goes back to the first decennium of the V century B.C.
In the number 13, 14, 17, 22 and 23 showcases there are some Attic craters, which have surely been realized by a ceramist called “the Painter from Florence”, who represents characters and mythological scenes.
In the number 15 showcase there is the Corinthian ceramic and the piece that has kept better is the kothon, whose function is uncertain, perhaps it is a water conditioner.
The following showcases, from number 24 to 30, collect the Italiot vases.
Among these there is the cover of a lekane (a low cup with a cover) with decorations of a great value, probably made by the “Painter from Cefalù” (325-300 B.C.)
The most important picture of the whole gallery that also let the Museum become famous, is the “Portrait of the unknown”, by Antonello da Messina, which was painted about in 1470 and bought by Mandralisca in Lipari, which is the biggest of the Eolien Isles, just a little furthen easten from Cefalù.
The table is exposed in a single room, separeted from the other ones in order to exalt its beauty, in the case this was necessary.
By the description of these rests it is possible to know how much beauty and history has kept in the Museum Mandralisca.