Museum Precinema

The Minici Zotti Collection presents the history of Precinema and the Magic Lantern, the antique projector of stills and "moving" images hand-painted on glass. The Department of Culture of Padova recognized the importance of the collection, collected by Laura Minici Zotti, and has dedicated a prestigious permanent exhibition to it, located in Palazzo Angeli in Prato della Valle in Padua. The Museum is a rare example of effective collaboration between the public and private sectors. In this particular space, the upper floor of the old Palazzo Angeli in Prato della Valle, there are precious magic lanterns, painted glass projection slides, optical instruments and games, musical instruments and optical views. A section is dedicated to photography and an ancient Javanese shadow theater. All items are strictly antique, whilst some have been faithfully reproduced to allow visitors to use them directly. The visit ends with a video projection illustrating the history of Precinema. Many are unaware that in 1895 the Lumière brothers created new visual possibilities with the help of cinematographic film, but few know that the Magic Lantern, invented as far back as 1650, anticipated the birth of cinema, captivating audiences with its projected images, "movement", and emotive dissolving views. Even today, Laura Minici Zotti, director of the Museum, collector and "lanternist", organizes conferences in various Italian and foreign locations. The Museum's aim is to bring the public together to appreciate this unusual, unknown aspect of vision before cinema.