Milis, Museum of Sardinian Jewelry and Costume

“The museum is temporarily closed and a probable reopening date is currently unknown. We recommend contacting the town of Milis for more information.”

It is set up in the Boyl Palace, a fine example of Piedmontese neoclassicism, unmistakable for the red color of the façade, located in the heart of the town. It owes its name to the illustrious family that built it at the beginning of the 19th century. During the 19th and 20th centuries it was a meeting place for nobles and writers such as D'Annunzio, Deledda and Balzac. The permanent exhibition of Sardinian costume and the jewel of the Campidano di Oristano, was created with the intention of making the public aware of the evolution of clothing and ornaments of the populations of the province. Through an itinerary of images, fabrics, clothing and ornaments, about 200 years of life are retraced, paying particular attention to the costume of the inhabitants of Milis, seen through the images shown on canvas by various painters who, from the early 19th century to the early 1900s, had the opportunity to visit the country, remaining so well impressed that they painted stories of daily life. This brings back to the present day what were, in the past, the forms of customs in the various social classes. The exhibition is divided into sections: a general section, costume section, jewelry section, blow-up section, brocade section, poster section. The exhibition itinerary moves through a series of blow-ups measuring 2.00 x 1.30 m, supported by rigid material with opaque coating. The images reproduce the paintings of the painters who focused the most on the typical costumes of the places they visited, such as the artist Balsani who portrayed a rich owner of Milis in a party dress; the painter Luzzetti with the portrait of an orange seller in daily costume; the Frenchman Nicola Tiole, a watercolourist who painted, perhaps, the oldest Milis costume (very similar to that of Oristano); Simone Manca, Mores's watercolourist, who reports with extreme delicacy the collection of oranges with characters female and male in traditional costume and the painter Colucci with a portrait of a woman in an unpublished costume. In addition to the images that show the paintings mentioned above, the exhibition shows the women's clothes of Oristano, Samugheo, Busachi and Cabras adorned with buttons and filigree, silver and coral jewelry. A space is dedicated to the fabrics used in the packaging of the various clothes such as brocade, orbace, linen. Everything is accompanied by captions to explain the different phases of costume processing up to the present day. The costumes are worn by mannequins in everyday life attitudes.

Why it is important to visit it
It is important because it illustrates the transformation of Sardinian costume in the Oristano area, over a period of about two hundred years. The highlight of the exhibition consists of a series of blow-ups supported by rigid material that reproduce the paintings related to typical costumes.

Tag

Structure category: museum, gallery and/or collection

Content type: Ethnography and anthropology

Usability: Closed

Province: Oristano

Common: Milis

Macro Territorial Area: Central Sardinia

POSTAL CODE: 09070

Address: piazza Martiri d'Italia, s.n.c.

Telephone: +39 0783 51666 +39 333 6516245

E-mail: info@comune.milis.or.it

Information on tickets and access: “The museum is temporarily closed and a probable reopening date is currently unknown. We recommend contacting the town of Milis for more information.” When usable: admission is free and the opening of the museum is by reservation.

Access mode: Free

Update

29/10/2025 - 10:55

Services

Guided tours