 The museum was originated in the 19th century as a private collection of Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli (1822–1879) and his mother, Rosa Trivulzio, of the family of the condottiero Gian Giacomo Trivulzio.Many of the rooms in the palace were redecorated starting in 1846, a commissions entrusted to Luigi Scrosati and Giuseppe Bertini.Individual rooms were often decorated and furnished to match the paintings hung on the walls.