This handsome building, which earned its name in opposition to its powerful neighbor, the Palais des Papes, was built during the latter half of the 14th century. The Petit Palais' museum collection has a twofold origin: a deposit from the Calvet Museum and the Campana collection, from which originate the majority of Italian paintings, some three hundred works amongst which figure Boticelli''s celebrated "Virgin with child". The museum's decision to privilege a chronological and geographical presentation allows a coherent understanding of Italian painting's extraordinary evolution from the end of the 13th century to the beginning of the 16th century. The first two rooms allow a good appreciation of Avignonese sculpture's vitality.