The present volume tells the story of the families Pallavicino, descendants of Tobia, the Di Negro "di Banchi" and the Doria "di Montaldeo". There are among the big aristocratic names of patrons and collectors in Genova; they owned Van Dyck's Holy Family, now in the Banca Carige art collection ad well as other masterpieces. The thorough studies of many newly discovered documents act as the backbone to this narrative. Furthermore, for the first time, the book presents a historical reconstruction of the Doria's famous picture gallery that was held in the Strada Nuova palace until the first half of the 20th Century.