the museum, which is adjacent to the opera house in the piazza della scala, was opened on 8 march 1913 and was based on a large private collection which had been purchased at auction two years earlier, with funds raised both from government and private sources. the displays include costumes, set designs, autograph scores, and musical instruments of historical interest as well as paintings of musicians and actors, and a range of related paraphernalia including precious ceramic figures portraying characters from the "commedia dell'arte", and board games which used to be played in the theatre's foyer.