The family of Spinola was of very long standing and had great wealth and power in Genoa.
Maximilian Spinola was a descendant of the famous Spanish General Ambrogio Spinola, marqués de los Balbases (1569–1630) and much of his wealth derived from land held in Spain and South America.
He also made extensive, and expensive purchases especially of large showy tropical beetles and wasps.
Memoria del Socio Attuale signor Marchese Massimiliano Spinola Modena, Dal tipi delle R.D.
Spinola's Coleoptera (with types purchased from Dejean), Hymenoptera (with types purchased from Audinet-Serville and Amédée Louis Michel le Peletier, comte de Saint-FargeauLepeletier and specimens from the Pierre André Latreille Collection), Hemiptera collection is in Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali in Turin, Italy.