Antiquarianism in the seventeenth century

«Umile angolo di terra latina». Giandomenico Bertoli a Mereto di Tomba

by Gabriele Caiazza

published in: "Gian Domenico Bertoli e la cultura antiquaria del ’700", atti del convegno (Aquileia, 8-9 dicembre 2001), “Bollettino del Gruppo Archeologico Aquileiese”, XI, 11, dicembre 2001, pp. 14-27

Before the facsimile edition (2002-2003) of the previously unpublished manuscripts of the second and third volumes of... more Before the facsimile edition (2002-2003) of the previously unpublished manuscripts of the second and third volumes of "The Antiquities of Aquileia", on 8 and 9 December 2001 the Aquileia Archaeological Group organizes the conference "Gian Domenico Bertoli and the antiquarian culture of the eighteenth century" and subsequently publishes the conference proceedings in its bulletin. Among other scientific studies, the essay "«Humble corner of Latin land»: Giandomenico Bertoli in Mereto di Tomba" offers a summary of the relationship between G.D. Bertoli (1676-1763) and his native country (located in the province of Udine) during the long life of that cultured canon who was also collector, inventor, epigrapher and amateur archaeologist but, above all, the first true "pathfinder" of the ancient Aquileia

Prima di pubblicare in facsimile (2002-2003) i manoscritti inediti del II e III tomo delle "Antichità d’Aquileja", l’8 e il 9 dicembre 2001 il Gruppo Archeologico Aquileiese organizza il convegno "Gian Domenico Bertoli e la cultura antiquaria del ’700", di cui pubblica gli atti nel proprio bollettino: fra gli altri interventi, il saggio "«Umile angolo di terra latina»: Giandomenico Bertoli a Mereto di Tomba" propone una sintesi dei rapporti fra G.D. Bertoli (1676-1763) e il suo paese natio (ubicato in provincia di Udine) nel corso della lunga vita del dotto canonico che fu anche collezionista, inventore, epigrafista, archeologo dilettante e soprattutto primo vero "esploratore" dell'Aquileia antica

An Itinerant Sheep, and the Origins of the Livonians: Friedrich Menius's "Syntagma De Origine Livonorum" (1635) [Abstract]

by Stefan Donecker

In: Journal of Baltic Studies 43 (2012)

The chorographic tradition and seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Scottish antiquaries

by Darrell J. Rohl

Rohl, D.J. (2011) The chorographic tradition and seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Scottish antiquaries, 'Journal of Art Historiography,' number 5 (December 2011).

Full text available at: http://arthistoriography.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/rohl.pdf

For slides from presentation given at original workshop, see: http://durham.academia.edu/DarrellRohl/Talks/48600/The_Chorographic_Tradition_and_Late_17th_and_Early_18th_Century_Scottish_Antiquaries

The early modern phenomenon of British Antiquarianism can be traced to the Renaissance rediscovery of the classical... more The early modern phenomenon of British Antiquarianism can be traced to the Renaissance rediscovery of the classical chorographic tradition. While the term ‘chorography’ eventually fell out of use, its influence can still be seen in the works of later antiquaries and more current approaches to land and particular places. This paper provides a brief introduction to the history and main concerns of chorography, identifies the continuity of chorographic thinking in the works of the Scottish antiquaries Sir Robert Sibbald and Alexander Gordon, and concludes with a retrospective on the long-term legacy of their work and the role chorography has played in major developments of land-use and studies of Scotland’s past.

Memorie di storia municipale all’inizio del Seicento: primi appunti archivistici dal comune di Brescia, “Aevum”, 83 (2009), pp. 851-858

by Simone Signaroli

Some documents from the historical archive of the commune of Brescia attest that, in the early seventeenth century,... more Some documents from the historical archive of the commune of Brescia attest that, in the early seventeenth century, the municipality of that town was institutionally preserving both epigraphical and manuscript evidences of its own history. In 1605, the text of a classic inscription was registered in one of the communal administrative books. Then, in 1607, a manuscript of Iacopo Malvezzi’s Chronicon, written by Tommaso Mercanda in 1545, was acquired by the commune. This book still lies in the city historical archive (Brescia, Archivio di Stato, Archivio Storico Civico 1463). On the same occasion another manuscript was bought too: a copy of Cristoforo Soldo’s vernacular chronicle, indentifiable as the manuscript now Brescia, Biblioteca Queriniana, K VI 23, copied by the same Tommaso Mercanda.

L’edizione veneta di Albertino Mussato (1636) e l’erudizione europea di primo Seicento, “Italia medioevale e umanistica”, 50 (2009), pp. 313-341

by Simone Signaroli

The Venetian edition of Albertino Mussato and the chroniclers of the March o Treviso (1636) invites investigation of... more The Venetian edition of Albertino Mussato and the chroniclers of the March o Treviso (1636) invites investigation of the approach to medieval a humanistic Latin texts adopted by two of the leading scholars of the early 17th century, Felice Osio and Lorenzo Pignoria, principal editors of the volume. Their work, which had historical and political implications, is seen as part of a wider tradition of studies of local Paduan antiquities and of an international scholarly network which created contacts between statesmen, historians and philologists in the Republic of Venice, Holland, France and Enlgand.

Brescia 1628: un caso di erudizione politica, “Aevum”, 84 (2010), pp. 761-765

by Simone Signaroli

In 1628 the podestà of Brescia, the Venetian patrician Domenico Ruzzini, asked the town-council for permission to... more In 1628 the podestà of Brescia, the Venetian patrician Domenico Ruzzini, asked the town-council for permission to study the Liber potheris, a thirteenth-century cartulary collecting the oldest documents of the municipality. Ruzzini looked for a medieval treaty between the emperor Frederic II and the communes of the second Lombard League (1232), which is copied in the Liber potheris. Ruzzini’s aim was both historical scholarship and political interest: the knowledge of the traditional rights, possessions and privilege of the city clergy and institutions was important for his government.

Ottavio Rossi appointed antiquary to the Commune of Brescia

by Simone Signaroli

Documents for a cultural biography of Ottavio Rossi (1578-1630) antiquary, I, Ottavio Rossi appointed antiquary to the Commune of Brescia, © 2012

The paper presents some documents that attest Rossi’s appointment to the Commune of Brescia as municipal antiquary... more The paper presents some documents that attest Rossi’s appointment to the Commune of Brescia as municipal antiquary (1610-1623).

Alt-Livland zwischen römischen Kolonisten und jüdischen Exilanten. Genealogische Fiktionen in der Historiografie des 17. Jahrhunderts [English abstract]

by Stefan Donecker

In: Zeitschrift für Ostmitteleuropa-Forschung 60 (2011)

Wallachian Settlers in the Baltic Sea Region. A Humanist Tale of Migration and Colonization, and its Implications for the Mental Maps of Early Modern Europe

by Stefan Donecker

In: Revista Română de Studii Baltice şi Nordice 3 (2011)

L'esercizio del collezionismo. Giovanni de Lazara "nummorum diligentissimus asservator"

by Federica Missere

Numismatica e antichità classiche, XL, 2011.
for off-prints http://federicamissere.jimdo.com/contatti/ .

Bernard Picart, Girolamo Odam, et alii. Stoch's 1724 Pierres antiques gravées

by Hadrien Rambach

Work in progress

Philipp von Stosch’s Gemmæ antiquæ cælatæ scalptorum nominibus insignitæ / Pierres antiques gravées, sur lesquelles... more Philipp von Stosch’s Gemmæ antiquæ cælatæ scalptorum nominibus insignitæ / Pierres antiques gravées, sur lesquelles les graveurs ont mis leurs noms … et traduites en François par M. de Limiers, published in Amsterdam in 1724 by Bernard Picart, is a folio volume containing (3), (2), xxi, 97, (1) pages, and 70 plates. Perhaps the most attractive illustrated book on gems published in the eighteenth century, it is certainly the most famous.

Remarques sur Louis Savot et son Discours sur les medalles antiques

by Hadrien Rambach

in "Schweizer Münzblätter", vol. 245 (March 2012), pp. 3-10

Louis Savot (c.1579–1640) publia en 1627 un Discours sur les medalles antiques, à Paris, chez Sébastien Cramoisy. Cet... more Louis Savot (c.1579–1640) publia en 1627 un Discours sur les medalles antiques, à Paris, chez Sébastien Cramoisy. Cet auteur était un savant complexe, comme nous l'avons présenté dans un article précédent : il était numismate, mais aussi médecin du roi, minéralogiste, et architecte. C'est d'ailleurs principalement comme architecte qu'il est passé à la postérité, grâce à son novateur traité de l'Architecture françoise (1624;1642). Nous voulons présenter ici son œuvre numismatique, l'un des premiers et l'un des principaux traités généraux, publié à peine un siècle après le De Asse de Guillaume Budé (1467-1540).

La tutela delle collezioni archeologiche a Siracusa tra XVIII e XIX secolo e la creazione del Museo Civico

by Santino Alessandro Cugno

published in "Archeomafie", III, Napoli 2011, a cura di Tsao Cevoli.

Elaborazione Tesi di Master II livello in "Tutela, Valorizzazione e Promozione dei Beni Culturali e Paesaggistici", Università di Catania, luglio 2008

Nel XVIII secolo la città di Siracusa divenne una delle mete principali del Grand Tour, il viaggio di istruzione e... more Nel XVIII secolo la città di Siracusa divenne una delle mete principali del Grand Tour, il viaggio di istruzione e formazione che ogni giovane aristocratico europeo del tempo doveva compiere, per via dell’enorme patrimonio storico-artistico ivi custodito e delle bellezze naturali del territorio circostante. Decine di artisti, antiquari, diplomatici e scienziati invasero l’antico centro siciliano alla ricerca delle sopravvivenze di luoghi e monumenti del suo straordinario passato greco, alimentando allo stesso tempo il traffico internazionale di antichità verso musei e collezioni private di tutto il mondo e il fenomeno degli scavi abusivi.
E’ significativo che l’operato del conte Cesare Gaetani della Torre, uno dei protagonisti nel campo della gestione dei beni culturali nella Sicilia della seconda metà del Settecento e autore di importanti opere sulle testimonianze archeologiche ed epigrafiche aretusee, mostri una totale indifferenza nei confronti della politica protezionistica anti-borbonica che aveva cementato le amicizie degli altri antiquari siciliani: l’epistolario del Gaetani risulta, infatti, dominato dai continui richiami degli illustri corrispondenti (Domenico Schiavo, Gabriele Torremuzza, Ignazio Biscari) affinché il destinatario delle lettere, noto per essere disinteressato al possesso degli oggetti recuperati durante le proprie esplorazioni archeologiche, non si privasse di monete, iscrizioni, vasi e altri manufatti rinvenuti nel sottosuolo siracusano per regalarli a viaggiatori e collezionisti stranieri, primo fra tutti sir William Hamilton ambasciatore britannico alla corte di Napoli.
L’idea della creazione di un museo cittadino, gestito da eruditi locali e finalizzato alla tutela e valorizzazione delle ricchezze archeologiche siracusane, cominciò ad essere oggetto di concrete discussioni solo dopo l’eccezionale scoperta negli orti Bonavìa delle statue dell’Esculapio (7 dicembre 1803) e della Venere Anadiomene (7 gennaio 1804) per opera di Saverio Landolina Nava, Regio Custode delle Antichità della Val di Noto e della Val Demone. Il Landolina riteneva che soltanto con una istituzione museale civica sarebbe stato possibile salvaguardare i reperti e le opere d’arte provenienti dalle esplorazioni archeologiche e dalle raccolte private, impedendone l’esportazione illegale a Palermo o, addirittura, al di fuori dei confini del regno borbonico.
Soltanto nel 1809 Saverio Landolina fu in grado di tradurre nella pratica il suo ambizioso progetto culturale poiché mons. Filippo Maria Trigona, vescovo di Siracusa e grande appassionato di antiquaria, si dimostrò favorevole nel mettere a disposizione alcuni ambienti del Seminario ubicato nella zona centrale della città. I lavori di allestimento furono portati a termine nell’arco di quasi due anni e l’inaugurazione ufficiale del museo ebbe luogo il 20 aprile 1811.

Nicolas-Fabri de Peiresc, Claude Menestrier e Cassiano dal Pozzo: qualche esempio della fortuna delle piccole antichità tra Roma e Parigi

by Elena Vaiani

in Peiresc et l’Italie, actes du colloque international (Naples 2006), dir. M. Fumaroli, éd. F. Solinas, Paris 2009, pp. 157-186.

Little Crosby and the Horizons of Historical Culture

by Daniel Woolf

The" Common Voice": History, Folklore and Oral Tradition In Early Modern England

by Daniel Woolf

« La Controverse Louis Savot – Charles Patin, numismates du XVIIème siècle »

by Hadrien Rambach

Schweizer Münzblätter, Heft 231, September 2008, pp. 71-75

« Louis Savot, la modernité d'un regard novateur »

by Hadrien Rambach

Europäische numismatische Literatur im 17. Jahrhundert, Wolfenbütteler Arbeiten zur Barockforschung 42, symposium edited by Christian Edmond Dekesel, Wolfenbüttel 2005, p. 59-67

Une introduction a la collection de pierres gravees. An introduction to gem-collecting

by Hadrien Rambach

Bulletin numismatique, 82, novembre 2010, pp. 18-21

I would like to introduce engraved gems to you, and their collecting-tradition. Under the name of “engraved gems” are... more I would like to introduce engraved gems to you, and their collecting-tradition. Under the name of “engraved gems” are grouped two types: intaglios and cameos. Intaglios are engraved into, allowing its owner to use it as a seal. Cameos instead are carved in relief, so they are decorative jewels.

THE CURIOUS MR SPECTATOR: Virtuoso culture and the man of taste in the works of Addison and Steele

by Brian Cowan

Media History, Vol. 14, No. 3, (2008): 275-92

DOI: 10.1080/13688800802472212

This file is a pre-publication draft only, for the final version, please see the journal Media History.

This paper examines the relationship between the aesthetic thought of Joseph Addison and Richard Steele and early... more This paper examines the relationship between the aesthetic thought of Joseph Addison and Richard Steele and early modern virtuoso culture. It argues that both Addison and Steele did not reject virtuoso culture so much as to attempt to reform and redefine it. It is observed that Addison in particular wrote a virtuoso travel narrative in his Remarks on Italy as well as contributing to the discourse on antiquarian medal-collecting. In their writings on art and connoisseurship in the Tatler and Spectator essays, both Addison and Steele can be understood as defenders of a neoclassical aesthetic that rejected and ridiculed a supposedly indiscriminate virtuoso aesthetic of curiosity. But the essays are best understood as part of an important moment of transition in which an early enlightenment notion of taste emerged from a template established by baroque virtuosity rather than as a complete rejection of virtuoso culture.

KEYWORDS Addison, Joseph; Steele, Richard; virtuoso; antiquarianism; connoisseur; aesthetics