Nora Gietz | Independent Scholar (original) (raw)

Articles by Nora Gietz

This essay takes a biographical approach to uncover more details about the life and work of Giuli... more This essay takes a biographical approach to uncover more details about the life and work of Giulia Lama (1681–1747), the enigmatic eighteenth-century Venetian artist. It uses archival research to understand how the circumstances of Lama’s everyday life, her personal experiences, and her family relationships may have shaped her artistic career. Specifically, parish records and a series of population censuses carried out by the Venetian government shed invaluable light on the Lama family’s social and economic situation during her painter father Agostino’s lifetime, then importantly on Giulia’s independence after his death, and finally on the dissolution of the Lama household after her younger surviving sister’s passing. Finally, the exact location of Giulia Lama’s home for her entire life and new evidence about her artistic practice are revealed.

This essay investigates the fate of the convent and church of Santa Maria dei Servi, as well as ... more This essay investigates the fate of the convent and church of Santa Maria dei Servi, as well as of the adjacent Cappella dei Lucchesi, during Napoleonic rule. First, it clarifies the difference between the appropriation of the patrimony (1806) and the full dissolution (1810). Then, valuations of the edifices, drawn up by government officials in 1811, are scrutinised. The buildings are viewed as sources of profit: Their appraisals include only the value of building materials and architectural elements to be gained from their demolition. One cloister and the church are considered impractical, while the other cloister and chapel are recommended for reuse. Rather than trying to reconstruct the buildings exactly, this paper uses the case study of the Servi to recreate the great historical moment of change these documents represent.

As her lauded military power and commercial influence over the Eastern Mediterranean slipped away... more As her lauded military power and commercial influence over the Eastern Mediterranean slipped away, Venice in the Settecento (1700s) was characterized by a policy of isolationism abroad and a domestic propagation of the Myth of Venice as a perpetual and sovereign state at home. In 1797, this was brought to an end by an invading army led by Napoleon Bonaparte. The subsequent French Revolutionary (1797-1798) and Napoleonic Imperial (1806-1814) governments violently accelerated Venice’s decline, which is poignantly revealed by the widespread dispersal and destruction of her rich artistic patrimony.

New documents regarding the preservation of the young Titian’s frescos in the Scuola del Santo (1... more New documents regarding the preservation of the young Titian’s frescos in the Scuola del Santo (1510–11) and Giotto’s pictorial cycle in the Arena Chapel (1303–05), both in Padua, during the Napoleonic suppressions have been discovered in the State Archive of Padua.

This essay explores the history of the parish of San Polo in the aftermath of the fall of the Ven... more This essay explores the history of the parish of San Polo in the aftermath of the fall of the
Venetian Republic when the parishioners commissioned, financed, and completed, an
exhaustive restoration of their church between 1799 and 1804. For this, the renovation
project, a unicum in the period in question, is placed in its historical context. First, the
experience of the short-lived Provisional Municipality of 1797 in the district of San Polo is
described. Second, the individuals responsible for the restoration and the outcome of the
works during Austrian rule are discussed. Finally, the suppression of the parish’s
confraternities in 1806 and the dissolution of the parish itself in 1810 at the hands of the
Napoleonic government are investigated. The article’s argument stresses the political, social, and religious significance not only of the intervention, but also of the commitment,
dedication, and perseverance of the San Polo community and their parish priest.

History Today, 2018

The arrival of Napoleon’s troops in Venice in 1797 instigated one of the biggest plunders in the ... more The arrival of Napoleon’s troops in Venice in 1797 instigated one of the biggest plunders in the history of art.

An awareness of the significance of the Venetian “sacred institutions”, born out of a very Veneti... more An awareness of the significance of the Venetian “sacred institutions”, born out of a very Venetian sense of Christian charitas, survived not only the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797, but also the suppression of the Scuole Grandi in the spring of 1806. In fact, as shown in this essay, many members of the general chapters of the Scuole Grandi tried to save their confraternity out of a strong sense of civic responsibility and Christian compassion.

Using a Venetian case study from the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, this article demonstrates how a... more Using a Venetian case study from the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, this article demonstrates how archival research enables us to trace the spatial life of artworks. The Revolutionary and Napoleonic policy of the suppression of religious corporations, followed by the appropriation of their patrimony, as well as the widespread looting of artworks, led to the centralisation of patrimony in newly established museums in the capitals of the Empire and its satellite kingdoms. This made the geographical and contextual displacement, transnationalisation, and change in the value of artworks inevitable.

Books by Nora Gietz

Catalogue Entries by Nora Gietz

Conference Presentations and Lectures by Nora Gietz

Taking the Votive Sculpture of the Madonna and Child in the Church of San Marziale, restored by S... more Taking the Votive Sculpture of the Madonna and Child in the Church of San Marziale, restored by Save Venice in 2019-20, as a starting point, art historian Nora Gietz explores the widespread cults dedicated to miraculous images of the Virgin Mary in early modern Venice.

The first part of the talk discusses how, from the thirteenth century onwards, several sculpted and painted miracle-working images of the Madonna appeared in Venice. They were installed in churches spread evenly across the city and immediately attracted a following. Although differing in provenance and materiality, patterns can be recognized among the legends and myths surrounding the origins and histories of these images.

Secondly, the relationship between Venetian society and the images is scrutinized. The miraculous Madonnas played a central role in the popular piety and civic rituals of the Serenissima for several centuries. These cults declined only after the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797, when their religious, cultural, and political significance faded – and some were physically dispersed following the Napoleonic suppressions. Gietz argues that these Marian images were a medium through which the “Myth of Venice” found its way into the Venetian population’s everyday lives.

2021

Venetian Seminar 2021, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK, 8 May 2021 (online)

Virtual Research & Restoration Roundtable Church of San Marziale, Rosand Library & Study Center, Save Venice, Palazzo Contarini Polignac, Venice, Italy, 17 March 2021 (online), 2021

'La chiesa di Santa Maria dei Servi e la comunità veneziana dei Serviti (secoli XIV-XVIII) (Chiese di Venezia. Nuove prospettive di ricerca. 8)', University of Ca’ Foscari, Venice, Italy, 3-5 December 2020 (online) and 16-18 September 2021 (Casa Studentesca Santa Fosca, Venice) , 2020

Questo intervento si propone di mettere a fuoco le vicende che portano alla dispersione e alla pe... more Questo intervento si propone di mettere a fuoco le vicende che portano alla dispersione e alla perdita di una grandissima parte del patrimonio artistico e architettonico del convento e della chiesa di Santa Maria dei Servi durante la dominazione napoleonica a Venezia (1806-14).

Tutti i beni architettonici, artistici e sacri vengono avocati al Demanio del Regno d’Italia nella primavera del 1806 e l’istituto viene definitivamente sciolto con il Decreto di Soppressione Generale del 25 aprile 1810. Le descrizioni e gli inventari stesi tra il 1810 e il 1814 sono una fonte insostituibile per ricostruire lo status quo del ‘Tempio ampissimo con ventidue Altari’, della Cappella dei Lucchesi, dei chiostri e degli orti al momento della loro chiusura.

La chiesa è destinata alla demolizione: la ricca documentazione archivistica racconta come i quadri ed altri oggetti siano stati portati alle Gallerie dell’Accademia o venduti. Molte parti della chiesa stessa vengono smantellate e riutilizzate quale materiale edile, l’Assunta del Salviati sostituisce quella di Tiziano ai Frari per oltre un secolo, una parrocchia della provincia di Rovigo acquisisce due altari e diverse suppellettili liturgiche, per citare solo qualche esempio.

Il microcosmo dei Servi è quindi un caso di studio prezioso, che consente di comprendere appieno i cambiamenti subiti nel primo Ottocento non solo dall’urbanistica veneziana ma anche dal tessuto socio-religioso della ex-Dominante: ordini religiosi plurisecolari svaniscono e il sistema parrocchiale viene completamente ristrutturato. Più di ogni cosa, comunque, oggi si risente della dissipazione e della scomparsa del patrimonio artistico.

'Art of the Lost: Discussing the Future of the Past', International Study Centre, Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury, 28-29 November 2019

Canterbury Cathedral's latest conference will explore current and developing studies of how art c... more Canterbury Cathedral's latest conference will explore current and developing studies of how art changes, is reused or repurposed, disappears or is rediscovered, with a particular focus on art within the context of cathedrals, churches or other places of worship. Covering art from the 6th Century to modern day it will consider changing ideologies, iconoclasm, war, fashion and symbolism.

invited to give the Rosand Library & Study Center Summer Lecture 2019, Save Venice, Palazzo Contarini Polignac, Venice, 16 July 2019, 2019

'Una chiesa al centro della città: San Polo tra devozione, arte e feste popolari', Ca'Foscari e Chiesa di San Polo, Venezia, 24-26 gennaio 2019, 2019

Nell’estate del 1799 i procuratori della Chiesa di San Polo istituiscono una “Deputazione al Rest... more Nell’estate del 1799 i procuratori della Chiesa di San Polo istituiscono una “Deputazione al Restauro” della loro chiesa. Nonostante lo sconvolgimento socioeconomico e politico causato dalla caduta della Repubblica di Venezia (maggio 1797) e dal seguente e veloce succedersi della Municipalità Provvisoria con il Governo Asburgico (da gennaio 1798), i deputati decidono di raccogliere e poi spendere l’ingente somma di diecimila ducati per trasformare gli spazi interni ed esterni della chiesa ormai ritenuta in rovina. Dalla documentazione archivistica emerge il ritratto di una comunità estremamente unita che rinnova la sua chiesa malgrado le infinite incertezze politiche ed economiche dell’epoca: dal fabbro al nobiluomo, tutti contribuiscono come possono al progetto come confratelli delle scuole parrocchiali. Questa coesione socioculturale sopravvive all’arrivo delle truppe napoleoniche (gennaio 1806) e alle scosse apportate dalle soppressioni di confraternite e parrocchie.

invited by the Rotary Club Padova to speak at an Interclub meeting organised jointly with the Rotaract Club Padova (Padova, 10 febbraio 2016), 2016

Questa relazione racconterà le vicende del patrimonio artistico veneziano e padovano durante i pr... more Questa relazione racconterà le vicende del patrimonio artistico veneziano e padovano durante i primi due decenni dopo la caduta della Serenissima. In modo particolare verranno paragonate le soppressioni e spoliazioni delle corporazioni religiose a Venezia e Padova durante le municipalità ‘democratiche’ del 1797 e durante gli anni del Regno d’Italia napoleonico dal 1806 al 1813, un periodo caratterizzato da guerra continua e da gravi problemi economici.

Mentre, nel 1797, Venezia soffre una spoliazione legittimata dal trattato di pace firmato con il generale Bonaparte, il governo democratico a Padova è già costretto a chiudere dei conventi e monasteri in città e nella campagna circostante vendendone i terreni, i beni ed il patrimonio artistico per poter versare i contributi richiesti per lo sforzo bellico della Francia rivoluzionaria. Queste prime soppressioni prevedono gli eventi dell’epoca napoleonica sia a Venezia che a Padova quando diversi decreti imperiali emanati da Napoleone per il Regno d’Italia riducono le parrocchie diocesane ed il numero di conventi e monasteri nelle due città venete drasticamente.

Il problema che si pone al governo napoleonico subito è che gli edifici delle ex corporazioni religiose ospitano innumerevoli opere d’arte ed oggetti liturgici preziosi che devono essere organizzati e portati via prima di poter destinare gli edifici stessi ad uso nuovo o demolirli completamente. Così prende inizio un progetto impossibile da completare nei pochi anni del governo napoleonico a Padova come a Venezia: nelle due città vengono istituiti dei depositi all’interno di certi edifici soppressi dove vengono raggruppati i migliaia e migliaia di quadri religiosi. Dei delegati esperti si mettono a fare delle liste quasi infinite di tutte le opere presenti per poter categorizzarle. Le opere ‘migliori’ di cosidetta prima fascia vengono scelte per la corona e spediti o a Milano, la capitale del Regno d’Italia, o a Parigi, la capitale dell’impero napoleonico, mentre le opere della seconda fascia rimangono a Padova e Venezia per addobbare le pubbliche gallerie. Le opere restanti, probabilmente il novanta percento del totale, vengono destinate ad essere svendute attraverso delle aste pubbliche che incontrano un successo molto limitato. Così migliaia di quadri pian piano scompaiono rovinati a causa delle pessime condizioni nei depositi.

Il patrimonio artistico padovano e veneziano incontra uno di due sorti possibili durante gli anni dopo il 1797: o viene usato come un trofeo per rappresentare il successo della Francia rivoluzionaria e napoleonica o viene semplicemente dimenticato dopo non aver realizzato il suo valore economico per contribuire alle finanze statali.

‘“Ebbi fame e mi deste da mangiare”: Luoghi, Principi e Funzioni della Charitas Veneziana, 1260-1806’ (Scuola Grande di San Marco, Venezia, 18 settembre 2015), 2015

Il concetto della caritas veneziana subisce una radicale trasformazione durante il governo napole... more Il concetto della caritas veneziana subisce una radicale trasformazione durante il governo napoleonico del Regno d’Italia (1806-14), quando le scuole grandi vengono soppresse con il decreto imperiale del 25 aprile 1806. I documenti riguardanti l’offerta del ripristino delle pie istituzioni caritatevoli nell’estate dello stesso anno dimostrano come il concetto della caritas veneziana, nato nel medioevo, era sopravissuto nei secoli. I verbali dei discorsi dei guardiani grandi ai confratelli testimoniano in modo particolare la confusione, la tristezza e la delusione popolare causate dalle nuove realtà politiche e sociali. Con il progressivo peggiorare in quegli anni della situazione economica a causa della guerra e della disintegrazione delle dinamiche sociali ed economiche della Serenissima, Napoleone dedica più articoli della sua legge speciale per Venezia del 7 dicembre 1807 al sollievo della povertà, istituendo la Congregazione della Carità. Gestita dal governo centrale a Milano, la concezione strettamente cristiana e veneziana della carità finisce con lo sparire quasi del tutto.

British Society for Eighteenth Century Studies, 44th Annual Conference (St Hugh’s College, Oxford, 6-8 January 2015), 2015

This paper investigates the effects the short-lived Municipalità Provvisoria had on Venice’s arti... more This paper investigates the effects the short-lived Municipalità Provvisoria had on Venice’s artistic patrimony. The French commander-in-chief, Napoleon Bonaparte, immediately understood the propagandistic value of bringing famous artworks from Italy to France, when he invaded the Italian peninsula in 1796. After the war had reached the Venetian Republic and its Great Council had abdicated in May 1797, a municipal government based on the French Directory was established there. In the peace treaty with Venice, amongst other clauses, France demanded twenty paintings and five hundred books and manuscripts, to be chosen by French experts following the army to select artworks and other objects in newly conquered towns. According to my archival research, the experts arrived in Venice shortly afterwards and two eminent Venetian delegates were appointed to assist the French in the selection. Over the summer, lists were compiled. The paintings chosen very much conform to the taste of the time, and represent important examples of Venetian painting and the political iconography of the Serenissima. Evidence reveals the Venetians’ desire to save and keep as much as possible, and deals exchanging other objects for paintings, books and manuscripts were made. This legitimate spoliation degenerated into outright looting after the Treaty of Campoformio in October, when little time remained before the Austrians’ arrival in Venice in January 1798. Next to famous examples like the ancient quadriga of the Horses of Saint Mark on the portal of the basilica, I examined evidence that artworks and liturgical furnishings were plundered all over the city. Many were to be melted down for their material value in order to finance the war effort, while others were used to make presents for French officials before retreating from Venice. The Venetian population, suffering from a dwindling economy and the blockades caused by war, responded with riots and violence, causing a poisoned atmosphere between them and the French soldiers. The objects taken from Venice were brought to France in the so-called Third Convoy via land and sea, a logistical feat for the French army. Their arrival in Paris, in which the Horses of Saint Mark played a leading role, was cause for a patriotic, national festival celebrating the ‘liberation’ of the arts and sciences from the ancien régime as a Revolutionary achievement, a central theme in the visual language and self-representation of the French Republic. This research paper will contribute greatly to our understanding of how far-reaching the policies of Revolutionary France were all over Europe in focussing on the microcosmic study of Venice and its patrimony. I have also discovered new evidence shedding light on the various committees and delegates of the Venetian municipality, the intervention of French experts there, their roles and responsibilities, reasoning behind choices made, and communication with each each other.

This essay takes a biographical approach to uncover more details about the life and work of Giuli... more This essay takes a biographical approach to uncover more details about the life and work of Giulia Lama (1681–1747), the enigmatic eighteenth-century Venetian artist. It uses archival research to understand how the circumstances of Lama’s everyday life, her personal experiences, and her family relationships may have shaped her artistic career. Specifically, parish records and a series of population censuses carried out by the Venetian government shed invaluable light on the Lama family’s social and economic situation during her painter father Agostino’s lifetime, then importantly on Giulia’s independence after his death, and finally on the dissolution of the Lama household after her younger surviving sister’s passing. Finally, the exact location of Giulia Lama’s home for her entire life and new evidence about her artistic practice are revealed.

This essay investigates the fate of the convent and church of Santa Maria dei Servi, as well as ... more This essay investigates the fate of the convent and church of Santa Maria dei Servi, as well as of the adjacent Cappella dei Lucchesi, during Napoleonic rule. First, it clarifies the difference between the appropriation of the patrimony (1806) and the full dissolution (1810). Then, valuations of the edifices, drawn up by government officials in 1811, are scrutinised. The buildings are viewed as sources of profit: Their appraisals include only the value of building materials and architectural elements to be gained from their demolition. One cloister and the church are considered impractical, while the other cloister and chapel are recommended for reuse. Rather than trying to reconstruct the buildings exactly, this paper uses the case study of the Servi to recreate the great historical moment of change these documents represent.

As her lauded military power and commercial influence over the Eastern Mediterranean slipped away... more As her lauded military power and commercial influence over the Eastern Mediterranean slipped away, Venice in the Settecento (1700s) was characterized by a policy of isolationism abroad and a domestic propagation of the Myth of Venice as a perpetual and sovereign state at home. In 1797, this was brought to an end by an invading army led by Napoleon Bonaparte. The subsequent French Revolutionary (1797-1798) and Napoleonic Imperial (1806-1814) governments violently accelerated Venice’s decline, which is poignantly revealed by the widespread dispersal and destruction of her rich artistic patrimony.

New documents regarding the preservation of the young Titian’s frescos in the Scuola del Santo (1... more New documents regarding the preservation of the young Titian’s frescos in the Scuola del Santo (1510–11) and Giotto’s pictorial cycle in the Arena Chapel (1303–05), both in Padua, during the Napoleonic suppressions have been discovered in the State Archive of Padua.

This essay explores the history of the parish of San Polo in the aftermath of the fall of the Ven... more This essay explores the history of the parish of San Polo in the aftermath of the fall of the
Venetian Republic when the parishioners commissioned, financed, and completed, an
exhaustive restoration of their church between 1799 and 1804. For this, the renovation
project, a unicum in the period in question, is placed in its historical context. First, the
experience of the short-lived Provisional Municipality of 1797 in the district of San Polo is
described. Second, the individuals responsible for the restoration and the outcome of the
works during Austrian rule are discussed. Finally, the suppression of the parish’s
confraternities in 1806 and the dissolution of the parish itself in 1810 at the hands of the
Napoleonic government are investigated. The article’s argument stresses the political, social, and religious significance not only of the intervention, but also of the commitment,
dedication, and perseverance of the San Polo community and their parish priest.

History Today, 2018

The arrival of Napoleon’s troops in Venice in 1797 instigated one of the biggest plunders in the ... more The arrival of Napoleon’s troops in Venice in 1797 instigated one of the biggest plunders in the history of art.

An awareness of the significance of the Venetian “sacred institutions”, born out of a very Veneti... more An awareness of the significance of the Venetian “sacred institutions”, born out of a very Venetian sense of Christian charitas, survived not only the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797, but also the suppression of the Scuole Grandi in the spring of 1806. In fact, as shown in this essay, many members of the general chapters of the Scuole Grandi tried to save their confraternity out of a strong sense of civic responsibility and Christian compassion.

Using a Venetian case study from the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, this article demonstrates how a... more Using a Venetian case study from the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, this article demonstrates how archival research enables us to trace the spatial life of artworks. The Revolutionary and Napoleonic policy of the suppression of religious corporations, followed by the appropriation of their patrimony, as well as the widespread looting of artworks, led to the centralisation of patrimony in newly established museums in the capitals of the Empire and its satellite kingdoms. This made the geographical and contextual displacement, transnationalisation, and change in the value of artworks inevitable.

Taking the Votive Sculpture of the Madonna and Child in the Church of San Marziale, restored by S... more Taking the Votive Sculpture of the Madonna and Child in the Church of San Marziale, restored by Save Venice in 2019-20, as a starting point, art historian Nora Gietz explores the widespread cults dedicated to miraculous images of the Virgin Mary in early modern Venice.

The first part of the talk discusses how, from the thirteenth century onwards, several sculpted and painted miracle-working images of the Madonna appeared in Venice. They were installed in churches spread evenly across the city and immediately attracted a following. Although differing in provenance and materiality, patterns can be recognized among the legends and myths surrounding the origins and histories of these images.

Secondly, the relationship between Venetian society and the images is scrutinized. The miraculous Madonnas played a central role in the popular piety and civic rituals of the Serenissima for several centuries. These cults declined only after the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797, when their religious, cultural, and political significance faded – and some were physically dispersed following the Napoleonic suppressions. Gietz argues that these Marian images were a medium through which the “Myth of Venice” found its way into the Venetian population’s everyday lives.

2021

Venetian Seminar 2021, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK, 8 May 2021 (online)

Virtual Research & Restoration Roundtable Church of San Marziale, Rosand Library & Study Center, Save Venice, Palazzo Contarini Polignac, Venice, Italy, 17 March 2021 (online), 2021

'La chiesa di Santa Maria dei Servi e la comunità veneziana dei Serviti (secoli XIV-XVIII) (Chiese di Venezia. Nuove prospettive di ricerca. 8)', University of Ca’ Foscari, Venice, Italy, 3-5 December 2020 (online) and 16-18 September 2021 (Casa Studentesca Santa Fosca, Venice) , 2020

Questo intervento si propone di mettere a fuoco le vicende che portano alla dispersione e alla pe... more Questo intervento si propone di mettere a fuoco le vicende che portano alla dispersione e alla perdita di una grandissima parte del patrimonio artistico e architettonico del convento e della chiesa di Santa Maria dei Servi durante la dominazione napoleonica a Venezia (1806-14).

Tutti i beni architettonici, artistici e sacri vengono avocati al Demanio del Regno d’Italia nella primavera del 1806 e l’istituto viene definitivamente sciolto con il Decreto di Soppressione Generale del 25 aprile 1810. Le descrizioni e gli inventari stesi tra il 1810 e il 1814 sono una fonte insostituibile per ricostruire lo status quo del ‘Tempio ampissimo con ventidue Altari’, della Cappella dei Lucchesi, dei chiostri e degli orti al momento della loro chiusura.

La chiesa è destinata alla demolizione: la ricca documentazione archivistica racconta come i quadri ed altri oggetti siano stati portati alle Gallerie dell’Accademia o venduti. Molte parti della chiesa stessa vengono smantellate e riutilizzate quale materiale edile, l’Assunta del Salviati sostituisce quella di Tiziano ai Frari per oltre un secolo, una parrocchia della provincia di Rovigo acquisisce due altari e diverse suppellettili liturgiche, per citare solo qualche esempio.

Il microcosmo dei Servi è quindi un caso di studio prezioso, che consente di comprendere appieno i cambiamenti subiti nel primo Ottocento non solo dall’urbanistica veneziana ma anche dal tessuto socio-religioso della ex-Dominante: ordini religiosi plurisecolari svaniscono e il sistema parrocchiale viene completamente ristrutturato. Più di ogni cosa, comunque, oggi si risente della dissipazione e della scomparsa del patrimonio artistico.

'Art of the Lost: Discussing the Future of the Past', International Study Centre, Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury, 28-29 November 2019

Canterbury Cathedral's latest conference will explore current and developing studies of how art c... more Canterbury Cathedral's latest conference will explore current and developing studies of how art changes, is reused or repurposed, disappears or is rediscovered, with a particular focus on art within the context of cathedrals, churches or other places of worship. Covering art from the 6th Century to modern day it will consider changing ideologies, iconoclasm, war, fashion and symbolism.

invited to give the Rosand Library & Study Center Summer Lecture 2019, Save Venice, Palazzo Contarini Polignac, Venice, 16 July 2019, 2019

'Una chiesa al centro della città: San Polo tra devozione, arte e feste popolari', Ca'Foscari e Chiesa di San Polo, Venezia, 24-26 gennaio 2019, 2019

Nell’estate del 1799 i procuratori della Chiesa di San Polo istituiscono una “Deputazione al Rest... more Nell’estate del 1799 i procuratori della Chiesa di San Polo istituiscono una “Deputazione al Restauro” della loro chiesa. Nonostante lo sconvolgimento socioeconomico e politico causato dalla caduta della Repubblica di Venezia (maggio 1797) e dal seguente e veloce succedersi della Municipalità Provvisoria con il Governo Asburgico (da gennaio 1798), i deputati decidono di raccogliere e poi spendere l’ingente somma di diecimila ducati per trasformare gli spazi interni ed esterni della chiesa ormai ritenuta in rovina. Dalla documentazione archivistica emerge il ritratto di una comunità estremamente unita che rinnova la sua chiesa malgrado le infinite incertezze politiche ed economiche dell’epoca: dal fabbro al nobiluomo, tutti contribuiscono come possono al progetto come confratelli delle scuole parrocchiali. Questa coesione socioculturale sopravvive all’arrivo delle truppe napoleoniche (gennaio 1806) e alle scosse apportate dalle soppressioni di confraternite e parrocchie.

invited by the Rotary Club Padova to speak at an Interclub meeting organised jointly with the Rotaract Club Padova (Padova, 10 febbraio 2016), 2016

Questa relazione racconterà le vicende del patrimonio artistico veneziano e padovano durante i pr... more Questa relazione racconterà le vicende del patrimonio artistico veneziano e padovano durante i primi due decenni dopo la caduta della Serenissima. In modo particolare verranno paragonate le soppressioni e spoliazioni delle corporazioni religiose a Venezia e Padova durante le municipalità ‘democratiche’ del 1797 e durante gli anni del Regno d’Italia napoleonico dal 1806 al 1813, un periodo caratterizzato da guerra continua e da gravi problemi economici.

Mentre, nel 1797, Venezia soffre una spoliazione legittimata dal trattato di pace firmato con il generale Bonaparte, il governo democratico a Padova è già costretto a chiudere dei conventi e monasteri in città e nella campagna circostante vendendone i terreni, i beni ed il patrimonio artistico per poter versare i contributi richiesti per lo sforzo bellico della Francia rivoluzionaria. Queste prime soppressioni prevedono gli eventi dell’epoca napoleonica sia a Venezia che a Padova quando diversi decreti imperiali emanati da Napoleone per il Regno d’Italia riducono le parrocchie diocesane ed il numero di conventi e monasteri nelle due città venete drasticamente.

Il problema che si pone al governo napoleonico subito è che gli edifici delle ex corporazioni religiose ospitano innumerevoli opere d’arte ed oggetti liturgici preziosi che devono essere organizzati e portati via prima di poter destinare gli edifici stessi ad uso nuovo o demolirli completamente. Così prende inizio un progetto impossibile da completare nei pochi anni del governo napoleonico a Padova come a Venezia: nelle due città vengono istituiti dei depositi all’interno di certi edifici soppressi dove vengono raggruppati i migliaia e migliaia di quadri religiosi. Dei delegati esperti si mettono a fare delle liste quasi infinite di tutte le opere presenti per poter categorizzarle. Le opere ‘migliori’ di cosidetta prima fascia vengono scelte per la corona e spediti o a Milano, la capitale del Regno d’Italia, o a Parigi, la capitale dell’impero napoleonico, mentre le opere della seconda fascia rimangono a Padova e Venezia per addobbare le pubbliche gallerie. Le opere restanti, probabilmente il novanta percento del totale, vengono destinate ad essere svendute attraverso delle aste pubbliche che incontrano un successo molto limitato. Così migliaia di quadri pian piano scompaiono rovinati a causa delle pessime condizioni nei depositi.

Il patrimonio artistico padovano e veneziano incontra uno di due sorti possibili durante gli anni dopo il 1797: o viene usato come un trofeo per rappresentare il successo della Francia rivoluzionaria e napoleonica o viene semplicemente dimenticato dopo non aver realizzato il suo valore economico per contribuire alle finanze statali.

‘“Ebbi fame e mi deste da mangiare”: Luoghi, Principi e Funzioni della Charitas Veneziana, 1260-1806’ (Scuola Grande di San Marco, Venezia, 18 settembre 2015), 2015

Il concetto della caritas veneziana subisce una radicale trasformazione durante il governo napole... more Il concetto della caritas veneziana subisce una radicale trasformazione durante il governo napoleonico del Regno d’Italia (1806-14), quando le scuole grandi vengono soppresse con il decreto imperiale del 25 aprile 1806. I documenti riguardanti l’offerta del ripristino delle pie istituzioni caritatevoli nell’estate dello stesso anno dimostrano come il concetto della caritas veneziana, nato nel medioevo, era sopravissuto nei secoli. I verbali dei discorsi dei guardiani grandi ai confratelli testimoniano in modo particolare la confusione, la tristezza e la delusione popolare causate dalle nuove realtà politiche e sociali. Con il progressivo peggiorare in quegli anni della situazione economica a causa della guerra e della disintegrazione delle dinamiche sociali ed economiche della Serenissima, Napoleone dedica più articoli della sua legge speciale per Venezia del 7 dicembre 1807 al sollievo della povertà, istituendo la Congregazione della Carità. Gestita dal governo centrale a Milano, la concezione strettamente cristiana e veneziana della carità finisce con lo sparire quasi del tutto.

British Society for Eighteenth Century Studies, 44th Annual Conference (St Hugh’s College, Oxford, 6-8 January 2015), 2015

This paper investigates the effects the short-lived Municipalità Provvisoria had on Venice’s arti... more This paper investigates the effects the short-lived Municipalità Provvisoria had on Venice’s artistic patrimony. The French commander-in-chief, Napoleon Bonaparte, immediately understood the propagandistic value of bringing famous artworks from Italy to France, when he invaded the Italian peninsula in 1796. After the war had reached the Venetian Republic and its Great Council had abdicated in May 1797, a municipal government based on the French Directory was established there. In the peace treaty with Venice, amongst other clauses, France demanded twenty paintings and five hundred books and manuscripts, to be chosen by French experts following the army to select artworks and other objects in newly conquered towns. According to my archival research, the experts arrived in Venice shortly afterwards and two eminent Venetian delegates were appointed to assist the French in the selection. Over the summer, lists were compiled. The paintings chosen very much conform to the taste of the time, and represent important examples of Venetian painting and the political iconography of the Serenissima. Evidence reveals the Venetians’ desire to save and keep as much as possible, and deals exchanging other objects for paintings, books and manuscripts were made. This legitimate spoliation degenerated into outright looting after the Treaty of Campoformio in October, when little time remained before the Austrians’ arrival in Venice in January 1798. Next to famous examples like the ancient quadriga of the Horses of Saint Mark on the portal of the basilica, I examined evidence that artworks and liturgical furnishings were plundered all over the city. Many were to be melted down for their material value in order to finance the war effort, while others were used to make presents for French officials before retreating from Venice. The Venetian population, suffering from a dwindling economy and the blockades caused by war, responded with riots and violence, causing a poisoned atmosphere between them and the French soldiers. The objects taken from Venice were brought to France in the so-called Third Convoy via land and sea, a logistical feat for the French army. Their arrival in Paris, in which the Horses of Saint Mark played a leading role, was cause for a patriotic, national festival celebrating the ‘liberation’ of the arts and sciences from the ancien régime as a Revolutionary achievement, a central theme in the visual language and self-representation of the French Republic. This research paper will contribute greatly to our understanding of how far-reaching the policies of Revolutionary France were all over Europe in focussing on the microcosmic study of Venice and its patrimony. I have also discovered new evidence shedding light on the various committees and delegates of the Venetian municipality, the intervention of French experts there, their roles and responsibilities, reasoning behind choices made, and communication with each each other.

invited by my former teachers to deliver the first alumni "Legacy Lecture" on my PhD research and... more invited by my former teachers to deliver the first alumni "Legacy Lecture" on my PhD research and thesis at my former school, St John's International School in Waterloo, Belgium, on the occasion of the school's 50th anniversary and in light of the upcoming 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo (Waterloo, 2 October 2014).

Fake or Fortune? - Series 4, A Mystery Old Master, Jul 19, 2015

Fiona Bruce goes to the Venetian State Archives to find out why the painting may have left Venice.

A review of the exhibition "Napoleon und Europa: Traum und Trauma" at the Kunst- und Ausstellungs... more A review of the exhibition "Napoleon und Europa: Traum und Trauma" at the Kunst- und Ausstellungshallen der Bundesrepublik Deutschland in Bonn (17/12/2010 - 25/04/2011) in form of a detailed interview with the editor of L.I.S.A. (The Academic Portal of the Gerda Henkel Foundation, which generously funded my PhD research), in which I also elaborate on my PhD research.

This dissertation investigates the effects of Revolutionary (1797) and Napoleonic (1806-14) rule ... more This dissertation investigates the effects of Revolutionary (1797) and Napoleonic (1806-14) rule on the artistic patrimony of the city of Venice. Its aim is to explore just how far-reaching the spoliation of Venetian buildings was during the short lived Provisional Municipality, as well as in the wake of the suppressions and closures of parish churches, convents, monasteries, and confraternities during the eight years that Venice was part of the Italian Kingdom. Dealing with a vast amount of hitherto unpublished evidence, the dissertation sheds light on the motivations for, and the logistics of, the appropriation, transfer, and disposal of artworks and liturgical furnishings. It investigates the various government bodies involved, and their hierarchies and responsibilities, while a number of case studies detail how the suppressions themselves were carried out, and how the buildings and their contents were treated and affected in their aftermath. The two distinct periods in the history of Venice saw great differences in approaches to artistic patrimony: in 1797, a limited number of artworks had been allocated to France in a peace treaty, while, later on, the sheer quantities of objects made it close to impossible to achieve a systematic method. Using archival materials such as official correspondence, and inventories and valuations drawn up by government delegates, alongside published eighteenth- and nineteenth-century guidebooks of Venice, the thesis provides a detailed account of the effects of Revolutionary and Napoleonic rule on the city’s artistic heritage. In order to do so, it is divided into four chapters. The first two are more general in scope, the first tracing the events of 1797, and the activity of the Committee of Public Instruction and Commission Temporaire des Arts during this time, the second exploring the Demanio administration of state property, and the roles of delegates Pietro Edwards and Giuseppe Baldassini, as well as private sales and auctions, and the removal and transportation of objects from suppressed institutions. Case studies of two diocesan churches, Santa Marina and San Nicolo di Castello, and two monastic foundations, Santa Maria dei Frari and Santa Maria dei Servi, as well as eight scuole grandi follow. Venetian buildings and their patrimony have not yet been studied as much in detail for the period in question as this dissertation endeavours to do. These microcosmic studies will contribute greatly to the understanding of the effects of Revolutionary and Napoleonic France on the artistic patrimony of Europe.

Artl@s Bulletin, 2015

Using a Venetian case study from the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, this article demonstrates how a... more Using a Venetian case study from the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, this article demonstrates how archival research enables us to trace the spatial life of artworks. The Revolutionary and Napoleonic policy of the suppression of religious corporations, followed by the appropriation of their patrimony, as well as the widespread looting of artworks, led to the centralisation of patrimony in newly established museums in the capitals of the Empire and its satellite kingdoms. This made the geographical and contextual displacement, transnationalisation, and change in the value of artworks inevitable. Résumé En se servant d'une étude de cas Vénitien du Royaume napoléonien d'Italie, cet article démontre comment la recherche dans les archives nous permet de tracer la vie spatiale des oeuvres d'art. La pratique révolutionnaire et napoléonienne de répression des corporations religieuses, suivie de l'appropriation de leur patrimoine, ainsi que le pillage généralisé des oeuvres d'art, a conduit à la centralisation du patrimoine dans les nouveaux musées établis dans les capitales de l'Empire et de ses royaumes satellites. D'où l'inéluctabilité du déplacement géographique et contextuel, la transnationalisation et la modification de la valeur des oeuvres.

Using a Venetian case study from the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, this article demonstrates how a... more Using a Venetian case study from the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, this article demonstrates how archival research enables us to trace the spatial life of artworks. The Revolutionary and Napoleonic policy of the suppression of religious corporations, followed by the appropriation of their patrimony, as well as the widespread looting of artworks, led to the centralisation of patrimony in newly established museums in the capitals of the Empire and its satellite kingdoms. This made the geographical and contextual displacement, transnationalisation, and change in the value of artworks inevitable.

This dissertation investigates the effects of Revolutionary (1797) and Napoleonic (1806-14) rule ... more This dissertation investigates the effects of Revolutionary (1797) and Napoleonic (1806-14) rule on the artistic patrimony of the city of Venice. Its aim is to explore just how far-reaching the spoliation of Venetian buildings was during the short lived Provisional Municipality, as well as in the wake of the suppressions and closures of parish churches, convents, monasteries, and confraternities during the eight years that Venice was part of the Italian Kingdom. Dealing with a vast amount of hitherto unpublished evidence, the dissertation sheds light on the motivations for, and the logistics of, the appropriation, transfer, and disposal of artworks and liturgical furnishings. It investigates the various government bodies involved, and their hierarchies and responsibilities, while a number of case studies detail how the suppressions themselves were carried out, and how the buildings and their contents were treated and affected in their aftermath. The two distinct periods in the histo...