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Architect, important personality of a town (Torino) devoted to work, continuous engagement, hard work, during a life time, but also devote to poetry. Giorgio Raineri when working at his studio at Via Sacchi 24, often mixed very pleasant drawings and delicate poems, that are now printed together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The portrait bust of Costanza Piccolomini by Gian Lorenzo Bernini holds a special place in Baroque art history. Art historians have referred to the singular sculpture as “Bernini’s Beloved” because he applied his virtuoso style to achieve a lifelike intimate portrait of his young lover. But the background story of his relationship with Costanza does not favour a romance when examining the realities of a women’s lives in seventeenth-century Italian society. Costanza is Bernini’s beloved only in that she reflects the thing he most loved, his art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Venice, one of the most enchanting cities in the world, has always been a very popular destination for travellers. For Poles who travelled through Europe in the eighteenth century, Venice was an important and frequently visited city. Polish noblewomen of that era, who travelled as frequently as their male counterparts, wrote many memoirs describing their journeys. Very few of their diaries, however, have survived to this day. Memoirs describing their Venetian escapades, rarely published, are mostly buried deep in archives and libraries. Travel diaries of Teofila Konstancja Morawska, née Radziwiłł (1738-1818) and Katarzyna Platerowa, née Sosnowska (born c. 1748-1832), widely considered as two of the most interesting publications describing Venice of that time, are filled with thoughtful observations of life in eighteenth-century Venice. Details about the city's landscape and architectural artefacts, the chronicles of theatrical performances, descriptions of works of art and local cuisine and customs represent a remarkable source of information about appearances, the mentality and everything that defined the life of the eighteenth-century Venetians. Their memoirs are on a par with those written by men of their time and their observant eyes make them an extraordinary source of information about life in Venice of the eighteenth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the years 1725-1734, there was an Italian opera troupe performing in Wrocław, which was composed almost entirely of well-known Italian artists. At the beginning, its repertoire mimicked those of Italian theatres operating in Venice, Vienna, Florence, Genoa and Prague. Later on, however, the operas staged by Treu and Bioni, the music directors of the Wrocław opera, were also performed by other European theatres. The owner of the theatre in Prague and the originator of the idea to set up a theatre in Wrocław was Count Anton von Sporck, an imperial governor and a friend of Silesian aristocracy. It was on his initiative that a meeting with Antonio Vivaldi was arranged and the performers he recommended were invited to Wrocław. Thanks to the extensive contacts of Wrocław's impresarios and bandmasters, the city's virtuoso singers travelled throughout Europe, and outstanding musicians, stage designers and ballet masters were hired. The fame and high standards of Wrocław's theatre caused its chief conductor, Daniel Gottlieb Treu (Daniele Teofilo Fedele), a pupil of Vivaldi, to write the history of the theatre, which was published in Hamburg (1740) by Johann Mattheson in Grundlage einer Ehren-Phorte. During the nine-year long operation of the theatre, a total of 45 operas were premiered, and their librettos are partly extant in the collection of Wrocław's University Library (the Silesian-Lusatian Section) and at the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense in Milan. Recently, a previously unknown copy of the opera Il Daphni by Spanish composer Emanuele d'Astorga, currently in the collection of the Sapieha Library, part of the collection of the Wawel Royal Castle Museum, has been discovered. The staging by the theatre in Wrocław of eminent baroque operas, performed by outstanding artists, puts them among the most interesting events in the European opera in the 18th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ceremonial textiles in the ancient Mediterranean are well attested in literature and visual representations but are often difficult to document because of the limited preservation of the textiles themselves. Several depictions of textile production in elite contexts from pre-Roman Italy, as well as the common occurrence of textile tools in assemblages of prestige grave goods, have traditionally been used to illustrate the social significance of textile skills for Etrusco-Italic women. Less attention has been directed to the actual practice of such skills in ritual or social ceremonies. This study brings forth new evidence from the numerous tools for spinning and weaving found in Etrusco-Italic sanctuaries to elucidate the relationships between textiles, women, and the sacred sphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the cultural policy of the Austrian Habsburg monarchy regarding Italy and Italian culture in the second half of the 19th century. It addresses the underlying philosophy and reason of state that sought to harness support for Italian culture both in Italy and in Austria as a prototype of a decentralized cultural policy for the entire multi-ethnic Austrian empire. It considers music, the performing arts, and visual arts, focusing on the government's policies regarding the appointment of professors at art academies and directors at museums, opera houses, and theaters. It also considers fellowships and commissions for artists, as well as state financial support for museums. Finally, it reflects on state policy on Italian culture in Austria after Italian independence.

This article deals with the features and dynamics of creativity in the Italian experience. Recently analysed with reference to the whole country and to the Regione Lombardia, creativity appears to be quite central in influencing social quality. Despite its long association with the traditional visual and performing arts on the one hand, and its recent success in the industrial design and fashion design sectors on the other, creativity seems to suffer from a declining stage. This article considers the combination of territorial and diacronic features of creativity as the condition for a new rise to occur, due to the effective use of policy tools. In order for guidelines for public action to be elaborated, the article identifies a taxonomy of creativity based on its impact on tangible and intangible values, and suggests a range of policy tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article discusses the claim by Italian art historian Adolfo Venturi in the book "Monumental Dalmatia" that Dalmatia is Italian. This claim by Venturi points out the politics that pervade the art history in Austria-Hungary and South-Eastern Europe between 1862 and 1930. It is noted that it can not be denied historically that Dalmatia has been influenced by Italian or Venetian culture from between 1420 until 1797. However, "Monumental Dalmatia" is said to be exceptional in that it makes the radical claim that Dalmatia has no cultural heritage which can be described as Slavic. It also explained that although "Monumental Dalmatia" is of negligible value as a work of art history, it is notable for the idea that the cultural heritage of a place can support territorial and political claims.

This article focuses on the work of Italian artist Alberto Burri entitled "Sacchi," a series of paintings depicting burlap sacks with stitched scraps riddled with holes, developed in Italy in the 1950s. From 1949 to 1960, Burri made hundreds of "Sacchi" which have been criticized by a number of critics and writers. It states that Burri's work reflects powerful allusions to the traumatized existential body of the postwar moment. According to the author, Burri's insistence on the concept of formalism contradicts the semiotic richness of his painting.

This chapter from the book "Frommer's Italy, 2008" offers travel guides about art in Italy. According to the chapter, Italian art, which celebrates the perfection of proportion, balance, harmony, and form, is an integral part of the country's heritage. It notes that the art works are originated from Greeks, Etruscans and Romans. In addition, the chapter highlights some of the artists that emerged in the country.

The article offers information on the harbour scenes in the painting of Claude Lorrain in the 16th century in Italy. It says that majority of Lorrain's painting were painted between 1630 and 1648, the period where a substantial investment in artistic, creative, and scientific endeavours by the family of Pope Urban VII Barberini. It states that Lorrain's seaports painting is remarkable due to his mastery of effects of light, where the sun is often depicted as a yellow disc low down on the horizon. It mentions that Lorrain's seaports through their relationship with contemporary theatre and the intellectual and cultural life of the Barberini era.

Opera played an important part in the lives of urban Italians during the decades that followed the fall of Napoleon's European empire and the restoration of the Italian legitimist rulers by the Congress of Vienna. To argue, however, that opera mattered because of its association with nationalism is to get the formula the wrong way around. Nationalists, as well as political authorities, wanted to harness opera to their cause because of its inherent social significance. The theater offered urban, educated Italians the opportunity to be entertained and to congregate lawfully in a public place. The fact that the theaters continued to draw regular audiences, regardless of censorship, would seem a sure indication that politics–at least not in the narrow, nationalist sense–was not the primary reason why opera mattered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the composers' perspective, which eludes the traditional sociological perspective on publics, nineteenth-century Italian composers had a strong personal involvement with their audiences. Bellini, Donizetti, and Verdi were particularly sensitive to the expectations and tastes of the public. Much of Italian opera's power during the Romantic era derived from this relationship and its civic reverberations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent work of historians and musicologists on Restoration Italy illustrates the complexity of the relationship between opera and society, allowing us to leave behind simplistic claims about either the "revolutionary" role of Italian opera or its political irrelevance. From a perspective closer to that of mentality history, the question to what extent a particular composer was "revolutionary" may take new directions, and even become irrelevant altogether. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Giacomo Leopardi was convinced that the willingness of Italians to wallow passively in operatic spectacle was an important reason for Italy's lack of a civil society based on debate and the exchange of opinions. Despite recent proposals that opera and opera going constituted significant means of social engagement and contributed to regional and/or national identity, the preoccupations of early nineteenth-century music journalism suggest that opera existed outside the mainstream of both political and aesthetic debate, and was not yet the subject of a truly vibrant national discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nineteen samples of medieval transparent-glazed pottery and archaic majolica from Orvieto (central Italy) were studied. They were classified by archaeological criterion as follows: five transparent-glazed fragments with green and brown decorations (first half of the 13th century), eight green transparent-glazed fragments (13th century) and six tin-glazed fragments with green and brown decorations (second half of the 13th century). SEM–EDX, XRD (the Rietveld method) and XRF were used to characterize the chemical and mineralogical compositions both of the bodies and the coatings. In all of the samples, the paste is Ca-rich with CaO contents as high as 13–20 wt%. The mineralogical composition is compatible with a firing temperature of about 950°C, which is the typical temperature reached in a wood kiln. No difference was observed between the bodies of transparent- and tin-glazed pottery. In the case of transparent glazes, the burial conditions lead to heavy weathering of the samples. However, on the basis of the analyses carried out in non-weathered areas, the typical composition is PbO 55–65 wt%, SiO 2 31–35 wt%. In tin glazes, the tin is scattered on the mass of the glaze as SnO 2 crystals with a concentration of 7–14 wt%. Concerning the decorations, it is established that the green colour is due to the presence of copper, while manganese is responsible for the brown colour. These pigments, which represent the typical colours of ‘archaic majolica’, are spread through the glaze homogeneously, apart from one case in which there is clear evidence of manganese oxide crystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead antimonate yellow, or Naples Yellow, is one of the most common yellow pigments in Western European art. It was used mainly in the period from 1500 to 1850. During the 18th and 19th centuries, a whole range of production recipes was published. However, the early production history of the pigment is not well understood. In this paper, a study of two early production recipes is reported. Under the nomenclature of potters’ yellow, the recipes describe some production details of the pigment. Reconstructions of the historical lead antimonate yellow were made according to these sources. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) was used to examine the reaction products. Our findings show that various types of lead antimonate yellow can be formed, following the descriptions given in the recipes. Some of these types, notably lead–tin antimonate, have been found in earlier studies of authentic works of art. No evidence was found for a locally limited use of this pigment, as has previously been suggested. Documentary and analytical evidence indicates that the knowledge on lead antimonate yellows originates from Middle Eastern ceramic and glass industries. It is argued that the know-how on the production of lead antimonate yellows has been transferred via the migration of glass artists from the Eastern Mediterranean to Venice during the 15th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the Italian visual art culture in the aftermath of First World War. Examination of the general background of the effects of war on perception; Analysis of the memoirs of F. T. Marinetti in clarifying the relation between the First World War and changes in visual culture such as the technology of sighting through visual prosthesis, the introduction of communication technology and rapid circulation of destruction; Description of Marinetti's romanzo vissuto; Literary styles of Massimo Bontempelli and Marinetti; Insights on social relations.

This essay extends recent debate on the performative aspects of art objects and the performance of spectators in viewing them. Seventeenth-century commentators attributed lifelike qualities of speech and movement to Bernini's sculptures. This article focuses on his Apollo and Daphne, the work that established his international reputation. Using contemporary literary sources, including poetic evocations of the Borghese collection, guidebooks, diaries and biographies of the artist, it examines Bernini's theatrical conception of sculpture with specific reference to this early work. It considers Bernini's illusionistic means for engaging bodily and verbal responses on the part of his viewers, which in turn gave seeming movement and voice to his works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information about the sites where artist James McNeill Whistler did his etchings in Venice, Italy. It is stated that Whistler dwelt in Venice from September 1879 to November 1880. Due to Whistler's trial with John Ruskin in November 1878, the former's artistic labour and concept was questioned. Furthermore, his bankruptcy in May 1879 made him decide to delegate his twelve etchings to the Fine Art Society in London, England. The author denotes that the three main areas of the city in which Whistler worked includes Campo Santa Margarita.

The article focuses on the study of Italian art and art literature collection of Sir Joshua Reynolds in the British Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and in Sir John Soane's Museum in London, England. Reynolds collection also includes the sketchbooks in American public collections and in the Copland Griffiths collection in Great Britain. According to the author, the most difficult and interesting part of the study of Reynolds sketchbooks is the analysis of the relationship between the written notes, which have repeatedly been published. Furthermore, the largely unknown drawings themselves place these in relation to Reynolds published writings.

The article focuses on Donato de'Bardi detto Donatello's bronze statute "David" and the Pallazo Medici courtyard, which have been the subject of much intrigue and hypotheses. It discusses whether the David was indeed commissioned to stand in the Palazzo Medici courtyard based upon the views of intellectuals like John Pope-Hennessy and Agnese Parronchi. The aim is to consider how the David would have been seen in the palace courtyard, and to suggest some aspects of the imagery of the bronze and its context which the patron and his intellectual peers may have wished to stimulate in the observer's mind.

Studies the influence of Japanese prints on the art of the West in the nineteenth century with regard to the works of Italian painter Telemaco Signorini and the Macchiaioli. Characteristics of Italian artists; Manifestations of the Japanese influence on Italian art.

A correction to the article title "Beyond Borders: Transnational Italy" in the journal "Italian Studies" is presented.