From Vesuvius to the Thames. The fortunes of Baroque Neapolitan art in English collections, 1600-1900

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

My project will be interdisciplinary, aimed at investigating the history of collecting Neapolitan art in England. Baroque Neapolitan painting forms a significant part of private and public English art collections from the late seventeenth century onwards, yet there is no publication exploring the significance of these collections as a whole. Studies are often related to well-known artists (e.g. Luca Giordano, Francesco Solimena), famous public collections (e.g. the National Gallery, London) or to specific periods, such as the seventeenth century (e.g. Haskell, 1980; Treves, 2016). Despite the high academic interest, as evidenced by ongoing research (e.g. Spinosa, 2021), there are no publications offering an overarching thesis supported by an illustrated database. My database will provide the first comprehensive view of Neapolitan paintings still admired today across England (1600-1900), and - to make the project manageable - the thesis will analyse the histories of collecting during the crucial period between 1680 and 1800, when a considerable number of English artists and collectors came to Naples during the Grand Tour.The questions this project will answer include; who were the most famous Neapolitan artists in England and why? Who and why were the English collectors interested in Neapolitan art? Is it possible to talk about an "English fashion for Baroque Neapolitan art"? How did the art market influence the English view of Naples? Who were the agents and the economic interests involved in the movement of artworks from Naples to England? What differentiates a public from a private collection? How does the ownership of artworks influence their accessibility today?The study will require documentary, online and archival research, the comparison with heritage inventories and testimonies of biographers (e.g. De Dominici, 1745). I will draw on new approaches to the history of collecting, based on economic, political and social aspects. Field studies, identifying and locating Neapolitan art in public and private English collections, will also form an essential part of my research.My research (in particular the open access database) will be a fundamental resource for academics and museum professionals interested in provenience research, ownership rights, economic, political and social studies regarding the fortunes of Neapolitan art in England. The research will be particularly valuable for civic museum collections (such as BMAG) which house significant Baroque collections, but do not have curatorial staff who specialise in this period.