Medieval Abruzzi

Il volume illustra i risultati di una pluriennale ricerca d'archivio avente per oggetto la città di Chieti in età moderna, condotta sui principali fondi documentali disponibili. A partire da un approccio di tipo prosopografico si è svolta un'indagine sulla stratificazione sociale, a cominciare dalle élite dominanti, sulle istituzioni di carattere laico ed ecclesiastico, su carriere personali e fortune familiari, che ha portato alla compilazione di oltre duemila schede biografiche. Si approfondiscono quindi molteplici aspetti legati alla gestione degli uffici governativi insediati nella città capoluogo d'Abruzzo Citra, nonché quelli espressione del governo locale e quelli pertinenti al potere ecclesiastico. Si esamina inoltre con taglio monografico la folta comunità mercantile d'origine lombardo-veneta stanziatasi nella prima età moderna e si fornisce, infine, un contributo alla conoscenza dell'araldica nobiliare e borghese. Il lavoro, con carattere di assoluta novità, intende offrire elementi di riflessione per una lettura storica che attinge da fonti ricchissime, ma ancora poco utilizzate da parte degli studiosi.

The book illustrates the results of a several year archival research concerning the city of Chieti (Abruzzi) in the Modern Age, conducted on the main documentary avaiable funds. Starting from a prosopographical approach, the investigation was carried out on social stratification, starting with the ruling elites, on secular and ecclesiastical institutions, on personal careers and family fortunes, which led to the compilation of over two thousand biographical cards. Therefore, many aspects related to the management of the government offices located in Chieti, the capital of Abruzzo Citra province, as well as those expression of the local government and those pertinent to ecclesiastical power, are analyzed. The large merchant community of Lombard-Venetian origin which settled in the early Modern Age is also examined with a monographic slant and, finally, a contribution is made to the knowledge of noble and bourgeois heraldry. The work, with an absolutely novel character, intends to offer elements of reflection for a historical reading that draws from very rich sources, but still little used by scholars.

The National Museums Scotland Madonna and Child project sought to uncover and document the history of a fine polychrome wood carving attributed to The Master of the Gualino St Catherine and to prepare it for display. A new body of knowledge has been assembled by the interdisciplinary team. The conservation treatment was informed by this work and led to further discoveries: the removal of overpaint exposing a previously hidden underdrawing. The ethics of the treatment decisions, including the removal of the Christ Child’s 1960s’ fingers required team dialogue and was opened up for the public to respond to in a series of blogs. The discovery of a rich polychromy including gold and glazed tin has led to further plans to produce a 3-D colour reconstruction. The collaborations developed during this project will facilitate future joint ventures for polychrome sculpture in Scottish collections.

The National Museums Scotland Madonna and Child project sought to uncover and document the history of a fine polychrome wood carving attributed to The Master of the Gualino St Catherine and to prepare it for display. A new body of knowledge has been assembled by the interdisciplinary team. The conservation treatment was informed by this work and led to further discoveries: the removal of overpaint exposing a previously hidden underdrawing. The ethics of the treatment decisions, including the removal of the Christ Child’s 1960s’ fingers required team dialogue and was opened up for the public to respond to in a series of blogs. The discovery of a rich polychromy including gold and glazed tin has led to further plans to produce a 3-D colour reconstruction. The collaborations developed during this project will facilitate future joint ventures for polychrome sculpture in Scottish collections.