Mariaelena’s PhD project – Overcome the Loss. Rebuilding Gaddi Collection 1500-1800 – aims to reconstruct the Antiquarium, Quadreria and Libreria of one of the most prominent patrons in Florence at the Medici court at the end of the 16th century. Founded by Niccolò Gaddi (1537–1591), a key figure acting as an art buyer for the Grand Duke all over Europe, the collection was dispersed through a complex network of auction sales between 1700-1800, particularly in Britain and Italy. To overcome this loss, it has been crucial to trace provenance through a plethora of digital sources, paper archives, contemporary literature, museum and auction catalogues.
At this Seminar, Mariaelena will present an unedited Seicento source written in 1636 describing some legendary Gaddi paintings and sculptures in their milieu of display. Among them, there were the Torso Gaddi now in the Uffizi Gallery; a lost Venus by Sansovino, a Head by Leonardo; an Ecce Homo by Titian and a Penitent Magdalene by Correggio. Verses by Florentine poets of the time celebrated each of these artworks. In summation, this text will shed a new light on how Niccolò’s nephew, Jacopo Pitti Gaddi (1600–1668), took care of his uncle’s collection, using paintings and sculptures as powerful inspiration for poetic compositions at the Svogliati Academy, gathering once a month at the Gaddi Palace, in Via del Giglio in Florence.
Mariaelena Floriani is an art historian of Early Modern Southern Europe with a specialization in the art of the Florentine Renaissance at the end of 16th century. Her field of expertise encompasses the history of lost collections and their dissemination on the art market between 1500 and 1800. After receiving a BA at the Sorbonne University (Paris IV Licence Histoire de l’art), she completed a MA at Turin University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Genoa University. For the year 2022-2023, she was Fellow at Fondazione Roberto Longhi in Florence. Her current book manuscript, Il Cinquecento dimenticato. Dalle carte di Roberto Longhi, explores the emergence of an art critical discourse in Roberto Longhi’s conception of the Cinquecento. Floriani is Global PhD candidate in Art History and Digital Humanities in Genoa and St Andrews Universities. Her project Overcome the Loss. Gaddi Collection between 1500-1800 aims to reconstruct the gallery of Niccolò Gaddi (1537–1591), one of the most prominent collectors in Florence at the Medici court. The extensive work in provenance research will be empowered by the design of a digital platform, exploring the narrative potential of distant-in-space objects. The prototype will reconnect scattered Gaddi pieces to the core of their original collection, while acknowledging the value added by the Institutions which preserve them today.
For additional information and registration, visit: mailchi.mp/a9aef5acab1b/seminar-monday-2-december-2024-600pm-730pm?e=9c012c8dd9
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