Abstract
Between the 15th and 16th centuries, terracotta sculpture played a crucial role in the development and dissemination of Renaissance art in Northern Italy. Scholars, however, have assessed its relevance only in the last decades, mostly relying on a local and obsolete bibliography: on the whole, knowledge on this topic remains scattered and fragmentary. By contrast, as a multifaceted medium, terracotta fostered not only new interplay among the arts, but also technical innovations and cultural transfers, activating the creativity of the artists in new directions and radically changing the relationship between sculpture and its public. In the area defined by the Alps and the Apennines, terracotta developed as an interconnected and synchronic artistic phenomenon. From celebrated Lamentations in the churches of Emilia, to architectural friezes decorating countless palaces in Lombardy, it is safe to say that coroplasty is part and parcel of the identity of these Italian regions, in which clay – reaching back to the first anthropization – has always represented a material element of civilization itself: from pottery to bricks, to works of art. Based at the Universities of Trento and Bologna, the investigators of the present proposal are leading scholars in the field of Renaissance terracotta, both in terms of publications, international conferences and exhibitions, but also research projects for grants and doctoral fellowships. Building on these experiences and knowledge, the project addresses Renaissance terracotta sculpture of Northern Italy in a global and interdisciplinary perspective. The aim of this proposal is a methodical cataloguing of terracotta works in Northern Italy from the 15th and 16th century, through a digital database. Two specifically hired post-doc researchers will collect information through bibliographic and on-site research, entering their data into the database. This mapping phase will serve as a starting point for a new critical analysis of terracotta sculpture as an historical, technological, social, and – in a broader sense – cultural phenomenon. This innovative approach will result in an open-access volume of collected essays addressing this topic from several points of view. Beyond research and academia, the C.RE.TE. database will increase general awareness of this neglected heritage, fostering its conservation, accessibility, and enhancement. C.RE.TE. project will be active on an international level, collaborating with some of the most prestigious museums preserving masterpieces of Northern Italian terracotta sculpture, such as the Museo del Bargello in Florence, the Bode-Museum in Berlin, the Musée du Louvre in Paris, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Dettagli del progetto
Responsabile scientifico: Andrea Bacchi
Strutture Unibo coinvolte:
Dipartimento delle Arti
Coordinatore:
Università degli Studi di Trento(Italy)
Contributo totale Unibo: Euro (EUR) 94.794,00
Durata del progetto in mesi: 24
Data di inizio
30/11/2023
Data di fine:
29/11/2025
