Etruscheria

ABSTRACT: This book chapter considers the interest in Etruscan engraved gems and jewellery in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, from the scholarly and collecting activities of Philipp von Stosch, Anton Francesco Gori and others in Florence in the heyday of the Etruscan Revival, to the complete re-systematization of the Etruscan glyptic material by Adolf Furtwängler at the turn of the century 1900. It also discusses the interesting cultural phenomenon of the dactyliothecae (gem cast cabinets), amateur and commercial serial-production of gem impressions and gem casts in various materials, and the re-use and imitation of Etruscan gems and goldwork in the so-called “archaeological jewellery” produced by the Castellani and other workshops.

The dissertation examines the evolution of the National Archaeological Museums from the time of the unification of Italy in 1861 to its 50th anniversary in 1911. The four national archaeological museums of Naples, Turin, Florence and Rome form the subject of this research. They reflect in compressed form a conceptual change in the museums of antiquity: from a manorial collection to a collection based mainly on excavation finds. The work is divided into the following three aspects: (1) the administrative standardisation of museums, (2) the public perception and conveyance of ancient art in Italy, and (3) the presentation and conveyance of ancient art in the exhibition space. The work comes to the following conclusions: (1) In the search for a national identity, the interest of the young kingdom is primarily directed towards its own ancient cultural assets. For their protection and communication, special management and administrative structures are set up. National archaeological museums are given an explicit research mandate. (2) The history of reception of the Etruscans in the 19th century plays a special role, insofar as Etruscan Style elements have already been integrated into the stately representation under the Savoyen house. Additionally, contemporary newspaper reports and European travel literature (Baedeker, Murray and Hachette) demonstrate a continuous perception and awareness of Etruscan achievements. (3) The provenance of the exhibits becomes the decisive criterion for stock formation, determines their arrangement in the exhibition space and becomes the theme of the presentation. Finally, cultural policy development results retrospectively from the situation of the imperial capital. The emphasis on the prestige of the Etruscan continues as long as Turin and then Florence were the seat of government. With Rome as the capital, the positive image of the Etruscan is increasingly replaced by that of the Roman. Instead of overcoming the continual connotation of Rome in Europe as the ‘eternal city’ and symbol of the Roman empire, it is even stronger pronounced on the occasion of Italy’s 50th anniversary. The Roman becomes the instrument of nationalism and later of fascism.

ABSTRACT: This paper considers the interest in Etruscan engraved gems and jewellery in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, from the scholarly and collecting activities of Philipp von Stosch, Anton Francesco Gori and others in Florence in the heyday of the Etruscheria, to the complete re-systematization of the Etruscan glyptic material by Adolf Furtwängler at the turn of the century 1900. It also discusses the interesting cultural phenomenon of the dactyliothecae (gem cast cabinets), amateur and commercial serial-production of gem impressions and gem casts in various materials, and the re-use and imitation of Etruscan gems and goldwork in the so-called “archaeological jewellery” produced by the Castellani and other workshops.

ABSTRACT: A critical overview of the study and collecting of Etruscan engraved gems from the Renaissance to the present (more or less). This paper is related to two forthcoming books (1) the first on the production of engraved gems in pre-Roman Italy, 6th to 2nd centuries BCE, which is a much expanded version of my dissertation (Göteborg 2005) and also includes a list of the preserved corpus; (2) the second on eighteenth-century antiquarianism and books on engraved gems (a project still very much in progress).

In 1761 Piranesi published his polemical treatise
Della magnificenza ed Architettura de’Romani, in
which he argued that the art and architecture of
ancient Rome derived their sound principles from
the Etruscans. In the same year Piranesi reworked
his Prisons series of prints – not due to public
interest, but rather,  because it
supported the thesis of his book with a vision of
'Etruscan' architecture. The very subject reflects
Etruscan identity rather than an interest in law and
punishment – prison is a conventional subject for
compositions in the Tuscan/Rustic order. In his
vision of Etruscan/Roman architectural genius Piranesi
followed especially the architect Tommaso
Temanza (whom he knew well while in Venice)
and his Galilean approach to architectural
construction and history. Temanza had given
preference to arches over straight architraves
built in stone, while attributing the invention of
the arch to the Romans taught by the Etruscans.

This was originally an article manuscript that is now being transformed into a book project. Although focus is on four key figures, Philipp von Stosch, Pierre-Jean Mariette, Anton Francesco Gori, and Johann Joachim Winckelmann, it is really a comprehensive history of eighteenth-century scholarship, collecting and popular reception, including the very interesting cultural phenomenon of the dactyliothecae (major gem cast producers such as Christian Dehn, Philipp Daniel Lippert, James Tassie, the Paolettis and others). The initial project phase was generously funded by the Fondazione Famiglia Rausing (Rome).