The Molin collection between the Old and New Regimes

Starting from the cross-analysis of printed texts, manuscripts and works of art preserved in the city’s museums, the essay reflects on the effects that the political, social and cultural upheavals triggered by the fall of the Serenissima had on the taste of the conservative groups of the Venetian nobility. In particular, it examines the case of Girolamo Ascanio Molin (1736-1814), a politician, scholar and writer who, between the late 18th and early 19th century, created a collection of vast proportions, whose physiognomy changed in step with the historical context, the frequentations of the senator, the availability of artistic markets and the dynamics of self-representation prepared by the patriciate in response to the New Regime