The recent rediscovery of a notebook by Adolfo Venturi – jotted at the exhibition Pictures of the Masters of the Milanese and allied schools held at the Burlington Fine Arts Club in London in 1898 – offers a closer look at how international criticism of the late nineteenth century approached Lombard painting, specifically the work of Leonardo in Milan. The manuscript reflects the privileged point of view of its author and his response to the exhibition. Besides being one of the many pioneering investigations promoted by the Club, the exhibition provided a detailed account of the arrival of the Virgin of the Rocks at the National Gallery, London. Furthermore, the occasion allows us to focus on the relationships Venturi intertwined with his colleagues across the Channel and in particular, with a leading institution such as the Burlington Fine Arts Club. The paper examines the genesis of the exhibition and the critical debate that ensued, in connection with Venturi’s notebook and his later writings. The appendix offers, for the first time, a transcription of the manuscript and the identification of the works.
La recente riscoperta di un taccuino redatto da Adolfo Venturi alla mostra Pictures of the Masters of the Milanese and allied schools, tenutasi al Burlington Fine Arts Club di Londra nel 1898, si presta per osservare più da vicino come la critica internazionale di fine Ottocento si sia accostata alla pittura lombarda in relazione alla presenza di Leonardo a Milano. Il manoscritto restituisce il punto di vista privilegiato del suo autore e un’immagine del tutto personale della rassegna. L’esposizione non solo rappresenta una delle tante pionieristiche indagini promosse dal Club, ma offre uno spaccato interessante e finora poco noto delle vicende legate all’ingresso della Vergine delle Rocce alla National Gallery di Londra. L’occasione, inoltre, consente di mettere meglio a fuoco alcuni rapporti che Venturi intrecciò con i colleghi d’Oltremanica e in particolare con un’istituzione di primo piano come il Burlington Fine Arts Club. Al centro del presente studio si esamineranno nel dettaglio la genesi della mostra e il dibattito critico che seguì, in un dialogo serrato con il taccuino di Venturi e i suoi scritti successivi. In appendice, si fornisce per la prima volta una trascrizione delle carte venturiane e si propone l’identificazione delle opere ivi menzionate.
Leonardo e i leonardeschi al Burlington Fine Arts Club in un taccuino inedito di Adolfo Venturi
Cecilia Riva
2021-01-01
Abstract
The recent rediscovery of a notebook by Adolfo Venturi – jotted at the exhibition Pictures of the Masters of the Milanese and allied schools held at the Burlington Fine Arts Club in London in 1898 – offers a closer look at how international criticism of the late nineteenth century approached Lombard painting, specifically the work of Leonardo in Milan. The manuscript reflects the privileged point of view of its author and his response to the exhibition. Besides being one of the many pioneering investigations promoted by the Club, the exhibition provided a detailed account of the arrival of the Virgin of the Rocks at the National Gallery, London. Furthermore, the occasion allows us to focus on the relationships Venturi intertwined with his colleagues across the Channel and in particular, with a leading institution such as the Burlington Fine Arts Club. The paper examines the genesis of the exhibition and the critical debate that ensued, in connection with Venturi’s notebook and his later writings. The appendix offers, for the first time, a transcription of the manuscript and the identification of the works.
I documenti in ARCA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
