An examination of the management of Roman cultural heritage from a multidisciplinary perspective. The course draws on art history, papal history, economic interests, and cultural aims in its approach to the transformation of the image and the perception of Rome. Topics include the preservation and exhibition of antiquities, some aspects of restoration, conservation, collecting and museums, legislation, artistic institutions and cultural heritage exploitation. Includes site visits within Rome.
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course students will have:
an outline of the urbanistic development of the city of Rome from ancient times to present day;
a knowledge of the most important artistic styles which overlapped in Rome over the centuries;
a familiarity with the conservative and art historical critical issues involved by the close coexistence of modern and ancient works of art;
an awareness of the legislative difficulties meant by the management of historical sites which cannot be isolated from the “living” part of the city;
a knowledge of the origins and development of the concept of “museum”, in its private and public forms and purposes;
an ability to understand the stylistic and historical layers so often recognizable in Rome’s monuments.
Method of presentation:
Lectures, class discussions, visits to monuments and archaeological sites.
Required work and form of assessment:
Class participation 15%; presentation on site 15%; paper 15%; midterm exam 25%; final exam (not cumulative) 30%. Exams will be based on both the course lectures and the assigned readings.
Student presentations Students are asked to give two presentations to be held during the field studies. They will consist of an accurate description of the monument/artwork/archaeological site. Topics, contents, sources will be decided upon with the instructor at the beginning of the semester. Students are asked to provide classmates and instructor with handouts, possibly illustrated. Presentation will be graded on content, structure, delivery and quality of the handout.
Grading: the final grade will be based on the exams, presentations (on site: field studies), attendance and class participation.
Format of the exams: Mid-term and Final exams will consist of multiple choice questions; true/false questions; short answers.
content:
Part I. Introduction to the course. Rome and the management of its past
The historical background of the ideological and cultural weave in the link between antiquities and the city of Rome. General introduction to the critical issues which will constitute the backbone of the course. Presentation and discussion of the “meaning” of the Antique, in its many forms and interpretations.
Part II. Looking at the Past: from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance LECTURE: Dealing with the “material past”.
Different meanings attributed to the Antique over the centuries: from the medieval embarrassment of a pagan past to the enchanted investigation of the Renaissance. Birth of a conservative attitude towards the past.
Readings
Reader: C. Moatti, The Search for Ancient Rome, p. 13-37
Rome Art and Archaeology: p. 82-83
FIELD STUDY: View of the Roman Forum - Church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli- Forum Boarium Readings:
During the field study students will be asked to identify the most important monuments of the Roman Forum. See Rome Art and Archaeology (monuments of the Roman Forum only), p. 5-16, plus Arch of Titus and Arch of Septimius Severus.
Part III. Urban changes in Rome: the progressive transformation of Rome into a “Museum City” LECTURE: 1400-1585. Urban planning in Renaissance Rome.
1585-1590. Counter-Reformation and Sixtus V: the “Medieval Revival”.
Rome, the new Jerusalem Readings:
Rome Art and Archaeology: p. 115-116 (Sixtus IV); p. 123-125 (Julius II); p. 154- 155 (Sixtus V).
Reader: Artistic Centers of the Italian Renaissance: ROME (on Sixtus V’s Rome)
C. Moatti, The Search for Ancient Rome, p. 48-55
FIELD STUDY: from San Giovanni in Laterano to Santa Maria Maggiore. The Sistine Urban Plan Readings:
Rome Art and Archaeology: p. 115-116 (Sixtus IV); p. 123-125 (Julius II); p. 154- 155 (Sixtus V).
Reader: Artistic Centers of the Italian Renaissance: ROME (Sixtus V’s Rome)
LECTURE: The rediscovery of the ancient roman glory: the Roman Republic (1798-99) and Napoleon’s Rome (1809-1814) Readings:
Reader: A History of Architectural Conservation from p. 38 (from the 3rd paragraph: “Since Roman times, tradition had connected...”) to p. 40 and from page 77 (The Colosseum I) to page 87 (The Colosseum II included)
LECTURE: Rome after the Italian Unification (1870-1922)
Mussolini’s Rome (1922-1943) Readings:
Reader: C. Moatti, The Search for Ancient Rome, p. 101-143.
La Roma di Mussolini
FIELD STUDY: Colosseo and Via dei Fori Imperiali. Readings:
Rome Art & Archeology (p. 13-49, Imperial Forums and Arch of Constantine only) Presentations: Colosseum, Forum of Caesar, Forum of Augustus; Trajan’s Forum
MIDTERM REVIEW
MIDTERM EXAM
Part V. Rome, the museum-city and its museums
LECTURE: Public museums in Rome in the 18th century: The Capitoline Museums Readings:
Handout: The long history of the Capitoline Museums
Reader: C. Moatti, The Search for Ancient Rome, p. 38-42
FIELD STUDY: Capitoline Museum Presentations: The Capitoline square; Marcus Aurelius monument; She wolf
LECTURE: Public museums in Rome in the 18th century: Vatican Museums Readings:
Reader: The Gods’Abode: Pius VI and the Invention of the Vatican Museum
FIELD STUDY: Vatican Museums - The Museo Pio Clementino Presentations: Laocoon; Apollo del Belvedere, Belvedere Torso
LECTURE: Museums between the French Revolution and the 20th century.
The Galleria Borghese from Scipione Borghese to Napoleon Readings:
Reader: A History of Architectural Conservation, p. 69-75
Rome Art and Archaeology: p. 144-145; p. 177-180 and 220-222 (Scipione Borghese and his Villa)
FIELD STUDY: Galleria Borghese Presentations: Caravaggio and Bernini in the Galleria Borghese
FIELD STUDY: Piazza Augusto Imperatore and the Ara Pacis Museum (Museums and “open air museums” today).
Part VI. Rome and its international glamour: the “America’s Rome” and issues in the conservation of antiquities
LECTURE: Origins and development of the Grand Tou:r American artists in Rome in 19th century: the exemplary case of Thomas Cole (1829). Handout: Thomas Cole. The Course of Empire
LECTURE: Restoring ancient sculpture in Rome for the international art market:
from the 16th century to the 20th century Readings:
Reader: A History of Architectural Conservation, p. 59 (from Winckelmann and the restoration of antiquities) to p. 65 and Historical and Philosophical Issues in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage p. 294-300 (Rossi Pinelli’s article)
LECTURE: Restoring ancient sculpture in Rome from the 16th century to the 20th century (conclusion) Readings:
Reader: A History of Architectural Conservation, p. 59 (from Winckelmann and the restoration of antiquities) to p. 65 and Historical and Philosophical Issues in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage p. 294-300 (Rossi Pinelli’s article)
FIELD STUDY: Palazzo Altemps (Museo Nazionale Romano) Presentations: Orestes and Electra; Ludovisi Ares; Ludovisi Gaul; The Grand Ludovisi (Battle Sarcopagagus); Ludovisi Athena restored by Algardi.
FINAL EXAM
The professor reserves the right to make changes to our course schedule, including different readings and field studies.
Students are strongly encouraged to visit on their own sights and monuments treated by the course which, for evident didactic reasons and lack of time, it will not be possible to visit together.
Required readings:
Rome. Art and Archaeology (ed. by Andrea Augenti), Scala Group, Firenze 2003
Course Reader
Handouts
*Details of Required Work:
Student presentations
Students are asked to give two presentations to be held during the field studies. They will consist of an accurate description of the monument/artwork/archaeological site. Topics, contents, sources will be decided upon with the instructor at the beginning of the semester. Students are asked to provide classmates and instructor with handouts, possibly illustrated. Presentation will be graded on content, structure, delivery and quality of the handout.
Grading
The final grade will be based on the exams, presentations (on site: field studies), attendance and class participation.
Format of the exams
Mid-term and Final exams will consist of multiple choice questions; true/false questions; short answers.
Notes:
This course is offered during the regular semester and in the summer. For summer sections, the course schedule is condensed, but the content, learning outcomes, and contact hours are the same.
Brief Biography of Instructor:
Pier Paolo Racioppi received his Ph.D in Art History at the University of Roma TRE. He has also achieved the higher degree in the History of Medieval and Modern Art at University “La Sapienza”. Winner of the San Luca scholarship in 1997, he conducted research in the United States on Academies and Collections in early Nineteenth Century America. Since 1996 he has collaborated with Professor Rossi Pinelli in teaching seminars and colloquia on 18th and 19th century art. Since 1998, he is the editor of the Italian edition of the catalogues of Museum With No Frontiers. He has published several articles in specialized art history journals and in the Treccani Encyclopedia.
Rome As A Living Museum
An examination of the management of Roman cultural heritage from a multidisciplinary perspective. The course draws on art history, papal history, economic interests, and cultural aims in its approach to the transformation of the image and the perception of Rome. Topics include the preservation and exhibition of antiquities, some aspects of restoration, conservation, collecting and museums, legislation, artistic institutions and cultural heritage exploitation. Includes site visits within Rome.
By the end of the course students will have:
Lectures, class discussions, visits to monuments and archaeological sites.
Class participation 15%; presentation on site 15%; paper 15%; midterm exam 25%; final exam (not cumulative) 30%. Exams will be based on both the course lectures and the assigned readings.
Student presentations Students are asked to give two presentations to be held during the field studies. They will consist of an accurate description of the monument/artwork/archaeological site. Topics, contents, sources will be decided upon with the instructor at the beginning of the semester. Students are asked to provide classmates and instructor with handouts, possibly illustrated. Presentation will be graded on content, structure, delivery and quality of the handout.
Grading: the final grade will be based on the exams, presentations (on site: field studies), attendance and class participation.
Format of the exams: Mid-term and Final exams will consist of multiple choice questions; true/false questions; short answers.
Part I. Introduction to the course. Rome and the management of its past
The historical background of the ideological and cultural weave in the link between antiquities and the city of Rome. General introduction to the critical issues which will constitute the backbone of the course. Presentation and discussion of the “meaning” of the Antique, in its many forms and interpretations.
Part II. Looking at the Past: from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance
LECTURE: Dealing with the “material past”.
Different meanings attributed to the Antique over the centuries: from the medieval embarrassment of a pagan past to the enchanted investigation of the Renaissance. Birth of a conservative attitude towards the past.
Readings
Reader: C. Moatti, The Search for Ancient Rome, p. 13-37
Rome Art and Archaeology: p. 82-83
FIELD STUDY: View of the Roman Forum - Church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli- Forum Boarium
Readings:
During the field study students will be asked to identify the most important monuments of the Roman Forum. See Rome Art and Archaeology (monuments of the Roman Forum only), p. 5-16, plus Arch of Titus and Arch of Septimius Severus.
Part III. Urban changes in Rome: the progressive transformation of Rome into a “Museum City”
LECTURE: 1400-1585. Urban planning in Renaissance Rome.
1585-1590. Counter-Reformation and Sixtus V: the “Medieval Revival”.
Rome, the new Jerusalem
Readings:
Rome Art and Archaeology: p. 115-116 (Sixtus IV); p. 123-125 (Julius II); p. 154- 155 (Sixtus V).
Reader: Artistic Centers of the Italian Renaissance: ROME (on Sixtus V’s Rome)
C. Moatti, The Search for Ancient Rome, p. 48-55
FIELD STUDY: from San Giovanni in Laterano to Santa Maria Maggiore. The Sistine Urban Plan
Readings:
Rome Art and Archaeology: p. 115-116 (Sixtus IV); p. 123-125 (Julius II); p. 154- 155 (Sixtus V).
Reader: Artistic Centers of the Italian Renaissance: ROME (Sixtus V’s Rome)
LECTURE: The rediscovery of the ancient roman glory: the Roman Republic (1798-99) and Napoleon’s Rome (1809-1814)
Readings:
Reader: A History of Architectural Conservation from p. 38 (from the 3rd paragraph: “Since Roman times, tradition had connected...”) to p. 40 and from page 77 (The Colosseum I) to page 87 (The Colosseum II included)
LECTURE: Rome after the Italian Unification (1870-1922)
Mussolini’s Rome (1922-1943)
Readings:
Reader: C. Moatti, The Search for Ancient Rome, p. 101-143.
La Roma di Mussolini
FIELD STUDY: Colosseo and Via dei Fori Imperiali.
Readings:
Rome Art & Archeology (p. 13-49, Imperial Forums and Arch of Constantine only)
Presentations: Colosseum, Forum of Caesar, Forum of Augustus; Trajan’s Forum
MIDTERM REVIEW
MIDTERM EXAM
Part V. Rome, the museum-city and its museums
LECTURE: Public museums in Rome in the 18th century: The Capitoline Museums
Readings:
Handout: The long history of the Capitoline Museums
Reader: C. Moatti, The Search for Ancient Rome, p. 38-42
FIELD STUDY: Capitoline Museum
Presentations: The Capitoline square; Marcus Aurelius monument; She wolf
LECTURE: Public museums in Rome in the 18th century: Vatican Museums
Readings:
Reader: The Gods’Abode: Pius VI and the Invention of the Vatican Museum
FIELD STUDY: Vatican Museums - The Museo Pio Clementino
Presentations: Laocoon; Apollo del Belvedere, Belvedere Torso
LECTURE: Museums between the French Revolution and the 20th century.
The Galleria Borghese from Scipione Borghese to Napoleon
Readings:
Reader: A History of Architectural Conservation, p. 69-75
Rome Art and Archaeology: p. 144-145; p. 177-180 and 220-222 (Scipione Borghese and his Villa)
FIELD STUDY: Galleria Borghese
Presentations: Caravaggio and Bernini in the Galleria Borghese
FIELD STUDY: Piazza Augusto Imperatore and the Ara Pacis Museum (Museums and “open air museums” today).
Part VI. Rome and its international glamour: the “America’s Rome” and issues in the conservation of antiquities
LECTURE: Origins and development of the Grand Tou:r American artists in Rome in 19th century: the exemplary case of Thomas Cole (1829).
Handout: Thomas Cole. The Course of Empire
LECTURE: Restoring ancient sculpture in Rome for the international art market:
from the 16th century to the 20th century
Readings:
Reader: A History of Architectural Conservation, p. 59 (from Winckelmann and the restoration of antiquities) to p. 65 and Historical and Philosophical Issues in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage p. 294-300 (Rossi Pinelli’s article)
LECTURE: Restoring ancient sculpture in Rome from the 16th century to the 20th century (conclusion)
Readings:
Reader: A History of Architectural Conservation, p. 59 (from Winckelmann and the restoration of antiquities) to p. 65 and Historical and Philosophical Issues in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage p. 294-300 (Rossi Pinelli’s article)
FIELD STUDY: Palazzo Altemps (Museo Nazionale Romano)
Presentations: Orestes and Electra; Ludovisi Ares; Ludovisi Gaul; The Grand Ludovisi (Battle Sarcopagagus); Ludovisi Athena restored by Algardi.
FINAL EXAM
The professor reserves the right to make changes to our course schedule, including different readings and field studies.
Students are strongly encouraged to visit on their own sights and monuments treated by the course which, for evident didactic reasons and lack of time, it will not be possible to visit together.
*Details of Required Work:
Student presentations
Students are asked to give two presentations to be held during the field studies. They will consist of an accurate description of the monument/artwork/archaeological site. Topics, contents, sources will be decided upon with the instructor at the beginning of the semester. Students are asked to provide classmates and instructor with handouts, possibly illustrated. Presentation will be graded on content, structure, delivery and quality of the handout.
Grading
The final grade will be based on the exams, presentations (on site: field studies), attendance and class participation.
Format of the exams
Mid-term and Final exams will consist of multiple choice questions; true/false questions; short answers.
This course is offered during the regular semester and in the summer. For summer sections, the course schedule is condensed, but the content, learning outcomes, and contact hours are the same.
Pier Paolo Racioppi received his Ph.D in Art History at the University of Roma TRE. He has also achieved the higher degree in the History of Medieval and Modern Art at University “La Sapienza”. Winner of the San Luca scholarship in 1997, he conducted research in the United States on Academies and Collections in early Nineteenth Century America. Since 1996 he has collaborated with Professor Rossi Pinelli in teaching seminars and colloquia on 18th and 19th century art. Since 1998, he is the editor of the Italian edition of the catalogues of Museum With No Frontiers. He has published several articles in specialized art history journals and in the Treccani Encyclopedia.