While it is generally accepted that the legal protection of heritage developed together with the refinement of codified law in Europe from the late 1700s, and especially the 1800s, the first regulations dedicated to the custody of antiquities were issued in the Papal States as early as the 1400s. Following this initial breakthrough, the idea of safeguarding heritage by law was accepted in a few other European states in the subsequent couple of centuries. This essay evaluates the introduction of rules and prescriptions to protect “old worthy relics” in the Kingdom of Sweden, the Kingdom of Denmark, and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in the 1600s, pursuing the innovations started in the Papal States. Legislation is observed from a legal and art-historical perspective in order to assess how cultural, political, and social factors influenced the establishment of pioneering systems for safeguarding heritage in these countries; in particular, the focus is on the rise of the idea of “State” in the Absolutist Age. Even though these regulations shared similar goals for the artefacts preservation, there were distinct differences in their legal constructions and related applications. The most substantial variation concerned the definitions of “antiquity” and “artwork” provided in legislation issued in each place.
Per una storia del ‘patrimonio’ in età moderna. Annotazioni sui provvedimenti di tutela emanati nel 1600 tra Nord e Sud Europa
Chiara Mannoni
In corso di stampa
Abstract
While it is generally accepted that the legal protection of heritage developed together with the refinement of codified law in Europe from the late 1700s, and especially the 1800s, the first regulations dedicated to the custody of antiquities were issued in the Papal States as early as the 1400s. Following this initial breakthrough, the idea of safeguarding heritage by law was accepted in a few other European states in the subsequent couple of centuries. This essay evaluates the introduction of rules and prescriptions to protect “old worthy relics” in the Kingdom of Sweden, the Kingdom of Denmark, and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in the 1600s, pursuing the innovations started in the Papal States. Legislation is observed from a legal and art-historical perspective in order to assess how cultural, political, and social factors influenced the establishment of pioneering systems for safeguarding heritage in these countries; in particular, the focus is on the rise of the idea of “State” in the Absolutist Age. Even though these regulations shared similar goals for the artefacts preservation, there were distinct differences in their legal constructions and related applications. The most substantial variation concerned the definitions of “antiquity” and “artwork” provided in legislation issued in each place.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
