Collecting Chinese things from social status to public use: an early nineteenth-century Italian example.

Between the eighteenth and early nineteenth century, as a consequence of the increasing intercourse between China and the West, private collections of Chinese arts and crafts by European residents in China are growing. Diplomats, officials, merchants take these often-impressive collections back home to embellish residences with prestigious and attractive decoration. In the 1820s and 1830s such collections are transformed by entrepreneurs into public exhibitions or itinerant museums of Chinese material culture, for educational and commercial purpose. After introducing English Dutch and American examples, the article focuses on the case of Italian globetrotter businessman Onorato Martucci. On his return to Rome after a multi-year residence in China, he brings with him a vast assortment of Chinese objects and set up a public exhibition to promote knowledge of the Chinese world and sell the collection. The article also reconstructs Martucci's writings as a passionate popularizer of the reality of the Chinese empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tra il diciottesimo e l'inizio del diciannovesimo secolo, in conseguenza del crescente intercorso tra la Cina e l'Occidente, le collezioni private di prodotti delle arti e dell'artigianato cinesi da parte di visitatori europei in Cina aumentano di numero. Diplomatici, funzionari, mercanti riportano queste spesso impressionanti collezioni in patria per abbellire le proprie residenze con decorazioni prestigiose e attraenti. Negli anni '20-'30 dell'800 tali collezioni vengono trasformate da imprenditori in mostre pubbliche o musei itineranti di cultura materiale cinese, a scopo educativo e commerciale. Dopo aver presentato esempi inglesi, olandesi e americani, l'articolo si concentra sul caso dell'imprenditore italiano giramondo Onorato Martucci. Al suo ritorno a Roma, dopo una residenza pluriennale in Cina, questi porta con sé un vasto assortimento di oggetti cinesi e allestisce una mostra pubblica per promuovere la conoscenza del mondo cinese e vendere la collezione. L'articolo ricostruisce l'attività e gli scritti di Martucci quale appassionato divulgatore della realtà dell'impero cinese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Modern Italian Studies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)