Seminar on Paleography and Archival Studies - 2

Art and Material Culture in Early Modern Tuscany

Monday, 4 June 2012 – Saturday, 16 June 2012
Santa Maria Novella Library, Florence

For the second consecutive year, the Medici Archive Project will be offering a two-week intensive seminar on archival research applied to historical and art historical disciplines. Especially intended for advanced graduate students in Renaissance and early modern scholars, this seminar will be team-taught by current and former MAP fellows at the library of Santa Maria Novella in Florence. On occasion, course participants will work directly with original documents; also, visits to a number of Florentine archives are planned. (Depending on time and resources, the class may also travel to Rome).

The principal aim of this seminar is to teach scholars how to navigate Italian archives (with particular emphasis on Florentine collections), to examine in depth various documentary typologies, to identify paleographic conventions, and to apply such research in scholarly writing (see attached syllabus).

MAP’s intention is to accept no more than fifteen scholars; the following materials should be sent to Dr. Elena Brizio, ebrizio@medici.org: a CV and a brief statement explaining how this course will benefit your current research project.

Tuition is US $ 600.

Syllabus
04 June – 09 June (Week One)

Monday, 04 June, 3:30-6:30 pm at Santa Maria Novella
Manuscripts and Documents – MAP STAFF
Introduction to the reading and analysis of archival documents. Topics include: philological and linguistic issues regarding the evolution of Italian primarily, as compared to Latin, Spanish, and French; principles of paleography; conventions for editing transcriptions for publication; and theoretical concerns regarding the presentation of archival documents in scholarly publications. Following this, exercises in reading different types of manuscripts and documents at the ASF. Special problems to be addressed include losses, unknown dating, unknown authorship, phonetic spelling, etc. A reference bibliography for archival research and paleography will be provided.

Tuesday, 05 June, 3:30-6:30 pm at Santa Maria Novella
Archives in Florence – MAP STAFF
An explanation of the history and archival holdings of Italian archives with special emphasis on the Archivio di Stato in Florence. Topics include: the organization of the various collections (fondi) of the ASF and their sub-divisions; the ASF in relation to the territory and other public and private archives in Italy; ASF fondi from religious sources will be discussed, as will the typologies of conventual and church documents they contain, including the books of Ricordanze (chronicles), Entrate ed uscite (account books), Vestizione (profession of vows), Debitori e creditori (debts and credits), and Obblighi perpetui (masses and orations).

Wednesday, 06 June, 3:30-6:30 pm at Santa Maria Novella The Medici Granducal Archive: Organization & Structure - MAP STAFF An in-depth historical and structural analysis of the vast Medici Granducal Archive (Mediceo del Principato, 1529-1753) at the ASF, seen in context with related fondi such as the Mediceo avanti il Principato (1373-1557), the Miscellanea Medicea, the Carteggio d’Artisti and the Guardaroba Medicea. Research tools for navigating these fondi will be demonstrated, particular attention will be given to the two on-line databases for researching the Mediceo del Principato and the Mediceo avanti il Principato. Analysis and discussion of the Mediceo del Principato will include a focused explanation of the different typologies of documents found therein as well as an introduction to MAP's digital interactive platform---BIA---which will allow scholars to make use of the documents in the Mediceo del Principato outside from the ASF.

Thursday, 07 June, 3:30-6:30 pm at Santa Maria Novella
Letters: Production, Reception, Form and Content – MAP STAFF
Theoretical and historical discussion of epistolary correspondence, beginning with an explanation of the many stages of letter-writing at court (the draft, the minute book, the reply, etc.), and how these stages are reflected by the organization of the Mediceo del Principato. Also under consideration are the roles of scribes, secretaries, and couriers. There will be a comparison of the rhetorical and structural modalities of epistolary correspondence, such as the Humanist letter, letters of recommendation, petitions, letters of condolence, reports, ciphered letters, newsletters, etc. Exercises in paleographic skills will be conducted with letters written by artists.

Friday, 08 June, 3:30-6:30 pm at MAP Room at ASF
The Guardaroba Medicea: Inventories et alia – MAP STAFF
Discussion of the organization of the administrative office devoted to the provision, supervision, documentation, and circulation of material goods at the Medici Granducal court, including furniture, silverware, works of art, etc., by means of an analysis of the written records generated by this office. Exercises in paleography to be conducted with a first-hand analysis of documentary material from this archival corpus, with particular emphasis on the problems surrounding the identification of artistic objects and their specific role within Medici culture.

Saturday, 09 June, 12:00 am
Archive of the Archconfraternity of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini in Rome (in situ visit) – Dr. Julia Vicioso
The Florentine community in Rome, which included bankers, merchants, prelates, and artists, kept an archive, established by Leo X de' Medici in 1518, and it is located in the Church of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini. Containing more than 800 volumes of manuscripts from the XVI-XIX centuries generated by the three main Florentine institutions in Rome: the Church and Hospital, the Archconfraternity, and the Florentine Consulate, this archive is an important source for research on the history of diplomatic, social, economic, artistic and cultural events between Florence and Rome. The visit will be an opportunity to view important archival documents: diaries, inventories, financial and legal records, precious parchments and other rare documents, such as a volume relating directly to Leonardo da Vinci, but also research tools needed to begin an archival investigation.

11 June – 16 June (Week Two)

Monday, 11 June, 3:30-6:30 pm at Santa Maria Novella
Legal and Financial Archives - MAP STAFF
Exploration of forensic and financial records in Sienese archival collections, covering the period 1380-1550. Seen through the lenses of Sienese law and then Florentine law, topics will include jury verdicts, legal opinions, criminal indictments and inheritance disputes, along with financial documents regarding debts, loans, taxes and levies of various kinds, etc. Also under consideration will be state and church records such as birth, baptism, death, and marriage documents. Paleographic exercises to be conducted using birth and death certificates, tax registers, court documents, and account books.

Tuesday, 12 June, 3:30-6:30 pm at Santa Maria Novella Notarial Archives: Contracts and Wills – MAP STAFF A focused examination of legal contracts and wills in the notarial archives of Florence. Aspects to be treated include the notarial profession, the formulaic conventions of these legal documents, and their archival organization. Special emphasis will be given to the analysis of inventories found within wills. Paleographic exercises to be conducted with contracts and wills relating to art, artists, and collectors.

Wednesday, 13 June, 3:30-6:30 pm at Santa Maria Novella
Religious Archives: Convent of San Marco – MAP STAFF
Examination of specific typologies of documents housed in this archive and in other archives and libraries (such as ASF, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Archivio Generale dell'Ordine dei Predicatori) that illustrate the history and organization of this convent.

Thursday, 14 June, 3:30-6:30 pm at Santa Maria Novella Florence and Cultural Exchange: Mantua, Milan, Venice and Turin –Dr. Roberta Piccinelli
Analysis and discussion of the documentary material pertaining to the artistic and diplomatic exchanges between Florence and other major Early Modern Italian centers. The form and content of letters from Medici ambassadors and agents will be analyzed closely in the course of paleographic exercises.

Friday, 15 June, 3:30-6:30 pm at Santa Maria Novella
Architecture and Archives: Vasari’s Corridoio – Dr. Francesca Funis Discussion of the history of one of Florence’s most important structures: the Corridoio Vasariano. Emphasis will be placed on its planning, construction, and function and on the documentary evidence housed in the ASF. Maps and plans will also be examined.

Saturday, 16 June, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Archives in Siena – Dr. Elena Brizio
The Sienese archive is located in the Piccolomini Palace, overlooking the Piazza del Campo. The visit to this archive will include a tour of the archival collections, notable for containing the oldest surviving European birth records (from 1381), as well as a unique collection of biccherne, painted book covers that were originally made for administrative and financial books (dating from 1258 onward). We will also see some of the archive's most ancient documents, the earliest of which is from 771. Particularly interesting collections will be surveyed, such as the Notarile, Biccherna e Gabella (accounting books), Cabrei (maps) and the papers of the Spedale di Santa Maria della Scala, one of the oldest hospitals in Europe. It will be possible to study various typologies of archival material, which are a reflection of the Comune's political structure, and hence also its archival organization, which did not change despite the surrender to Florence in 1559.

Instructors

Maurizio Arfaioli (Ph.D., Warwick, History)
Alessio Assonitis (Ph.D., Columbia, Art History)
Nicoletta Baldini (Laurea, Firenze, Art History)
Elena Brizio (Ph.D., Firenze, History)
Luciano Cinelli (Laurea, Roma; Diploma, Scuola di Archivistica, Paleografia e Diplomatica, Archivio di Stato di Firenze)
Francesca Funis (Ph.D., Firenze, Architectural History)
Lisa Goldenberg Stoppato (Laurea, Firenze, Art History)
Roberta Piccinelli (Ph.D, Teramo, Art History)
Julia Vicioso (Ph.D., Roma, Architectural History; Diploma, Scuola Vaticana di Paleografia, Diplomatica e Archivistica)