Obizzi, Asburgo, Este: strategie artistico-culturali fra Serenissima, Stato di Milano e Ducato di Modena dall’Antico Regime alla Restaurazione

The research focuses on two different cases of XVIIth-XVIIIth century patronage destined to interlace during Napoleonic times: the art politics promoted by Modena dukes’ last generation, which started the Austrian-Este House, and the art interests of the Obizzi family. They became part of the aristocracy in the XVIIth century thanks to military and diplomatic services in Italian courts and in Wien, though they settled in Venetian mainland from XVIth century. The most recent studies related to the acquisition of the whole Obizzi’s collection and of their properties by Habsburg-Este dinasty, according to a clause included in the will of the last descendant, Tommaso (1751-1803), concentrated on artworks destinations between the Modena dukes’ collections and the Emperial ones and their musealization during the last quarter of the XIXth-first half of the XXth centuries. The thesis studied the political rise and patronage course of the Obizzi family from the second half of the XVIth to the end of the XVIIIth century functional to create a system of relationships which represents the real premises for the XIXth-XXth century events. The cultural family’s investment culminated in the building of the Catajo Palace (Battaglia Terme) and the Padua public theatre. They had been considered useful means for their political achievement on a European scale which reached the top thanks to the carreer of Emperial feldmarshal Ferdinando (1640-1710). The paradigmatic collecting interest of the last dinasty descendant Tommaso can be considered an expression of international XVIIIth century taste. His profile can be included in the diffusion of the phenomenon referring to the fields of antiquarianism, natural science and the “primitives” rediscovery, as shown by the many different collector figures from the Milanese and Mantuan districts and from the Veronese and Venetian ones presented as comparisons. The rich aristocracy patronage framework proposed has been compared with the the artistic poltics supported by Austrian-Este courts in Modena and Milan. New points of view emerged on Francesco III (1698-1780). The duke of Modena’s governement was considered negatively by historians, both for his political management, expecially for his “responsibility” of giving up his state to Habsburg, and for the lack of interest in art patronage. Though his decision to sell the most precious paintings of the Estense Gallery to Augustus III king of Poland, since the second quarter of the XVIIIth century the Este prince commissioned the new palace of Rivalta (Reggio Emilia) and the restoration of many court buildings in Modena and surroundings. Later he promoted the realisation of the Estense palace in Varese and various measures of public interest both in Lombardy and in the Estense territories. His political choices had to be interpreted considering the XVIIIth century ruler mentality which preferred to grant the State survival at almost any cost. The selling of the Este collection has to be regarded as well, before the last agreement with Maria Theresa, as an attempt to carry out dynastic survival through Saxon prince-electors. The archducal couple’s patronage in Milan, a key-role town in the Empire estate, was stricktly connected with new art and architectural tendencies in Wien. Austrian Lombardy had been characterized by different interpretations of Neoclassicism. Ferdinand (1754-1806) and Maria Beatrice (1750-1829) had even relationships with progressive intellectual circles outstide the Milanese state such as those of Ippolito Pindemonte and Isabella Teotochi Albrizzi. During the Napoleonic age and in the Restoration the role as art patron of the princess emerged both as member of the Habsburg court and as the last duchess of the Este House.