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The legitimacy of slavery, deeply rooted in classical and Christian culture, was called into question starting from the 18th century. It was a slow process, that had to relate to the peculiar forms the slavery institution got with the European colonisation of America in the Modern Age, that is the workforce imported from sub-Saharan Africa. This process was influenced by economic and political aspects and got a turning point on the intellectual history point of view when the problem of the universal acknowledgment of natural rights of men arose. This history did not concern the colonial powers solely, and this volume explores an unknown field about it, that is the Italian Enlightenment culture’s contribution to the transnational antislavery thought. In their writings, the Illuministi – and Southern reformers most of all – bumped into the colonial slavery matter, focusing on economic science, history, ancient and contemporary political treaties and on the definition of reforms inspired by the principles of natural rights. The black slave got the anti-model of the human emancipation project of political Enlightenment and, at the end of the century, of the revolutionary «regeneration». Human trafficking and the violation of natural rights were, for Italian antislaverists, the «infamous commerce».

Slavery --- Human rights --- Eighteenth century --- Filippo Mazzei --- Matteo Galdi --- Business

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According to Carlo Ginzburg, culture is not only the scholars’ knowledge, but it is also made of all the mixture of a population attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. In this sense, objects are one of the culture’s main expressions. Using materiality as a key, the volume analyses the history of the Neapolitan society during the Eighteenth century in some of its multiple articulations: aristocracy, law men, middle class, lower class. The idea of defining the strata of the ancien regime society is now considered unfeasible, partly because the criteria of definition and legitimation were multiple and different at the time: legal certifications, occupation, geographical origin, wealth. In this complicated universe, owning specific goods was part of the process of definition of the individual affiliation to a group, in terms of having a similar life style, as well as adopting the same ideals. The objects, inherited and annotated into inventories, useful to understand this phaenomenon, were not only precious dresses and jewels, but also iron spoons, lead cruxes, or glass beads. Despite their physical features, the value of these goods was not just economic; it stands also in the symbolic meaning they carried. La cultura, come ha affermato Carlo Ginzburg, non è solo la sapienza dei dotti, ma anche quel «complesso di atteggiamenti, credenze, codici di comportamento» che caratterizza una popolazione. Una delle sue espressioni fondamentali è costituita dagli oggetti. Utilizzando la materialità come chiave di accesso, il volume indaga la storia della società napoletana durante il Settecento in alcune delle sue molteplici articolazioni: aristocrazia, togati, ceto medio e popolo. L’idea di definire con precisione le componenti della società di antico regime si è ormai dimostrata utopistica, anche perché i criteri di definizione e di legittimazione erano allora molteplici e variegati: attestazioni giuridiche, occupazione, provenienza geografica, potere economico. In questo complicato universo, il possesso di specifici beni costituiva un elemento importante nel definire l’appartenenza degli individui a un gruppo, in quanto assunzione di un comune stile di vita, ma soprattutto in quanto condivisione di elementi ideali. Le ricchezze da cui è possibile cogliere queste dinamiche socio-culturali, lasciate in eredità e annotate negli inventari, non erano solo costituite da sontuosi gioielli o abiti sfarzosi; potevano essere anche cucchiai di ferro, crocifissi di piombo o perle di vetro colorato. Eppure, quali che fossero le loro caratteristiche, gli oggetti non avevano solo un valore economico, ma erano anche portatori di significati simbolici.

History --- Material Culture --- Naples --- Social History --- Eighteenth Century --- Inventories

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Eighteenth century --- Classicism --- Dix-huitième siècle --- Classicisme

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Capodimonte was the first Palace of Neapolitan Dinasty “Borbone”, but it was neglected due to the rise of Portici and Caserta’s Royal Palaces, therefore, it was built very slowly. It was completed only a century after the laying of the foundation stone (1738). After so long times, which saw the succession of several architects aiming the leadership to the royal site, some of them were quite famous among the most representative figures of Architecture and Art History in Naples, across Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries. The Royal Site was originally meant as Hunting reserve nearby the Capital and significant place of rest for the young Carlo di Borbone (Charles of Bourbon), who two years later decided to build a Royal Palace too. That decision was intended to amend the territorial aspects of Neapolitan northern hill, also to influence the urban layout before the unification of Italy. This study, based on a careful documentary and iconographic research, highlights the complex development of the palace and its park which are still paying a high price for the most controversial aspects of the project and its execution, emerged since the beginnings.

Neapolitan nineteenth-century architecture --- Neapolitan eighteenth-century architecture

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According to Carlo Ginzburg, culture is not only the scholars’ knowledge, but it is also made of all the mixture of a population attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. In this sense, objects are one of the culture’s main expressions. Using materiality as a key, the volume analyses the history of the Neapolitan society during the Eighteenth century in some of its multiple articulations: aristocracy, law men, middle class, lower class. The idea of defining the strata of the ancien regime society is now considered unfeasible, partly because the criteria of definition and legitimation were multiple and different at the time: legal certifications, occupation, geographical origin, wealth. In this complicated universe, owning specific goods was part of the process of definition of the individual affiliation to a group, in terms of having a similar life style, as well as adopting the same ideals. The objects, inherited and annotated into inventories, useful to understand this phaenomenon, were not only precious dresses and jewels, but also iron spoons, lead cruxes, or glass beads. Despite their physical features, the value of these goods was not just economic; it stands also in the symbolic meaning they carried. La cultura, come ha affermato Carlo Ginzburg, non è solo la sapienza dei dotti, ma anche quel «complesso di atteggiamenti, credenze, codici di comportamento» che caratterizza una popolazione. Una delle sue espressioni fondamentali è costituita dagli oggetti. Utilizzando la materialità come chiave di accesso, il volume indaga la storia della società napoletana durante il Settecento in alcune delle sue molteplici articolazioni: aristocrazia, togati, ceto medio e popolo. L’idea di definire con precisione le componenti della società di antico regime si è ormai dimostrata utopistica, anche perché i criteri di definizione e di legittimazione erano allora molteplici e variegati: attestazioni giuridiche, occupazione, provenienza geografica, potere economico. In questo complicato universo, il possesso di specifici beni costituiva un elemento importante nel definire l’appartenenza degli individui a un gruppo, in quanto assunzione di un comune stile di vita, ma soprattutto in quanto condivisione di elementi ideali. Le ricchezze da cui è possibile cogliere queste dinamiche socio-culturali, lasciate in eredità e annotate negli inventari, non erano solo costituite da sontuosi gioielli o abiti sfarzosi; potevano essere anche cucchiai di ferro, crocifissi di piombo o perle di vetro colorato. Eppure, quali che fossero le loro caratteristiche, gli oggetti non avevano solo un valore economico, ma erano anche portatori di significati simbolici.

Material Culture --- Naples --- Social History --- Eighteenth Century --- Inventories