Dr Barbara Furlotti and Dr Guido Rebecchini will discuss their recent experience of curating an exhibition on Renaissance design at the Palazzo Te, Mantua. Inaugurated in October 2022, the exhibition includes objects in different media and the largest selection of design drawings by Giulio Romano assembled so far. Displayed in close connection with the palace’s mural decorations, the exhibits – which include drawings, prints, silverware, paintings and tapestry – bring to the visitors’ attention their multiple roles as markers of distinction, conversation pieces, functional elements and manifestation of artistic innovation.
Central to this project was the speakers’ collaboration with Factum Arte, which has led to reconstruct five three-dimensional objects based on Giulio’s drawings.
Barbara Furlotti is an Associate Lecturer at the Courtauld, a curator and a researcher with extensive international experience. Her scholarly interests include the history of collecting and display, the early-modern art market, along with issues of materiality and design. Her latest book is Antiquities in Motion: From Excavation Sites to Renaissance Collections (Getty Publications, 2019).
Guido Rebecchini is Reader in Sixteenth-Century Southern European Art at The Courtauld. His research focuses on sixteenth-century Italy, and has published on the arts at Mantua, Florence and Rome, including patronage, collecting, and artistic practices. His last book, The Rome of Paul III: Art, Ritual and Urban Development (Harvey Miller), was published in 2020.
