Murray Seminar: Ancient History in the Sacro Bosco at Bomarzo: Invention, Forgery and Authenticity - Thalia Allington-Wood
When:
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Venue:
Online
In the second half of the sixteenth century, Pier Francesco (Vicino) Orsini commissioned the Sacro Bosco in the valley below his residence at Bomarzo. An idiosyncratic sculptural “garden” in which giant marvels were carved out of local volcanic rock, the Sacro Bosco was a space that inventively and critically engaged with the region’s Etruscan past. This paper explores how the site presents a playful antiquarianism through its statues and mock-ruins when placed in relation to the wealth of genuine archaeological remains found within Orsini owned territory and shifting ideas concerning history writing, forgery and authenticity in cinquecento Italy.
Contact name:
Laura Jacobus
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Thalia Allington-Wood
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Dr Thalia Allington-Wood is Lecturer in Art History 1300-1700 and convenor of the Art History programmes at The Warburg Institute, University of London. Her research is currently focused on two main areas of interest. One: the materiality and wider viewing environments of art objects, particularly sculpture, in relation to their making and reception, and the intersections between art, ecology and natural history. Two: the historiography and afterlives of early modern art in early twentieth century film, photography and exhibitions. She completed her PhD at University College London (UCL) in 2019 and her research has been supported to date by awards from the AHRC, the Society of Architectural Historians, the Sixteenth Century Society and fellowships at UCLA and Dumbarton Oaks, Harvard University. Prior to joining the Warburg Institute in September 2021, Thalia held teaching and research positions at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, UCL and Oxford Brookes University.