Arduino Colasanti e ‘l’arte bisantina’ in Italia

This paper provides a monographic study focused entirely on work and methodology of Arduino Colasanti (1877-1935) as a scholar of Byzantine art. The research analyzes his writings and readings as a Byzantinist, supplemented by archival materials – both published and previously unpublished – to situate his contributions within the broader cultural and intellectual currents of his time. Particular attention is paid to the alignment (or divergence) of his interpretations from contemporary understandings of Byzantine art. The primary aim of this study is to examine how Byzantine art was presented to the Italian public in the early twentieth century through the lens of a single but institutionally prominent scholar. Colasanti’s best-known work, L’arte bisantina in Italia (1912), prefaced by his mentor Corrado Ricci, focuses on Italian monuments, particularly those along the Adriatic coast. Yet several entries in this volume no longer qualify as Byzantine art by modern standards, while key categories like monumental and panel painting are conspicuously absent. Although Colasanti’s engagement with Byzantium declined as his ministerial responsibilities increased, it did not disappear completely. His scholarship unfolded during a pivotal period for art history in Italy, shaping its pedagogical foundations and canonical texts – a discipline central to the protection, conservation, and promotion of Italy’s cultural heritage.