Early April, publication of a book of Jean-Luc Dousset, at the Editions Jeanne d'Arc, dedicated to the greatest collector of archaeological pieces that existed: Giampietro Campana.
“Giampietro Campana the curse of the anticomane” traces the existence of this character out of the ordinary !
Giovanni Pietro Campana is not a collector. It is the collector !
Born in Rome in 1808, This Italian Aristocrat, became Director of the Mount of piety in his hometown in 1833 has constituted the most important collection of antiques and works of art ever in less than thirty years !
He loses the reason by updating the treasures, thousands of gold jewelry that contain etruscan tombs !
The anticomanie devours ! It is prey to fever…
Giovanni Pietro Campana is in turn archaeologist, art dealer, Patron… and Director of the Mount of piety.
Giovanni Pietro Campana is thus constitutes a unique collection… with more of 15.000 art objects, Etruscan jewellery, Greek and Roman pottery, the majolica but also tables, paintings of the Italian primitives of the Renaissance…
He needs money, It has more, the Mount of piety has.
Cardinal Antonelli, who has not supported the appointment of Giampietro Campana en 1833 at the head of the Mount of piety in Rome takes his revenge almost twenty-five years later.
Order, San Michele prison, in Rome, the marquis Campana di Cavelli is sentenced to twenty years of galleys for misappropriation of public funds…
He was the master of Rome, There is more nothing.
Therefore, Giampietro Campana will attend parts of its collection development, become the prey of the States.
But, soon, en 1861, the France acquires the majority of works of art !
Can finally return to Rome after the fall of the Papal States, It will endeavour to obtain redress, the name of justice.
But his fate is sealed.
In the galleries of the Louvre, in many museums in France, in Belgium, in London, in Russia, to the Hermitage, When the doors are closed, Sometimes a strange visitor…
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