Art of Politics, Politics of the Arts. Luigi Girolamo Malabaila di Canale, Art Collector and Agent (FWF Hertha-Firnberg-Project T1203)
Departing from the case study of Luigi Girolamo Malabaila Conte di Canale (1704–1773), who was for nearly forty years Sabaudian ambassador in Vienna, the research project will focus on the wider cultural context and collecting cultures in Vienna in the 18th century. The aristocratic provenance of Malabaila di Canale, his fine education together with his role as ambassador and his broad interests in art and literature make him a unique example as a patron of the arts and as collector, who acted as assiduous agent of the cultural and artistic exchange between Turin and Vienna. His collection, which was dispersed after his death, had included more than 100 paintings not only by old masters but also by coeval artists, indicating Malabaila’s contact with a lively international network of artists, agents and connoisseurs. He was a close friend of the poet Metastasio and they both actively participated in the cultural life of the city and were part of a literary circle that discussed not only new books and publications but also arts, science, philosophy, religion and politics. On the subject of these readings and discussions, Malabaila composed the “Comptes de mes reflexions et de lectures rendus à moi même”, which ranks among the most interesting documents for an understanding of him as a man, ambassador as well as a patron and collector.
