Thesis title: Adamo, Scipione, Giulio Tadolini. Per un catalogo delle opere (1818-1918)
The Tadolini family is one of the most emblematic artistic dynasties of nineteenth and early twentieth-century Rome. For exactly one hundred years, three generations of sculptors followed one another in running the studio founded by the patriarch Adamo (1788-1868) in 1818, at the corner of via dei Greci and via del Babuino: in addition to Adamo himself, his son Scipione (1822-1898), and Scipione’s son, Giulio (1849-1918). Each of them succeeded in renewing the family tradition, becoming, each in his own way, a leading figure in the artistic life of Rome. This rare continuity suggests the possibility of observing a century of sculpture in Rome reflected in the microcosm of the Tadolini studio. The first proposal for a critical catalogue of the three sculptors – conceived with the aim of reconstructing as thoroughly as possible every aspect of that sort of treasure chest which still stands at the corner of Via dei Greci and via del Babuino – is intended as a preparatory step toward future research that seeks to test this idea.