Abstract
The paper investigates the visual testament by Luca Riva, a mute and
deaf artist who studied in Milan under Camillo Procaccini. Dated 9
September 1624, the document consists of twelve folios bound together in
a small volume. On the sheets, ten brown-ink drawings illustrate the
beneficiaries of Riva’s testament, identifying the inheritance intended
for them. Conserved in the Archivio di Stato in Milan, the document is
the only testament known to have been made exclusively of visual
elements and represents an invaluable source for the study of
seventeenth-century Milan. Luca Riva’s testament casts a light on the
interconnections between art practice and disability in the early modern
period, and emphasizes the predominant role held in Milan by the
Procaccini, a family of Bolognese painters who were instrumental in the
evolution of Lombard art in the age of Archbishops Carlo and Federico
Borromeo.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 222-251 |
| Number of pages | 30 |
| Journal | Renaissance Studies |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Early online date | 17 May 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2022 |
Scopus Subject Areas
- Cultural Studies
- History
- Visual Arts and Performing Arts
- Religious studies
- Literature and Literary Theory
User-Defined Keywords
- art practice and disability in the early modern period
- early modern Milan
- Il testamento di Luca Riva