Scope and Content of Collection
The collection, dated 1948-1996, is comprised of research notes, an extensive fototeca or photograph archive and correspondence,
which document the career and research interests of Italian art historian Luigi Salerno (1924-1992). With particular emphasis
on the Italian baroque, major areas of interest documented in this collection include: Giovanni Lanfranco, Gaspard Dughet,
Salvator Rosa, Guercino, Caravaggio and Italian still life, view and landscape painting, as well as materials related to the
preservation of artistic patrimony in Rome and Lazio. Lanfranco, Rosa, Guercino and Caravaggio constitute major portions of
the research files, while still life, view and landscape painters, particularly minor masters, comprise the bulk of the images
in the fototeca. Together, the correspondence, expert opinions, research files and photograph files, revolve largely around
questions of attribution and connoisseurship.
The types of materials found in the collection include photographs, transparencies, research notes, correspondence, clippings,
offprints, and photocopies. Salerno gathered most of these materials as he conducted research for his numerous publications.
With some exceptions, these materials tend to focus on the geographical area of Rome, Italy and its surrounds. Salerno also
received a large number of letters and photographs from colleagues and collectors, who sought his opinion regarding attribution.
Salerno's research notes demonstrate his methodical work habits, with numerous archival references, object checklists, citations,
biographical information on artists and a vast number of images, often stamped or annotated. These notes and Salerno's immense
fototeca were used when planning exhibitions, drafting catalog entries and authoring articles or monographs. The papers also
contain releases for images, bulletins, galleys, proofs, etchings, postcards, periodicals, receipts, radiographs, sketches,
press releases, inventories, affidavits, business cards, appraisals, loan forms and auction catalogs, as well as a small number
of technical examinations, insurance records, slides, floor plans and one piece of paper money.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in four series:
Series I. Correspondence, 1948-1996, undated;
Series II. Expert opinions, 1975-1984, undated;
Series III. Research files, 1950-1992, undated;
Series IV. Photographs, undated.
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