Le Regole per l’Accademia di pittura, scultura e architettura istituita da Federico Borromeo | The Regole for the Academy of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture Established by Federico Borromeo

Abstract

Based on the fundamental studies of Giorgio Nicodemi (1957) and Giulio Bora (1997), as well as subsequent updates, the essay begins with a reconstruction of the events that led Federico Borromeo to establish the Academia del Disegno within the Ambrosiana (June 25, 1620), highlighting the role of some collaborators (Guido Mazenta and Girolamo Brosieri) and the connection with the expansion of the architectural complex and the donation of the cardinal’s art collection (1618). This is followed by a reflection on the Congregatio founded by Borromeo for the restoration of sacred buildings in the Archdiocese of Milan, and on its Constitutiones promulgated in the same year the Academy was opened. Still lacking a systematic study are the various printed and manuscript versions of the Academy’s Rules, produced and preserved in the Ambrosiana, whose variations help understand the developments and objectives that motivated Federico in founding this place of training for artists and architects, closely tied to the overall program of the Ambrosiana and the pastoral mission in the diocese.