Gli Etruschi nella memoria culturale britannica, tra Otto e Novecento: ovvero il sublime fascino di un braccialetto

The essay focuses on the British reception of Etruria from the 18th century, when painters, collectors, connoisseurs, and Grand Tourists acknowledged a style and civilization that was neither Greek nor Roman. It then takes into consideration 19th century travellers to Italy, and especially those who sought Etruria after the Campanari exhibition in London (1836-37). Among these, Elizabeth Hamilton Gray, and George Dennis. After their travelogues, and surveys, the essay focuses onn Hawthorne's 'The Marble Faun', and the role of the Etruscan bracelet in the story, as well as the discursive function of Etruscan objects in Walter Pater and Edith Wharton. John Ruskin's concept of Etruscan art occupies a substantial part of the essay, as it would inspire the response to the Etruscans of Henry James and D. H. Lawrence.