The art of importation

Cagliari, chiesa di San Michele, cartolina, stampa, particolare (ante 1905). Da raccolta di ISRE Sardegna, in Sardegna DigitalLibrary

The passage of the Kingdom of Sardinia from the Habsburgs of Spain to Savoy, as far as the discourse on artistic products is concerned, does not entail substantial changes in traditional relations with Italian cities in the Mediterranean, except, of course, for the inclusion in the cultural framework of the aesthetic choices of the new rulers.
Despite the persistence of an Iberian-derived artistic taste, as far as commissions are concerned, we are witnessing a progressive detachment from Spain and an intensification of relations with Naples, Genoa and Rome.
Therefore, the importation of Iberian works continues, although their diffusion takes place in the small towns of the interior, peripheral stations where the resistance opposed to the political and cultural innovations of the new government is stronger and where it is easier to escape the control put in place in the larger centers.
In fact, the will of the Piedmontese ruling class to make radical changes within the concept of art that has prevailed in Sardinia is immediately clear, as demonstrated by the role entrusted to military engineers who, in addition to dealing with the reorganization of the fortifications and coastal towers, oversee the construction of churches, convents and civil buildings, thus progressively replacing the Gothic construction systems of the “picapedrers” and master masons with Piedmontese ones, with repercussions also on the choice of materials.
However, it is a centralizing cultural policy that only slowly ends up affecting the cultural fabric.

Update

5/8/2025 - 15:23