Title: Which Baroque? The Fortune of the Baroque in the Collections and Exhibitions of European and American Museums in the 20th Century

The Fortune of the Baroque in the Collections and Exhibitions of European and American Museums in the 20th Century is the research project the Fondazione 1563 launched in 2021 in the framework of its Study Program on the Age and Culture of the Baroque. The project aims to pursue the objectives of deepening and disseminating research outcomes on the Baroque Age through the annual fellowship grants for Advanced Studies, study days, seminars, conferences, research units on specific aspects, study groups, publications, digital products.

The 2021 and 2022 fellowship grants for Advanced Studies aimed to combine theoretical research on critical reception of artists and works of the Baroque Age (to be intended in the broadest chronological extension, in line with the 20th-century criticism) with ideas and thoughts arisen by crossing different points of view, such as history of exhibitions, museum displays and changes in the arrangements, dynamics of art markets and strategies of art collecting. In those past two editions, the approach was broad and horizontal, with the intention of fathoming whether, how and to what extent critical affirmation of the Baroque, the set of studies, and the current visual reception had also ensued from the long and difficult process of rediscovery of the 17th-and-18th-century figurative culture, which began at the beginning of the 20th century.

With the 2023 notice of competition, the Fondazione 1563 intends to continue along this research path and is therefore announcing four annual fellowships, three of which are dedicated to proposals that focus on the fortune and visual reception of the Baroque in public and private collections and in displays and arrangements of residences and museums, also highlighting comparisons with chronologically similar cases in Italy and abroad and paying attention to the art and antiques market and figures of connoisseurs, architects, conservators and restorers who have played a significant role in defining the 20th identity of the Baroque. For these fellowships, the preferential selection criterion will be the presentation of proposals focusing on the study of collections and arrangements in Piedmont.

The fourth fellowship grant will be dedicated to the case study of Palazzo D’Azeglio in Turin and will aim to investigate its history and, above all, its 20th layout, with reference to the above-mentioned themes. In fact, the Fondazione 1563 cultivates a specific interest in the noble residence designed by Michelangelo Garove, which over time has been the subject of numerous changes of ownership and re-arrangement and, in particular, of a heavy restoration of its spaces and decorations, commissioned between 1953 and 1956 by the owner.

By way of example only, projects may focus on the reconstruction of the use of rooms, historical restoration, decorations and collections in the historic house, as well as the investigation of documents relating to the building.

As per the nature of the research and the goals of the Study Program on the Age and Culture of the Baroque, the Fondazione 1563 may ask for candidates’ collaboration in digital humanities projects set up by the Fondazione 1563 itself. Therefore, applicants should possess adequate digital skills and familiarity with digital. Proposals will be evaluated also according to their dissemination potential, that is to say the accessibility of the project outcomes.

The project outcomes will be presented in a historical-critical essay and researchers will actively collaborate in conceiving collective projects.
Italian will be the default language of the research project, however the research outcomes may be drawn up in Italian, English, French or Spanish.

The call is open to post-doc applicants not exceeding the age of 40 years (by December 31, 2023) and holding a doctorate, a specialisation degree or a 2nd level specialised master’s degree from an Italian university, or equivalent degrees from an international university.

Applicants should normally be within 7 years of the award of their PhD or the above qualifications, or, at least, they must obtain them by December 31, 2023.

There are no nationality requirements.

The Fondazione 1563 encourages applications from scholars of all backgrounds. We welcome diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment.

The grants will cover one or more of the following disciplines and the proposals may be multi- or inter-disciplinary.

The following list is for example only and by no means exhaustive:

• social and demographic history
• political institutional history
• religious history and history of ecclesiastical institutions
• history of economics and economic thought
• history of science and technology
• history of literature
• history of philosophy
• music history
• theatre history
• theatre history
• cinema history
• art history
• history of architecture
• history of law

The following applications will not be considered:

• applications submitted by candidates who have been awarded other grants, funding or research fellowships, or other similar funding or benefits, concerning the same theme of the application submitted for this Fellowship
• applications concerning projects whose topic is not original; original topics may include extensions of scientific work already completed by the applicant
• applications concerning projects that cannot be recognized as research projects according to international scientific research standards

Each of the 4 Fellowships consists of an annual grant amounting to € 23,000 before taxes and other charges.

On top of that, a flat-rate reimbursement of €2,000 is envisaged for covering expenses related to materials, digital instruments, registration fees, access to databases, travel and accommodation expenses related to the Fellowship. The reimbursement will be paid out in three instalments, along with the grant instalments, included in the pay slip and taxed under the ordinary tax scheme.

The grant will have a duration of one year, starting on January 1, 2024, and ending on December 31, 2024. It may be extended for an additional quarter, at no additional charge for the Fondazione 1563 and with delayed payment to the grantee of the last instalment. Any extension requests must be submitted to the Scientific Committee at the Fondazione 1563 three months before the set date of completion. The Fondazione 1563 reserves any decisions on extension requests.

In addition to developing their own research projects, the grantees will actively collaborate in conceiving digital humanities products and in carrying out other connected research activities in the framework of Which Baroque? project.

The annual grant will be paid out in three instalments:

• the first, amounting to 40% of the overall grant, upon starting the grant (January 2024)
• the second, amounting to 30% of the overall grant, upon submission and evaluation of the half-year progress report
• the third, amounting to 30% of the overall grant, upon conclusion and evaluation of the research project.

Applications must be submitted exclusively online by filling in the forms available on the Fondazione 1563’s website at www.fondazione1563.it.

Applications or attachments sent by any other means will not be accepted.

Applications must be submitted by September 25, 2023 (midnight Italian/CET time)

Eligible applications will be evaluated by a committee of experts appointed by the Fondazione 1563, according to the applicant’s qualifications and the research project proposed. Selected applicants may be required to sit for an interview that will focus on the research proposal and the applicant’s scientific curriculum.

The research projects will be evaluated based on the following criteria (in no particular order):

1. coherence with the Call topic
2. originality, quality and scientific relevance of the research project
3. familiarity with concepts and methods
4. clear description of objectives, envisaged activities, expected outcomes and criticalities
5. contribution to the advancement of knowledge in international research
6. applicant’s capacity to establish relations with qualified Research Institutions
7. adequate planning in terms of research and implementation
8. interdisciplinary nature of the research project
9. dissemination and third mission (high scientific dissemination).

The Fellowships will be awarded by the Executive Board of Fondazione 1563. Fondazione 1563 reserves the right not to award all the Fellowships, in case the proposals submitted are deemed qualitatively inadequate. The winners will be announced in no particular order. The proposals that are not awarded grants will not be subject to classification.

The list of winners will be published no later than November 30, 2023, on the Fondazione 1563’s website, at www.fondazione1563.it.

The winners will be notified in writing and will be required to fill out and return the Fellowship Acceptance form, according to the terms contained therein, within 7 working days of reception of notification.

The Fellowships will begin on January 1, 2024, and will last for one year and may be extended according to the terms illustrated in par. 3.

The grant instalments will be paid out provided that the research activities are carried out and subject to Fondazione 1563 approval based on progress made.

Six months after awarding the Fellowship, the grantee will submit a written progress report (no more than 12,000 keystrokes including spaces) and sit for an interview to illustrate project updates to the Fondazione 1563 and/or to scientific experts appointed.

The grantees will submit a final project report within twelve months of awarding the Fellowship. The report will consist of a written scientific report containing at least 200,000 keystrokes (including spaces), in the languages outlined in par. 1 above. The report will include a bibliography, critical references (not included in the total keystroke count) and an abstract in both Italian and English no more than 12,000 keystrokes in length (including spaces).

The written report will be sent to the Fondazione 1563 in digital form.

The Fondazione 1563 may revoke the Fellowship, with an irrevocable decision, in case the research activity differs from or falls below the quality standards envisaged in the original project; the activities performed by the researcher have not been approved by the Fondazione 1563; the eligibility criteria are no longer met.

If the Fellowship is revoked or the project cannot be completed, any amounts that have already been paid out at that point in time will be returned to Fondazione 1563 within 30 days of notification to the grantee that the Fellowship has been revoked.

The research projects carried out under the Rosaria Cigliano Fellowship Program will be collected by the Fondazione 1563 in the Research Program Archives. The grantees will be invited to contribute to the Research Program Archives by submitting relevant research texts and materials and digital products.

The Archives will be located on the premises of the Fondazione 1563 and will be accessible to interested scholars. Fondazione 1563 will regulate access to the Archives while safeguarding.

To disseminate the research outcomes and to provide additional scientific recognition to the grantee, the Fondazione 1563 will publish the research papers or any updates thereof, in digital form, in the series “Alti Studi sull’Età e la Cultura del Barocco”, and the publication will be registered with ISBN Agencies. The research may also be published in the collection “Quaderni sull’Età e la Cultura del Barocco” curated by the Fondazione 1563.

To this end, by participating in the Call, the grantees authorize the Fondazione 1563 to publish their research papers and related images in digital form, without any additional earnings for the grantee, provided that the Fondazione 1563 will gain no financial profit from the said publication.

The grantees will notify the Fondazione 1563 of any other publication of the research activities carried out within the framework of this Fellowship, as well as the presentation thereof at conferences or seminars.

These will contain a reference to the fact that the research on which the publication or presentation is based was funded by a Fellowship grant awarded by the Fondazione 1563.

To facilitate the implementation of the research project funded through the Fellowships, the Fondazione 1563 may organize intermediate workshops to discuss progress made and problems arising in connection thereto. Upon completion of their research projects, the grantees will present their activity in public events that may be organized by the Fondazione 1563.