Le strategie di san Giuseppe Calasanzio per gli "abbellimenti" delle Scuole Pie

The contribution, made from research carried out in the archives of the general curia of the Scolopians (Piarist Order) in Rome, proposes some reflections on the strategies for decoration and embellishment of schools and churches elaborated by St. Joseph Calasanzio, the founder of the Order, at the beginning of the 17th century. The text analyzes the ways in which technical skills and artistic materials were passed on in the different branches of the Order, so as to support a rich and differentiated production of art objects characterized by the needs of economy and self-sufficiency. The transition of these artifacts, often characterized by poor but sumptuous-looking materials, from ephemeral apparatus to permanent resource contributes to highlight a multiplicity of spaces and actors ofthe material culture. Furthermore, the possibility of a geographic separation between the places of invention and those of execution highlights production strategies which show aspects of relevant modernity.