Genius and Skill

The exhibition aims to better define the history of furniture making in Piedmont between the 18th and 19th centuries through a display of art pieces of exceptional relevance crafted by the finest cabinet-makers and sculptors of the time (Luigi Prinotto, Pietro Piffetti, Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo, and Gabriele Capello known as “il Moncalvo”), some of which will be presented for the first time thanks to loans from important Piedmontese and international museums and collections: two centuries of history of furniture in around 130 works.

The purpose of the exhibit is to familiarize the public with precious cabinet making and inlay works, to appreciate their significance, use, and transformations with technical and scientific insights and multimedia installations. The exhibition tells the story of an elegant, cultivated and complex craft that developed in Turin to cater to the needs of important royal and aristocratic patrons, in conjunction with other arts.

Special care has been adopted to design a display that is accessible also to disabled visitors, including scale models, touch tablets, olfactory islands, and an Italian Sign Language video-guide. Moreover, description panels and labels are written in the EasyReading font, that is highly readable and facilitates reading for dyslexic persons.

Exhibition organized by: Consorzio Residenze Reali Sabaude

In collaboration with: La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Center

Organizing and Scientific committee: Cesare Annibaldi, Roberto Antonetto, Clelia Arnaldi di Balme, Elisabetta Ballaira, Enrico Colle, Stefania De Blasi, Silvia Ghisotti, Luisa Papotti, Carla Enrica Spantigati

Coordinated by: Carlo Callieri