Happy Holidays

English page with the last event

THE SABAUD BALLETS FROM THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY OF TURIN
ON THE CENTENARY OF THE BIRTH OF MERCEDES VIALE FERRERO
Turin, National University Library
11 april – 28 june 2024

Turin, 3 April 2024 – On the centenary of the birth of Mercedes Viale Ferrero (1924-2019), an internationally recognized scholar of the arts of the stage, the National University Library of Turin is presenting an exhibition of some of the most relevant and identifiable documents from its collections: the codices of the ballets danced at the Savoy court at the time of the two Madame Royales, Marie Christine of France (1606-1663) and Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy Nemours (1644-1724).

The exhibition, entitled ‘La fuga del tempo un ballo sia’.  I balletti sabaudi della Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria di Torino nel centenario della nascita di Mercedes Viale Ferrero, is promoted by the University of Turin – Department of Historical Studies and Department of Humanistic Studies – and the National University Library of Turin, with the collaboration of ABNUT – Associazione Amici della Biblioteca.

The ten codices conserved at the ‘Nazionale’, part of a corpus of which 14 albums are known, were the object of investigation by Mercedes Viale Ferrero, who dedicated to them the monograph “Feste delle Madame Reali di Savoia” (Turin, 1965), still fundamental for those who wish to approach the world of Baroque courts.
The work – later taken up by the scholar on other occasions – is based not only on the stylistic analysis of the images, but also on the examination of archival and historical documentation and the writings of Emanuele Tesauro, Valeriano Castiglione, Claude-François Me nestrier, and Filippo d’Aglie, which clarify the cultural context in which these performances flourished.
It is precisely from the volume Feste delle Madame Reali di Savoia (Feasts of the Royal Madames of Savoy) that the captions that accompany the exhibits are taken: the albums are thus narrated in the words of Mercedes Viale Ferrero.
The precious illuminated codices, the work of the court calligrapher Tommaso Borgonio, hand down the poetic texts and illustrate the entrances of the dancers who, with their sumptuous and sometimes bizarre costumes, move against the background of specially constructed and painted scenes or appear on spectacular theatrical machines. Of the six codices, the exhibition also displays all the musical evidence we know of today: specifically the manuscript parts intended for musicians, equally refined in both workmanship and decoration.

The opening of the exhibition takes place on Wednesday 10 April 2024 at 4 p.m.
in the Auditorium Vivaldi (Piazza Carlo Alberto, 5)

EXHIBITION INFO
“La fuga del tempo un ballo sia”. The Savoy ballets of the National University Library of Turin on the centenary of the birth of Mercedes Viale Ferrero
Turin, National University Library, Juvarra Exhibition Hall (piazza Carlo Alberto, 3)
11 April – 28 June 2024

Hours: Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Free entrance

Info: bu-to.eventi@cultura.gov.it

Website: https://bnuto.cultura.gov.it/

Social:
FB bnutorino
IG bibliotecanazionaletorino