The Corazzi collection:Letters from Cortona and Leiden

In 1826 Caspar J.C. Reuvens purchased the first Etruscan collection of Northwestern Europe for his Cabinet of Antiquities, the predecessor of the current Dutch National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden. The Etruscan collection of primarily bronze figurines was brought together by Galeotto Ridolfini Corazzi, a patrician who lived in Cortona between 1690 and 1768. Much has been written about the sale of this collection to the Dutch museum in the 19th century, but little is known about the context in which these objects were collected in 18th century Italy. Through the examination of the letters of correspondence that Corazzi sent to Antonio Francesco Gori and Alessandro Gregorio Capponi, this study investigates the history of the collection in Italy, and the motives for its purchase by Reuvens.