‘Objects bring us traces of life’: Cavaleri, Cernuschi and Giambattista Vico’s theory of history

Abstract This essay explores the profound impact of Giambattista Vico’s philosophy of history on two nineteenth-century museographic projects.1 The two collections are Michele Cavaleri’s museum in Milan and Enrico Cernuschi’s museum in Paris. Vico’s emphasis on historical knowledge as the key to understanding human civilization, and his unique approach to the aesthetics of primitive cultures influenced scholars and collectors interested in the origins of art and architecture throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. I first discuss the Milanese school of philosophy, which played a pivotal role in re-evaluating Vico’s contributions, and its impact on both Cavaleri and Cernuschi. The two collectors, deeply rooted in Milan’s intellectual circles, incorporated Vico’s ideas into their museums, which aimed to showcase the interconnectedness of art, culture and history. Their endeavours to advance the contextual understanding of works of art are discussed, shedding new light on the influence of Vico’s anthropological historicism on nineteenth-century thought and culture.