Italian history and the rise of fine arts. The monuments of the time of Carlo Alberto in the Chapel of the Holy Shroud in Turin in archival documents

In 1837-1850, King Carlo Alberto of Savoy Carignano in memory of his ancestors commissioned four large monuments for the Chapel of the Holy Shroud of Turin, a masterpiece of architect Guarino Guarini, to important and famous sculptor of the time: Amedeo VIII (Benedetto Cacciatori), Emanuele Filiberto (Pompeo Marchesi), Carlo Emanuele II (Innocenzo Fraccaroli) and Tommaso di Savoia Carignano (Giuseppe Gaggini). Based on archival documents, the essay focuses on the realization of the funeral monuments, analyzing the iconographic choices, the material used (marbles from Carrara and Piedmont), the work's difficulties, the installation in the Chapel. The letters written by the sculptors, who worked mainly in Milan and were in constant contact with the Royal House, tell the work's progress: the preparation of sketches and preliminary projects, the first sculptures, the variations, the transfer of the marbles to Turin and the final positioning in the Chapel of the Holy Shroud.