La corrispondenza epistolare come rete di conoscenza, dibattito e azione Le riflessioni sulle arti e sulla tutela di Philip Webb, Giacomo Boni e John Ruskin

Taking as reference point the figure of John Ruskin, we intend to explore in this paper the relationship between two interesting personalities of the European artistic world at the end of the 19thcentury, Philip Webb and Giacomo Boni. Through the correspondence of these scholars held in Italian and British Archives, we consider here a variety of topics concerning the political heritage, literary and art-historical debates in modern Europe. In particular the epistolary reports and archival documentation, relating to the inspections upon monuments carried out by Boni throughout the Italian territory, reveal a sympathetic reception of the Ruskinian theories and indications concerning restoration, albeit with an application ‘tempered’ by the need to realize concrete and effective solutions respecting and safeguarding a monument.