Journal of Art Historiography (Dec 2019)
Josip Mantuani, First Slovenian student at the Vienna School of Art History and his long obscurity within Slovenian art historiography
Abstract
Josip Mantuani was the first Slovenian student at the Vienna School of Art History. Yet after his passing he was forgotten by his own profession for a long time. Important aspect which influenced how his work was assessed in the past is connected with the circumstances surrounding his professional and scientific work. Another reason for Mantuani’s oblivion lies in his personal relationships with the younger generation of art historians, France Stele, Izidor Cankar and Vojeslav Mole. A thorough reading of Stele’s obituaries for Mantuani provides a clear enough picture of how he was perceived as an art historian by his younger colleagues but is also interesting in the light of the subsequent development of the historiographical treatment of Mantuani’s work.
