Between Rule and Practice. The Dynamics of the Antiquities Market of the Kingdom of Naples in the Second Half of the 18th Century, and Two Episodes concerning Ferdinando Galiani and William Hamilton

In the Kingdom of Naples, the antiquities market was not regulated until the middle of the century, but the peculiarities of this legislation and its changes over time only partly affected the commercial mobility of finds from the diggings. At a time when the southern provinces were asserting themselves as centres of supply for the major Italian and European collections, the gap between rule and practice offers a privileged perspective for observing the dynamics of the market, its protagonists and co-players, and enables us to unveil some unexpected modes of operation and behaviour, such as Ferdinando Galiani in the role of an intermediary disguised as a collector, or William Hamilton as a buyer of artefacts stolen from the Royal collections. The osmosis between collecting, dealers, academic and institutional circles saw the same actors playing different roles at different times, defending the Court's protectionist interests or actively participating in the flourishing local art market.