The inganno of Giuseppe Orologi. On Deception and Seduction in Art and Collecting

Abstract

This article deals with the dialogue on art and deception found within Giuseppe Orologi’s broader discussion of contemporary deception in his work on Inganno (published in Venice in 1562). Beginning with a brief overview of emblematic representations of the concept of inganno in Ripa and Alciati, I go on to examine Orologi’s reflections on contemporary Venetian anxieties about antiquities, authenticity and the perils of collecting in an age of artistic deception.