Le “macchine” del Triduo. Questioni di devozione e problemi di conservazione e restauro

The contribution takes into consideration the "macchine" of the triduum, the spectacular wooden and papier-mâché scenic architectures prepared on the occasion of the three days of prayers offered for the souls of the dead, a rite introduced in the Catholic liturgy in the Counter-Reformation age. This rite was often celebrated by the middle of the carnival as a Christian antithesis to the profane festivities in this period of the year. The apparatus is an articulated and complex frame, whose abandonment with the consequent loss or transformation of plenty of its pieces, is due to several problems of preservation and restoration of its particular constituent parts often spoiled by use or damaged by the frequent fires of the wooden parts in contact with the flames of the candles. The work examines some artefacts within the area of Brescia (where the tradition of the triduum had a great diffusion from the early 18th century) and proposes their census and their detailed reading to favour their restoration and increase their value, as they are devotions proofs that summarize ancient traditions and represent documents of great historical and artistic importance