La Collezione "Jatta" di Ruvo di Puglia: dispersione, recupero e valorizzazione di un patrimonio culturale

The Jatta collection in Ruvo di Puglia, housed in the Museum of the same name, represents one of the most important ancient collections of ceramics in existence. The collection, formed between 1820 and 1835 thanks to the brothers Giovanni and Giulio Jatta and further enriched by their heirs, includes over two thousand finds, recovered by the Jatta family and rescued from the sacking that the Ruvo’s necropoles suffered during the 19th century. This Master’s dissertation aims to contribute to the enhancement of this collection through the study of a group of red-figure vases made by the Apulian workshop of the Patera and Ganymede painters (late 4th century BC), many examples of which are preserved in the Museum: the location of the painters’ workshop and the intended marketing sector for their vases is, at present, still under discussion. A contribution towards the possible solution to this problem is to be found in this project which aims to carry out the archaeometric investigation of these ceramic artefacts. Indeed, such an analysis of the clays used to shape the vases, could provide new elements relating to the location of the supply basin of the raw materials used by ceramic artists, and could represent a step forward towards establishing the possible location of the workshop.