Digital Humanities

Digital Humanities and Archival Research

A long-term scholarly commitment to preservation, access, and knowledge transmission, grounded in archives and advanced research methods.

The Colnaghi Foundation's digital humanities initiatives are dedicated to the preservation, study, and responsible dissemination of knowledge conserved in historic archives. By supporting digitisation, documentation, and research-led access, the Foundation seeks to safeguard fragile sources while expanding scholarly engagement with the history of art and collecting.

The Colnaghi Archive
Core Focus

The Colnaghi Archive

At the centre of the Foundation's digital humanities work stands the Colnaghi Archive, the only historic art dealers' archive of its kind still in private ownership. The Archive represents an unparalleled resource for the study of the history of collecting, the art market, and the circulation of Old Masters over more than two centuries.

The Colnaghi Archive is conserved at Waddesdon Manor, the former residence of the late Jacob Rothschild, whose stewardship marked a significant chapter in Colnaghi's modern history.

The records comprise stock books, correspondence, exhibition catalogues, financial documents, and publications issued by Colnaghi and related figures. Together, these materials constitute a crucial source for scholars engaged in provenance research, market history, and the intellectual networks surrounding pre-twentieth-century art.

Research on the Archive has been published and contextualised by Professor Jeremy Howard, whose work provides a scholarly framework for understanding its scope and significance.

Vatican Apostolic Library
Major Partnership

Vatican Apostolic Library Partnership

In 2025, the Colnaghi Foundation entered into a long-term strategic convergence with the Vatican Apostolic Library through the establishment of the Association of the Patrons of the Vatican Apostolic Library (PVAL), a sub-charity of the Colnaghi Foundation.

The founding patrons of the PVAL committed to supporting a landmark project dedicated to the reorganisation and refurbishment of the Sezione Archivi of the Vatican Apostolic Library. This multi-year initiative addresses essential conservation needs, including the renewal of internal structures, the introduction of new shelving systems, and the installation of climate control, ensuring the long-term preservation of the Archive. The project is supported by a new architectural plan developed by a leading international architect.

The Sezione Archivi comprises approximately 100,000 archival units, spanning from the tenth to the twentieth century. Many of these documents remain largely unexplored and hold exceptional value for future research in art history, ecclesiastical history, and the history of collecting.

The project, planned over five years, will create a more suitable environment for both the preservation of the collections and the work of the Library's scholars and staff. The Patrons recognise the importance of this undertaking for future generations and are honoured to contribute to the safeguarding of this extraordinary archive.

Factum Foundation - Scanning Factum Foundation - Documentation
Technology Partnership

Factum Foundation Collaboration

The Colnaghi Foundation's commitment to digital humanities also includes collaboration with the Factum Foundation, notably through the Bartolini scanning project at the Vatican. This initiative applied advanced recording technologies to support the documentation, study, and preservation of sculptural and archival material, demonstrating how technical expertise can serve scholarly and conservation-led objectives.