Deconstructing "Lombard Identity"?

Abstract

This introduction presents the outcomes of the Parma conference held within the PRIN 2022 project Deconstructing “Lombard Identity”, dedicated to reassessing the historiographical paradigm of twelfth-century “Lombard” sculpture. Building on an extensive mapping of both published and unpublished sculptural materials in contemporary Lombardy, the project confronts long-standing narratives through a critical, transnational lens. Rather than dismantling the concept of a Lombard sculptural identity, the initiative adopts a “deconstructivist” approach, re-examining inherited categories while proposing new interpretative frameworks. The proceedings aim to provide an updated platform for future research, anticipating further developments emerging from the concluding 2025 conference in Pavia and Milan.