Portrait of Alberto Douglas Scotti. Painted after 1781

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Comment by J Ruaidri Douglas on August 7, 2023 at 7:32

Count Alberto Douglas Scotti was born on 2 August 1763 in Fombio di Piacenza, scion of one of the most important ancient families in the Piacenza landscape. He arrived in Modena on 5 November 1774 as a collegiate at San Carlo. Here he remained until 1781, when he was elected Prince of Fine Arts in the internal academy and completed his studies leaving college on 16 July. At the end of 1796 he married the Piacenza countess Chiara dal Verme. He was elected first maire in 1806 and then, in 1808, member of the legislative body of France for the department of Taro and knight of the imperial order during the French reign. As a result of this election he was called to Paris where he remained until 1811, when he asked and was granted permission to return to his homeland on the death of his father. During the period of the Parma regency, which began in 1814, the count was elected among the members of the government and then became Governor of Piacenza starting from 1817: of this period the Gazzetta di Parma recalls the generosity with which he wanted to donate the emoluments deriving from this office in favor of the officials employed by him and the indigent population. He was then president of the Ordinary Council of State in 1831 and administrator again in Piacenza, a position that was accompanied by his election as vice president in the commission of the Piacenza library. At the same time he had numerous awards in the civil and military fields: commander of the SAI Constantinian order, councilor of state, chamberlain and colonel commanding the guards of SM the imperial princess Maria Luigia of Parma stationed in Piacenza. He would have been sent by Maria Luigia to the Viennese court in 1840, on the occasion of the election to the throne of her brother, the emperor Ferdinand, but health prevented the embassy. His health deteriorated and the count died on February 21, 1841. Of the count, singularly, we have little news in the archives of the College but an abundant iconographic documentation: in fact, there are two portraits in the collection that reflect his features as a boy - the present - and as an adult, in uniform, in a portrait signed by Luigi Rotta. The painting in question has been attributed by Ragghianti, albeit with a margin of doubt, to the Modenese painter Girolamo Vannulli little information in the archives of the College but an abundant iconographic documentation: in fact there are two portraits in the collection that reflect his features as a boy - the present - and as an adult, in uniform, in a portrait signed by Luigi Rotta. The painting in question has been attributed by Ragghianti, albeit with a margin of doubt, to the Modenese painter Girolamo Vannulli little information in the archives of the College but an abundant iconographic documentation: in fact there are two portraits in the collection that reflect his features as a boy - the present - and as an adult, in uniform, in a portrait signed by Luigi Rotta. The painting in question has been attributed by Ragghianti, albeit with a margin of doubt, to the Modenese painter Girolamo Vannulli