BUSSAGLI, Mario. Siena 23.9.1917 — Frosinone, Lazio 14.8.1988. Italian Art Historian. Professor in Rome. Studies under Tucci at Rome (graduated 1940 with a diss. on Gandhāra art. After war Docent at La Sapienza (Rome), first also librarian, from 1957 professore straordinario di Storia dell’ Arte dell’ India e dell’ Asia Centrale (a new chair) at the same, retired 1987, but died soon. He was the first notable historian of Indian and Central Asian art in Italy. Active as editor and populariser. Married, at least one son.
Publications: “Note sulla “fonte di Trogo” per gli avvenimenti indiani”, RAL Ser. 8:2, 1947, 10-30; “The Archaeological Aspect of Asiatic Contacts with Italy”, E&W 1, 1950, 13-17; “Royauté, guerre et fécondité: A propos d’une monnaie kuṣaṇa”, RHR 140, 1951, 129-154; “The Apostle Thomas and India”, E&W 3, 1952, 88-94; “An important document on the relations between Rome and India. The Statuette of St. Peter discovered at Charsadda”, E&W 4, 1953, 247-254; “Search for a lost source: Indian events in Trogus Pompeius”, E&W 7, 1956, 229-242; “The Problem of Kaniṣka as seen by the Art Historian”, Basham (ed.), Papers on the Date of Kaniṣka. Leiden 1968, 39-56.
– “L’Influsso Classico ed Iranico sull’ Arte dell’ Asia Centrale”, Rivista dell’ Istituto Nazionale d’Archaeologia e Storia dell Arte (RINASA) N.S. AII, 1953, 171-262 & sep. Roma 1954; “Similarities between the figurative arts in the East and West”, E&W 6, 1955, 9-25; “Osservationi sulla persistenza delle forme ellenistiche nell’ arte del Gandhāra”, RINASA N.S. 5-6, 1956-57, 149-247
– Arte Iranica. Iranian Art. Catalogue. 305 p. 114 pl. Milano 1956.
– L’Arte del Gandhara in Pakistan e i suoi incontri con l’arte dell’ Asia Centrale. Catalogo delle Mostra. 129 p. 64 pl. Rome 1958; L’Arte del Gandhara. 284 p. 278 ill. Turin 1984.
– “Letterature indoeuropee dell’Asia centrale”, Civiltà dell’Oriente 2, 1957, 471-486.
– Profili dell’ India antica e moderna. 297 p. 21 pl. Turin 1959; Che cosa ha veramente detto Buddha. 148 p. Rome 1968; Eros Indiano. 108 p. 48 pl. R. 1973.
– Painting of Central Asia. 135 p. Cleveland 1963 / La peinture de l’Asie centrale. 138 p. 69+6 ill. Geneva 1963; Architettura orientale. 1-2. Venice 1973-81, also transl. into English.
– Culture e civiltà dell’Asia Centrale. 319 p. Turin 1970.
– With C. Sivaramamurthy: 5000 Years of the Art of India. 335 p. N.Y. & Bombay 1973.
– Indica et Serindica. Scritti di storia dell’arte dell’India e dell’Asia Centrale. 12+456 p. 17 pl. Studi Orientali 11. Rome 1992.
– Also wrote on Western art.
Sources: *E&W 38, 1988, 317-321 with bibliography;*L. Petech, RSO 62, 1988, 139-141; L’eredità umana e scientifica di Mario Bussagli. Il novissimo Ramusio 27. Rome 2021 (with several articles dealing with his life and work); briefly in Italian Wikipedia.
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