This page presents a documented and chronological overview of the defamatory campaign carried out against Prof. Carla Rossi and the RECEPTIO Research Centre.
Each entry is based on verifiable facts, including official legal documents, academic publications, and dated online records.
The goal is to ensure historical accuracy and allow public access to the truth behind the so-called “ReceptioGate”.
All links provided here lead to real sources, either institutional or permanently archived.
Last update: June 2025
# Timeline of Events (2022–2025)
This timeline presents verifiable facts related to the smear campaign now referred to as “ReceptioGate”. Each entry includes links to public sources.
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### 📍 20 December 2022
**Publication of an official article** denouncing the trade in dismembered manuscripts.
🔗 [AboutArt – Rossi’s appeal to cultural authorities (IT)](https://www.aboutartonline.com/manoscritti-medievali-europei-a-prezzi-stracciati-sul-web-un-appello-per-la-tutela-di-beni-culturali-tra-i-piu-preziosi/)
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### 📍 22 December 2022
**Circulation of the article via mailing lists** by the Società di Storia della Miniatura, without permission, targeting academic colleagues.
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### 📍 23 December 2022 – March 2023
**Start of online attacks** by blogger Peter Kidd and anonymous Twitter/X accounts.
The attacks intensified after the article circulated within manuscript dealer circles.
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### 📍 January 2023
**Fakes obituaries** for Prof. Carla Rossi is published on a Swiss funeral website.
🔗 [Archived here](https://web.archive.org/web/20230127205042/https://www.deinadieu.ch/todesanzeigen/carla-rossi/)
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### 📍January/February 2023
**Prof. Rossi denounces the situation** in a dossier submitted to Swiss cultural and legal authorities.
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Prominent philologists and leading cultural figures express public support for Prof. Carla Rossi in response to the defamatory campaign.
Their positions are expressed through academic collaborations, international conferences, and institutional engagement.
By contrast, the smear campaign is conducted by anonymous or non-academic actors with no verifiable affiliations.
First institutional statement from the RECEPTIO Research Centre, defending its mission and exposing reputational attacks.
🔗 https://www.oprom.eu/statement
Cambridge Scholars Publishing launches the series “Biblioclasm and Digital Reconstructions”, in recognition of the seriousness of manuscript dismemberment and the coordinated defamation of a respected academic voice. As an act of intellectual and institutional support, the British publisher entrusts the series to a distinguished editorial board:
Prof. Carla Rossi
Prof. Lucinia Speciale, expert in manuscript illumination
Prof. Antoni Rossell, Romance philologist and musicologist
The first three volumes published under the series are:
Isabelle Boursier’s Book of Hours, a Dismembered Manuscript from Mary Benson’s Collection (Carla Rossi)
🔗 https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-0364-0043-9
Digital Reconstruction of a Dismembered Book of Hours Illuminated by Robert Boyvin (C. Rossi & Alex Martin)
🔗 https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-0364-1421-4
The Madruzzo Book of Hours, a Dismembered Manuscript Illuminated by Marie Vrelant (Jordi Puig)
🔗 https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-0364-4799-1
📍 October 2024
The RECEPTIO Research Centre publishes its public legal position in response to defamatory claims.
🔗 https://www.oprom.eu/fns
An international seminar series on biblioclasm and manuscript ethics is organised by RECEPTIO and partners.
All sessions are freely available on YouTube.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/@receptio
**Official release of the ReceptioGate Timeline**
🔗 [Published on OProM Substack](https://oprom.substack.com/p/documented-timeline-of-the-defamation)
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### 📍 June 2025
Publication of the article Biblioclasm for Profit in the Harvard Art Law Journal, as part of the HALO Foundation’s project on art market ethics.
Link to the article: https://www.academia.edu/129907470/Biblioclasm_for_Profit_The_Legal_Implications_of_Dismembering_Western_Medieval_Illuminated_Manuscripts
The article, based on Prof. Carla Rossi’s research into manuscript dismemberment and the commodification of cultural heritage, is published at the invitation of the journal’s editor-in-chief and the HALO Foundation project director.
This marks the first time that the ethical implications of biblioclasm are addressed within an international art law framework.
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This page will be regularly updated with new verified entries.
ISFiDa – Academic blog with official posts
https://www.isfida.eu/blog
OProM – Institutional communications
https://www.oprom.eu/news
Alta Formazione – Articles on manuscript protection
https://www.alta-formazione.it/blog
Substack – Documentation archive
https://oprom.substack.com
Zenodo – ACMD: Archive of Dismembered Manuscripts
https://zenodo.org/record/10714613
Cambridge Scholars – Biblioclasm and Reconstruction Series
https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-9355-9
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15668640
ISBN: 978-2-488512-00-8
EAN: 9782488512008
Registered at the Bibliothèque nationale de France:
https://nouveautes-editeurs.bnf.fr/accueil?id_declaration=10000001179172&titre_livre=