paper Archive
The Sella Foundation was founded in Biella in 1980 with the aim of receiving and providing “the preservation, understanding, and valorization of the memories and moral and creative heritage of the Sella della Sella di Mosso family, namely the descendants of Bartolomeo Cravello Sella, who lived towards the end of the 16th century.” The documents originally comprising the Sella San Gerolamo Archive, which Quintino Sella had deposited at the monastery of San Gerolamo, were subsequently joined by new archival collections donated by individuals, companies, or organizations, significantly increasing the original archival holdings.
The Foundation’s Bylaws state that it “collects, preserves, and promotes documents, documentary material, and publications, as well as other documentation that the Foundation deems appropriate to better achieve its purpose.” The archive currently comprises approximately 2 kilometers of folders.
The Sella family archive is a significant collection of documentary collections relating to the Sella family, originally from Mosso, one branch of which moved to Biella in 1835 following the launch of Maurizio Sella’s woollen cloth manufacturing business. Here he purchased the silk and wool mill building from the Oropa Sanctuary, as well as the water rights from the Cervo stream to power the recently invented mechanical spinning wheels. Of particular note for their size and importance are the collections of Quintino Sella (1827-1884), a scientist and statesman, three times Minister of Finance, and the papers of his brother Giuseppe Venanzio Sella (1823-1876), an entrepreneur and chemist, and author of the first photographic treatise in Italy. Equally important are the papers of the Maurizio Sella Wool Mill, with documents relating to the family’s woollen activities, attested from 1709 but certainly prior to the early 1960s. The extensive documentation, a rare find in Italy, consists of 130 sample books, 1,900 factory books, 349 maps, plans, and drawings, and 2,420 folders of documents.
Among the acquired collections, of particular importance are the 2,200 folders of the Biella-based Italian Wool Industry Association, one of the first, if not the first, business associations in Italy. This collection documents the Association’s activities in supporting Italian wool companies from 1876 to 1984. The 600 folders of the Fascist (later National) Wool Industry Union, Rome office, contain papers from 1926 to 1950. The Editoriale Laniera Società Anonima (E.L.S.A.) collection, Biella office, contains documents from 1934 to 1984, organized into 240 folders.
Worthy of note is the Vittorio Sella collection (1859-1943), son of Giuseppe Venanzio, a mountaineer and photographer (chronologically 1868-1943), organized into 80 folders. Vittorio was among the pioneers of winter mountaineering and brought photography to the high mountains.
Another significant collection belongs to his brother Gaudenzio Sella (1860-1934), a civil engineer who, with the help of his brothers and cousins, founded the “Gaudenzio Sella & C.i.” credit institution in Biella in 1886, managing it for 49 years until his death. The papers cover the period between 1880 (with documents from 1711) and 1933 and are organized into 148 folders.
Of particular note is the Gregorio Sella collection (1815-1862), which houses part of the papers of the third branch of the Sella family, in particular those of Pietro Sella (1784-1827), son of Giovanni Antonio, who in 1817 introduced the recently invented mechanical spinning wheels from Belgium to the Kingdom of Sardinia and founded, in partnership with his brothers, the Giovanni Giacomo e fratelli Sella* firm in Croce Mosso (previously, the various phases of wool processing had been carried out by local families, on commission). Equally important are the papers of Gregorio Sella, Pietro’s nephew, who became the sole owner and manager of the wool mill. He was the author of works on chemistry, dyeing, technology, political economy, and agronomy. He was a councilor from 1838 and then vice president from 1853 of the Society for the Advancement of Arts, Crafts, and Agriculture of Biella and its Province. In 1856, he supported the founding of the Italo-French-British Company for the introduction of agricultural machinery and tools into Italy. From 1849, he was a member of the Subalpine Parliament for the Bioglio constituency, where he worked on behalf of industry, industrialists, and workers, fighting to have the government adopt a less rigorous application of the principles of free trade. As mayor of Croce Mosso, he built the road connecting Mosso S. Maria to Lessona; a member of the Vercelli Divisional Council, he supported the construction of the Biella-Santhià railway. The chronological dates are: 17th century (with documents from 1443–1924). The papers are arranged in 150 folders.
Also noteworthy are the professional and personal papers of four generations of Biella architects and engineers from the Maggia family, from the late 18th to the late 20th century. * The first traditional industrial plant.
