The Art Market in Rome in the Eighteenth Century: A Case Study on the Social History of Art

Recent interest in the economic aspects of the history of art have taken traditional studies into new areas of enquiry. Going well beyond provenances or prices of individual objects, our understanding of the arts has been advanced by research into the demands, intermediaries and clients in the market.
Eighteenth-century Rome offers a privileged view of such activities, given the continuity of remarkable investments by the local ruling class, combined with the decisive impact of external agents, largely linked to the Grand Tour. This book, the result of collaboration between international specialists, brings back into the spotlight protagonists, facts and dynamics that have remained unexplored for many years.

Paolo Coen, Ph.D (2001), is Professor of Art History and Museum Studies at the University of Teramo. He has published monographs, essays and articles on the Roman art system, which span from the seventeenth to early nineteenth century.