Art in Rome in the Eighteenth Century

The grand scale of the spectacular diversity of Rome, and the fashion of Neoclassicism that it inspired, are documented in this definitive history of 18th century Roman art, architecture and decorative art.'

Caught between the theatricality of the Baroque and the acute sensibility of Romanticism, art in Rome in the eighteenth century has long been a neglected area of study. Yet during this period the city remained as much the center of the art world as it had been during the High Renaissance. As such, it attracted a steady stream of visitors, aristocratic northern Europeans making the Grand Tour. Of course, the presence in the city of so many wealthy travelers provided aspiring artists with irresistable opportunities for patronage and, eventually, fame. But there was also the chance to study at first hand the culture of antiquity, and the lure of the past became increasingly powerful as the century progressed and archaeology provided ever more inspiring images of the classical ideal. All this transpired within an unparalleled academic environment, where draftsmanship was respected as nowhere else, in institutions such as the Accademia di San Luca and the French Academy at Rome. There was also the allure of the mysterious Accademia dell'Arcadia, which sought to promote an ideal of the artist as heir to a simple, pastoral tradition, and to which many of the leading figures of the time - artists, clerics, and potentates - belonged.

It was in this stimulating environment that Italian artists such as Maratti, Canova, Piranesi, and Batoni, and foreigners such as David, Flaxman, Fuseli, Kauffmann, and Sergel secured their reputations. The result was a fantastic outpouring of art in all media - oil and fresco, bronze and marble, silver and mosaic, jewelry and furniture - produced to embellish the city's churches, palaces, fountains, piazzas, gardens, and galleries, as well as for export to the stately homes of the visiting aristocrats. The grand scale and spectacular diversity of the period are comprehensively captured for the first time in this definitive history of the period, which documents the work of over 150 artists. With over 450 illustrations, and texts by an outstanding array of experts from around the world, Art in Rome in the Eighteenth Century provides a massively authoritative survey of a fascinating era.