Life and the Arts in the Baroque Palaces of Rome

Walker, Stefanie; Frederick Hammond

ISBN 10: 0300079338 / ISBN 13: 9780300079333

Published by YUP, 1999

About this Item

The Baroque palaces of seventeenth-century Rome were centers for much of the artistic and cultural activities of the city. This book presents some of the magnificent furnishings from these palaces and explains what they reveal of the social life and art patronage of the major families of the Eternal City during this period.Written by the foremost scholars in the field, the book includes discussions of the relationship of Roman Baroque decorative arts and the development of palace architecture; arts and their connections to music and spectacle; artistic sources of Roman Baroque decorative arts; and life in the palaces as social and political theater. Examples of carved furniture, silver, liturgical objects, textiles, drawings, prints, and paintings are accompanied by interpretive entries and full documentation.

Seller Inventory # 101584

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Life and the Arts in the Baroque Palaces of Rome
• Publisher: YUP
• Publication Date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0300079338
• ISBN 13: 9780300079333
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Thriving centers of artistic and cultural activity, Rome`s Baroque palaces of the seventeenth century were magnificently furnished. This beautifully illustrated book presents examples of carved furniture, silver, textiles, paintings, and other items that filled these palaces. The authors explain what the furnishings reveal about the aristocratic families of the period, their social lives, and patronage of the arts.

Reviews

While there is no dearth of knowledge or appreciation of the monumental aspects of Roman Baroque art, less well attended and savored are the decorative arts of the time. This handsomely illustrated exhibition catalog begins to redress this dereliction. Unlike catalogs that separate scholarly essays, this volume effectively integrates expository considerations with the exquisitely varied objects of the exhibit. The several essays create a stylistic, social, and political context for the appreciation of these decorative objects within the magnificent palaces of Rome's religious grandees. While it may not be possible to reconstruct the total kinetic experience of these works in their urban and domestic settings, the overall affect created by a consideration of ephemeral art like fireworks, festivals, and sugar sculpture, along with a splendid selection of designs, arms, furniture, and devotional objects, brings us inestimably closer to the Baroque experience. Essential for art history and design collections.ARobert Cahn, Fashion Inst. of Technology, New York
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.