After Raphael: Painting in Central Italy in the Sixteenth Century

After Raphael is the first overview of sixteenth-century Italian painting to be published in over thirty years. Reevaluating the paintings of Raphael, Michelangelo, Pontormo, Bronzino and their followers in the light of recent research, Marcia Hall offers a new interpretation for the stylistic shifts that occurred after 1520. By taking into account the social, cultural, political, theological, and patronage issues that affected taste and stylistic developments, she demonstrates how the revival of interest in antique Roman sculpture relief affected Mannerist painters. She also examines the repercussions of the Reformation, which changed forever the Church's view of the function of images.

"Lucid and engagingly written, thoroughly annotated and indexed, this book might serve as an excellent survey of the art if the century..." Choice

"[Hall] has taken a difficult and much written about topic and dealt with it in a manner that is beyond mere praise--it is a groundbreaking work, one that should not be overlooked by anyone interested in sixteenth-century Italy. Surely it will prove to be an invaluable resource for years to come." Katherine A. McIver, Sixteenth Century Journal

"It is a work in which there is much to praise. Much of it is elloquently written....she provides pages of perfectly clear and engaging narrative..." The Catholic Historical Review

"Hall reaches outside the boundaries, drawing attention to equally compelling but relatively little known works by the acknowledged masters....[Hall's] work is worthy of superceding the surveys constructed by her predecessors." Renaissance Quarterly