The Art Market in Rome in the Eighteenth Century : A Study in 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. Enquiries on the economic aspects of art represent a modern frontier in art history. The topic goes well beyond the cost of a single object. Discoveries about the demands, intermediaries and clientele of the arts produced substantial advancement in the research, particularly of the 'social history of the art'. Eighteenth-century Rome offers a privileged field of action, given the permanence of the remarkable investments by the local ruling class, as well as the decisive development of external demand, 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 Eighteenth-century Rome offers a privileged view of art market 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.