The History of Rome in Painting

From its ancient status as the jewel of an empire to its modern incarnation as a troubled, yet culturally vibrant European capital, Rome has compelled the imagination of artists for over two thousand years. Now, in The History of Rome in Painting, that entire span is brought to life through the visions of the greatest painters of the past millennium.

As two previous Abbeville volumes, The History of Paris in Painting and The History of Venice in Painting, did for their respective cities, Rome provides the most luxurious possible visual presentation of one of the world's most beautiful places. Editors Maria Teresa Caracciolo and Roselyne de Ayala, with the help of six other expert contributors, guide the reader through the colorful and tumultuous history of the Eternal City, from its humble origins as a village on the Palatine Hill to the cultural explosion of the Renaissance, from its reinvention as the capital of modern Italy to the watershed of the Lateran Treaty and beyond. Here you will find portraits of the city's most famous and controversial leaders--from Julius Caesar to Mussolini--as well as its long succession of popes and aristocratic families. Depicted also, in brilliant detail, are the city's architectural and sculptural landmarks: Saint Peter's Basilica, Trajan's Column, the Fontana di Trevi, and many more.

With its more than three hundred full-color illustrations, including four spectacular gatefolds; its insightful text, written by leading art historians; and its valuable apparatus, including capsule biographies of 175 artists; The History of Rome in Painting is an important achievement in scholarship and publishing and a fitting tribute to the Eternal City. It is a true feast for art lovers, travelers, and historians alike. In art history as in the ancient Empire, "all roads lead to Rome"; here in one volume is the city as generations of painters have sought it, dreamed it, and captured it for all time. Like its predecessors The History of Venice in Painting and The History of Paris in Painting, it belongs in every art lover's library.