Federico Barocci And The Oratorians: Corporate Patronage And Style In The Counter-reformation (early Modern Studies)
by Ian F. Verstegen /
2015 / English / PDF
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In 1586, Federico Barocci delivered his Visitation of the Virgin
and St. Elizabeth to the Chiesa Nuova in Rome. For the next
quarter century, Barocci dominated the art scene in Rome; there
was no other artist from whom it was harder to get work and no
other artist charged such high prices. Having two important
altarpieces in the Chiesa Nuova and two additional commissions
discussed was an impressive feat for an artist living exclusively
in Urbino. Why did the Oratorians monopolize Barocci’s talents in
Rome and why does it seem that Barocci was their first choice
when considering artists to decorate their church? What was it
about Barocci’s art that appealed to Oratorian sensibilities and
their vision of the artistic program for decoration of their
church?
In 1586, Federico Barocci delivered his Visitation of the Virgin
and St. Elizabeth to the Chiesa Nuova in Rome. For the next
quarter century, Barocci dominated the art scene in Rome; there
was no other artist from whom it was harder to get work and no
other artist charged such high prices. Having two important
altarpieces in the Chiesa Nuova and two additional commissions
discussed was an impressive feat for an artist living exclusively
in Urbino. Why did the Oratorians monopolize Barocci’s talents in
Rome and why does it seem that Barocci was their first choice
when considering artists to decorate their church? What was it
about Barocci’s art that appealed to Oratorian sensibilities and
their vision of the artistic program for decoration of their
church?
This book examines the relationship between Barocci and the
Congregation of the Oratory, arguing for a distinct physiognomy
of Oratorian patronage and exposing the function the Oratorians
expected of religious imagery in contrast to other groups of
their time. While explaining Oratorian patronage, it thus deals
with a thorny question in social science: how can a collective
body have unified intentions and actions? The result is a
contribution both to the history of Italian painting and to art
historical methodology.
This book examines the relationship between Barocci and the
Congregation of the Oratory, arguing for a distinct physiognomy
of Oratorian patronage and exposing the function the Oratorians
expected of religious imagery in contrast to other groups of
their time. While explaining Oratorian patronage, it thus deals
with a thorny question in social science: how can a collective
body have unified intentions and actions? The result is a
contribution both to the history of Italian painting and to art
historical methodology.
