A fresh perspective on the understanding of sacred imagery and its use through selected studies related to 17th century Roman visual culture.

"Accompanying an exhibition of works by prominent Baroque artists, at the Villa Mondragone, a Renaissance Papal Villa in the countryside of Rome, this fascinating book provides a fresh perpsective on the understanding of sacred imagery and its use through selected studies related to seventeenth-century Roman visual culture. The publication offers new approaches to the study of the complex processes involved in the making of a work of art. By reconstructing the religious and social dynamics of artistic patronage and the context of worship as well as devotion in which these paintings - fully documented by primary sources - were executed, the volume explores the visual impact of these works on the beholders."--Page 4 of cover.