Art history in the age of Bellori

Giovan Pietro Bellori was one of the most important intellectuals of seventeenth-century Italy. Best known today for his art criticism and biographies of artists he knew personally, such as Nicolas Poussin, in his own day he was renowned for his expertise in coins, gems, ancient painting, and sculpture. This collection of essays presents new findings about Bellori's multifarious activities as well as fresh interpretations of his ideas. A timely reevaluation of its subject, Art History in the Age of Bellori contributes to a nuanced understanding of Bellori's place in seventeenth-century letters and politics, art criticism, and antiquarian studies.