Saving Roman Painting: The Antiquarian Reproductions of Pietro Santi Bartoli (1635-1700) Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

This dissertation addresses the question: how did seventeenth-century painters, antiquarians, and patrons respond to the discovery of ancient frescoes and mosaics in Rome, and what impact did these discoveries have on contemporary painting? While art historians have thoroughly examined the reception of ancient sculptures among early modern artists, the reception of ancient painting and its importance to the development of early modern art theory and practice has been less well understood, in part because relatively few examples survive. I examine how the work of one artist-antiquarian, Pietro Santi Bartoli (1635-1700), encouraged contemporary painters to incorporate the study of ancient frescoes and mosaics into their practice. Bartoli spent his career drawing ancient Roman decorations in situ and reproducing them in imaginative watercolor miniatures for important patrons such as Cardinal Camillo Massimo. I build on the work of scholars who argue that Bartoli’s watercolors were an extension of Cassiano dal Pozzo’s Paper Museum project, which functioned as a visual encyclopedia of ancient Roman artifacts. By examining Bartoli’s watercolors and preparatory drawings, Camillo Massimo’s collecting practices, and contemporary writings on ancient painting, I argue that the volumes of watercolors Bartoli created for Massimo acted as visual treatises on the history of ancient Roman painting meant to educate artists and collectors. Additionally, I consider how contemporary artists in Bartoli’s social network incorporated the study of ancient frescoes and mosaics into their work. This project advances our understanding of the role antiquarians played in saving Roman painting for posterity and in shaping artistic discourse.

Table of Contents

Abstract...............................ii

Acknowledgments................iii

Table of Contents.................vi

List of Figures .....................vii

Introduction.........................1

Chapter One........................13

Discovering Antiquity at the Villa Pamphilj

Chapter Two.......................55

Working for Camillo Massimo

Chapter Three...................108

Artist-Antiquarian

Chapter Four.....................167

Out of the Grottoes and into the Palaces

Chapter Five.....................206

Bartoli’s Tombs

Conclusion.......................231

Appendix A: Bartoli’s Drawings..............................233

Appendix B: Archival Documents............................237

Illustrations ....................258

Bibliography....................397

 

About this Dissertation

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School	Laney Graduate School
Department	Art History
Degree	Ph.D.
Submission	Dissertation
Language	English
Research Field	European Studies Art History Fine Arts
Keyword	Antiquarianism Fresco Collecting Printed Books Rome Accademia di San Luca Print Pietro Santi Bartoli French Academy Early Modern Painting Palace Decoration Watercolor Baroque Art
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Sarah McPhee, Emory University
Committee Members	Walter Melion, Emory University Eric Varner, Emory University

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