During the baroque period, architecture and the other fine arts were the instruments of a staging of “worldtheater” on a grand scale. The baroque art of the popesin Rome, the displays of power and opulence in thecourt of the Sun King, Louis XIV, and Dutch painting –they all reflect different aspects of the underlying tension between pleasure in life and fear of death that was sucha prominent feature of the baroque world view. This volume portrays the entire span of the fine arts ofthe baroque era, from rich splendor to religiousasceticism.

For this work, editor Rolf Toman has gathered contributions from seven renowned authors with great expertise in the fields of architecture and art history to work with him. Taken as a whole, they give us a multi-faceted picture of baroque art in all its forms.

Highlights
• Chronological depiction of the fine arts from their origins in Rome through the late baroque and rococo
• Explanation of the sociopolitical background: the Counter- Reformation, the development of Protestantism, absolutism, and the French Revolution
• Various ways the baroque left its mark, including city planning, architecture, garden design, sculpture, painting, and emblems