Featuring major works from Caravaggio and his circle and the Italian Baroque period, this lavishly illustrated book looks at Rome as the center of European culture in the 17th century.

The National Galleries Barberini Corsini in Rome host one of the major collections of Italian Baroque paintings. This art has been admired all over Europe. The monarchs aimed to transfer the glamour of Roman Baroque to their courts. In the 18th century Frederick II of Prussia modeled the Palais Barberini in Potsdam, Germany, after the Barberini Palace in Rome. In January 2017 the newly founded Museum Barberini moved into the recently reconstructed Palais Barberini in Potsdam.

This book accompanies an exhibition in Potsdam of splendid 17th century works from the National Galleries Barberini Corsini in Rome. It provides not only a fitting background to Museum Barberini’s fascinating architectural history but also highlights the important role of the Barberini family and Pope Urban VIII as patrons and art collectors.