Gold, Silver, and Bronze: Metal Sculpture of the Roman Baroque

An in-depth look at the exquisite metal sculpture of the Roman baroque

Roman baroque sculpture is usually thought of in terms of large-scale statues in marble and bronze, tombs, or portrait busts. Smaller bronze statuettes are often overlooked, and the extensive production of sculptural silver--much of which is now lost but can be studied from drawings--is frequently omitted from the histories of art. In this book, Jennifer Montagu enriches our understanding of the sculpture of the period by investigating the bronzes that adorn the great tabernacles of Roman churches; gilded silver, both secular and ecclesiastical; elaborately embossed display dishes; and the production of medals. Concentrating on selected pieces by such master sculptors as Bernini and leading metal-workers such as Giovanni Giardini, Montagu examines the often tortuous relationship between patrons and artists and elucidates the relationship between those who provided the drawings or models and the craftsmen who executed the finished sculptures.

Jennifer Montagu, who for many years was curator of the photographic collection at the Warburg Institute, is the author of many books, including Bronzes, Alessandro Algardi, and Roman Baroque Sculpture: The Industry of Art.