Art and ceremonial in Rome under Paul V. (1605-1621)

At the center of the book lies the question concerning the relation between art and papal ceremonial in Rome during the pontificate of Paul V. (1605-1621). It is examined by focussing on the selected cases of the splendid ceremonial furnishings created for the canonisations of Francesca Romana and Carlo Borromeo, as well as the Sala Regia in the Quirinal Palace. Using a multitude of textual and visual sources these works are reconstructed and put into the context for which they were created. For the first time a precise idea of the appearance of the ceremonial furnishings created for the canonisations conducted by Paul V. can be gained. The organization of the vast space of the still not completed c hurc h of New St. Peter`s accomplished by the sumptuous structures and the multiple messages they sought to transmit are clearly exposed. One of the primary goals of the furnishings was to underscore the singularity of papal authority. Conversely, the famous bronze baldachin above the high altar of St. Peter`s is an example of how the codified norms of papal ceremonial exerted a permanent influence on the church. The frescos in the Sala Regia of the Quirinal Palace, built and decorated on behalf of Paul V., cannot be fully understood apart from the role the room and the building in which is it located played in the larger system of papal residences. For the first time the motivations for creating the hall and the functions it was used to serve are comprehensively explained. On this basis the iconography of the frescoes appears in a new light. The fact that the Sala Regia of the Quirirnal Palace did not quite manage to supersede its Vatican prototype as a papal audience hall for Christian monarchsheir ambassadors is of fundamental importanc e. The frescoes of the Sala Regia in the Vatican glorifiy the papacy as an institution, propagate the primac y of spiritual over wordly power. The painted decoration of the younger Sala Regia of the Quirinal Palace also articulates an extensive papal claim to power but could at the same time assume to a certain extent the character of a panegyric in honour of Paul V., whereby parallels to the contemporary literary praise of the pope can be asserted. Reaching beyond the comparatively narrow thematic framework, the book provides important ins ights into the relation between art and papal ceremonial and illustrates basis mechanisms of the representation of power.