Antonio Paolucci Book order (chronological)

Cabinets of curiosities captivated the 16th and 17th centuries, offering glimpses into a world of natural wonders and treasures that aimed to mirror the universe's order. This volume explores the world's most exquisite collections, including the Medici treasury and the Green Vault of Dresden, while providing a cultural history of the miraculous. The Wunderkammer, or “cabinet of curiosities,” became a gathering place for objects across artistic, scientific, and intellectual realms, striving to encapsulate all human knowledge in one space. Aristocratic collectors like Grand Duke Francesco I de’ Medici and Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II amassed and displayed items that represented diverse fields such as architecture, painting, gemology, and anthropology. Marvel at unicorn horns (narwhal tusks), rare gems, Murano glass, and peculiar automata. Explore illustrations of exotic creatures and the famed “Coburg ivories.” Though many cabinets no longer exist, some have been meticulously reconstructed, and new ones have emerged. Massimo Listri's decades-long journey across seven European countries resulted in stunning photographs and insightful commentary on 19 chambers, showcasing remarkable items. Discover how these treasures shaped civilization, the modern museum concept, and our understanding of the universe. The authors, Antonio Paolucci and Giulia ML Carciotto, bring extensive expertise in art history and cultural heritage to this cap

This illustrated volume introduces superb historical buildings and sculptures in their historical contexts.

An essential tool in helping visitors to understand the reasons which, between the fifteenth and the sixteenth century, led to the creation of the Sistine Chapel, "the greatest representation of human art and spirituality."

Als die „schönste Statue der Welt, der schönste Mann der Welt“ gilt der David des Michelangelo. Biblischer Held, Bezwinger des übermächtig scheinenden Goliath und - im Florenz des beginnenden 16. Jahrhunderts - Ausdruck und Symbol der stolzen Republik, die durch ihn ihre Entschlossenheit kundtat, jedem ihrer Feinde und jeder Bedrohung zu trotzen. Michelangelo hat seinen David in einem Moment eingefangen, als das eigentliche Aufeinandertreffen mit dem Gegner unmittelbar bevorstand; in einem Augenblick der größten physischen und psychischen Anspannung, der intensiven Konzentration aller Sinne und Kräfte. Diese meisterhafte Skulptur aus der Zeit der italienischen Renaissance in ihrer Gesamtschau wie auch in allen Details und Nuancen eines idealen Körpers mit der Kamera nachzuzeichnen, ist dem Fotografen Aurelio Amendola auf eindrucksvolle und - überaus ansprechende Weise gelungen. Während er den Blick schwelgerisch am Körper entlang streifen, ihn gleichsam berühren lässt, zaubert Amendola eine Sinnlichkeit herbei, die vergessen macht, dass David nur aus Marmor ist. Ein wunderbares Geschenk an alle Freunde der wahrhaft „schönen“ Künste.

Il titolo della mostra allude a una teoria dell’arte, fondata sul culto dell’antichità classica, cui si ispirarono molti degli artisti italiani attivi a Roma nel corso del Seicento, Alessandro Algardi, tra gli altri, Annibale Carracci, Domenichino, Carlo Maratti, Guido Reni, Andrea Sacchi, e alcuni artisti stranieri, in particolare Poussin e Duquesnoy. Per tale teoria, esposta da Giovan Pietro Bellori in un celebre discorso all’Accademia di San Luca a Roma nel 1664, l’arte doveva configurarsi come imitazione della natura emendata dai suoi difetti, ossia della natura idealizzata secondo una visione ispirata all’ordine e alla misura; un’arte capace di esaltare nobili azioni espresse nel decoro dei gesti e nell’accentuazione degli affetti, secondo i modelli offerti dalle sculture antiche presenti a Roma, e anche dalla pittura di Raffaello.

About THE MUSEUM OF THE MEDICI CHAPELS AND THE CHURCH OF SAN LORENZO.