Marcantonio Franceschini and the Liechtensteins

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This is a lavishly illustrated account of one of the most engrossing episodes in the history of Baroque Italian painting & art patronage: the project to decorate the five state rooms in the Garden Palace of the House of Liechtenstein with large paintings illustrating tales of the goddesses Venus & Diana. The two main protagonists were the then reigning heads of the Liechtenstein family, Prince Johan Adam Andreas, & the Bolognese painter Marcantonio Franceschini. This study gives a detailed account of this vast project, based primarily on the correspondence between the two men with a complete illustration of all the works & preparatory studies. Also included are a succinct account of Franceschini's career, an analysis of his artistic style, & a commentary on the collecting activities & taste of the Prince.