A reference guide to fifty of the most frequently occurring symbols in global art history

This book maps the artistic revolution that took place in Rome in the early 17th century in seven essays, written by experts in the field and accompanied by an excellent selection of over eighty masterpieces—of both painting and sculpture.

Wake up to artistic inspiration every day with this popular, chunky hardback made available again in a refreshed edition containing a perpetual calendar featuring a dazzling variety of masterpieces from every era.

How did objects move between places and people, and how did they reshape the Republic’s arts, cultures and sciences?

‘Objects’ were vitally significant for the early modern Dutch Republic, which is known as an early consumer society, a place famous for its exhaustive production of books, visual arts and scientific instruments. What happens when we push these objects and their materiality to the centre of our research? How do they invite us to develop new perspectives on the early moder...

– Antonio Muñoz Molina, El País

"This wonderful and wise book made me look at the artwork without intimidation or any confusion. It is a great pleasure to be guided by the experienced eye of Alejandro Vergara."

— Olga Tokarczuk, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature

Throughout history, human beings have excelled at creating art of the highest quality. Aristotle wrote that Homer “surpassed all others” while Pliny the Elder referred to “masterpieces that we never tire of admiring�...