Roman Heroes / Roman Patrons: Constructing Aristocratic Identity in Seventeenth-century Rome Seminar

Art patronage in the early modern period was one of the most powerful means through which the aristocracy displayed its social rank and intellectual finesse, celebrating the noble origins of the patron’s family and ultimately legitimizing the power of the ruling class. My research explores the patronage of opera of one of the most illustrious Roman families, the Colonna, in the context of their broader patronage of the visual arts, revealing a fluidity and permeability through the media that was at the heart of Baroque aesthetics.