The History of Painting in Italy, Vol. 2 (of 6) / From the Period of the Revival of the Fine Arts to the End of the Eighteenth Century

A systematic survey traces the development of painting in Rome and Naples from the revival of the arts through the eighteenth century. The Roman school is examined in successive epochs—early masters, the circle of Raphael, a decline into mannerism linked to public calamities, a restoration led by Barocci and contemporaries, and later Baroque shifts among Pietro da Cortona’s followers with Maratta's moderating influence. The Neapolitan section follows a parallel arc from early practitioners to a modern style shaped by Raphael and Michelangelo, profiling figures such as Ribera, Corenzio, Caracciolo, Luca Giordano, and Solimene while noting the roles of patronage, teaching, and imitation in stylistic change.