The complexity and sophistication of Baroque art, developed through the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, could be understood as an attempt to move, arrest and overwhelm the viewer with beauty. Taking examples from all media and genres, this book is a comprehensive exploration of this emotionally powerful and geographically pervasive style, tracing its development from Rome, centre of Papal and princely power. Carefully selected and rarely seen objects from public and private collections illustrate traditions of ornament, performance and visual art, while stunning spreads examine how churches and palaces became showcases for the pomp and splendour of Baroque art.

Michael Snodin is Senior Research Fellow in the Research Department at the V&A. His V&A publications include Design and the Decorative Arts: Britain 1500-1900 (with John Styles, V&A 2001) and Exploring Architecture (with Eleanor Gawne, V&A 2004). Nigel Llewellyn is Head of Research at Tate. His publications include Funeral Monuments in Post-Reformation England (2000 and his current research focuses on art and identity in eighteenth-century Italy.