pt. 1. Text. Ch. 1. Federico Borromeo, Post-Tridentine Reformer and Patron of the Arts at the Ambrosiana. Ch. 2. The Devotional Role of Sacred Art: Contemplating God's World Through Diverse Genres of Painting. Ch. 3. The Didactic Role of Sacred Art: Guiding Subject Matter and Style to Ensure Its Efficacy. Ch. 4. The Documentary Role of Sacred Art: Using Images to Record the Christian Truth and Legitimacy of Roman Catholicism -- pt. 2. Catalogues and Appendixes. Catalogue I. (A) Paintings, (B) Drawings, (C) Prints, and (D) Sculptures. Catalogue II. The Series of Portraits of Famous Persons -- Appendix I. The Codicil of September 15, 1607, to Federico Borromeo's Will -- Appendix II. The Codicil of April 1, 1611, to Federico Borromeo's Will -- Appendix III. The Official Act of Donation of the Ambrosian Collection of April 28, 1618
Summary:
"Federico Borromeo and the Ambrosiana: Art Patronage and Reform in Seventeenth-Century Milan considers the pastoral program of Federico Borromeo through an examination of the institution that he founded in the early seventeenth century, the Ambrosiana. Compromising a library, art academy, and art museum, the Ambrosiana functioned as a forum through which the reform decrees of the Council of Trent concerning sacred scholarship and art could be put into practice and effectively promulgated. The study also considers Borromeo's artistic reform in light of his own notions regarding the function of art in a Christian society. Such an assessment is made through a critical examination of the extensive documentation in the Ambrosian Museum, Library, and Academy, including works of art, letters, and Borromeo's tracts on art, devotional prayer, sacred oratory, and history. A primary focus of this study is the historical significance of Borromeo's optimistic spirituality and his conception of naturalism. A catalogue raisonne of works found in the original Ambrosian Museum follows the text."--Jacket.
