Camillo Rusconi (1658–1728) is undoubtedly the most important Roman sculptor of the late Baroque period. Nevertheless,a basic study on his complete oeuvre – presented here with this monograph – had been missing until now. It focuses on a long overdue critical cataloguing of his sculptural works.Rusconi’s artistic career is examined and his large work ensembles, including his famous Statues of the Apostles in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, are worked through in detail and situated in an art theoretical context. Far removed from Baroque pathos, Rusconi’s dynamic figures with their insistent gazes are always engaged in the service of the narrative.
His pupils Filippo Della Valle, Giovanni Battista Maini, Pietro Bracci and Giuseppe Rusconi, who trained in Rusconi’s workshop, ensured for a long continuation of their teacher’s outlooks and opinions about art. This volume also provides an overview of the Roman art scene, and due to its evaluation of numerous sources, it ultimately can be relied on as a standard work for research on 18th century sculpture.