visual narration of literary tales. In addition to these renowned artists, the book reveals the extraordinary achievements of many lesser-known painters, among them Giambattista Zelorri, Giovanni Antonio Fasolo, and Ludovico Pozzoserrato in the sixteenth century; Luca Ferrari da Reggio, Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini, and Nicolo Bambini in the seventeenth; and ]acopo Guarana, Antonio Balestra, and Giambattista Crosato in the eighteenth." "Distinguished Venetian art historians Filippo Pedrocco, Massimo Favilla, and Ruggero Rugolo skillfully interweave the explanation of the frescoes' iconography with a lively account of the families who commissioned these monumental art works. The Venetian nobility was inordinately proud of its distinguished lineage and frequently directed the artists to paint subject matter that exalted the family name, such as key episodes from Roman mythology, or alternatively incorporate sly visual digs at particular members of the family. Memorably, the patrons --

From Canaletto to Tiepolo, eighteenth century Venetian painters created brilliant works of art that are now considered to be the last flowering of the long Venetian tradition of painting. This beautiful book provides an introduction to eighteenth century Venetian painting, discussing the various types of painting--portraiture, genre, landscape, history paintings and religious works--as well as the society, patronage and intellectual climate of Venice at this time.