In September 1644 the election of Pope Innocent X Pamphilj catapulted his family to the height of Roman society. From that moment on, the Pamphilj became active patrons of the arts, which
were harnessed as the visual expression of the family’s new identity.
This volume presents the proceedings of the conference The Pamphilj and the Arts: Patronage and Consumption in Baroque Rome, which washeld at Boston College in October of 2010. Set
within the social, religious, and cultural context of Rome, this research examines from the perspectives of art history, history, theology, musicology, and literary studies the patronage of
three generations of the family: Innocent X; Prince Camillo Pamphilj and his wife, Princess Olimpia Aldobrandini; and Cardinal Benedetto Pamphilj. The papers consider, in particular,
the life, character, and influential role of Cardinal Benedetto Pamphilj in shaping the visual arts, music, and literature of late Baroque Rome from his elevation as cardinal in 1681 to his
death in 1730.
