Through selections from the Rare Book Collection, this exhibition conveys the varied and dynamic character of the German baroque, which was marked by theatricality and the attempt to achieve harmony among myriad parts.
The baroque style, which had originated in Rome, found a lively if belated expression in Germany, where it retained its freshness even when it fell into decline in Italy. Marked by theatricality and the attempt to achieve harmony among myriad parts, the baroque saw the blending of architecture, sculpture, and figurative arts. These developments in architecture and ornament, which were flourished from the late seventeenth century, are showcased by a number of volumes in Dumbarton Oaks Rare Book Library. Displayed together, they convey the varied and dynamic character of the German baroque.
Bibliography
- Hempel, Eberhard. Baroque Art and Architecture in Central Europe. London: Penguin Books, 1965.
This online exhibit was curated by Andrés Álvarez Dávila, 2017–2018 Dumbarton Oaks Humanities Fellow.
