Papacy and Politics in Eighteenth-Century Rome: Pius VI and the Arts (review)

Pius VI (r. 1775–1799), born Giovanni Angelo Braschi, was fated to be the last pope to practice papal patronage of the arts in the grand tradition of his Renaissance and Baroque predecessors. Caught between the ancien régime and the age of revolution, he died a political prisoner in France after the installation of the short-lived Roman Republic, his sad demise seemingly inextricable from that of the old order. His life perhaps eclipsed by the circumstances of his death, Pius's pontificate has only now received the attention it deserves from art historians in Jeffrey Collins's excellent study of his patronage. Beautifully written, well organized and illustrated, and meticulously researched, Collins's book offers a balanced account not only of Pius's many important commissions, but also demonstrates how the pope used various kinds of artworks and monuments to promote his policies and to disseminate a carefully crafted image of himself. Well aware of the potential pitfalls of patronage studies, the author is cautious not to overestimate the patron's share, reserving discussion for the role of artists and advisers chosen to fall in line with the pope's programs. He also gives ample space to the critical reception of Pius's projects from the late eighteenth to the nineteenth century. While Collins's purpose in studying the Braschi pope is avowedly that of "recuperation and reintegration," his contribution goes beyond the history of art by contextualizing Pius's commissions within the larger issues of his challenging papacy.

The book is divided into six chapters, framed by an introduction and conclusion. In the first chapter Collins introduces the conservative Braschi and discusses his rise to power as well as the challenges, both internal and external, that he faced as pope. These included controversy over the recent dissolution of the Jesuit order; the poor economy and corrupt, inefficient bureaucracy of the Papal States; ongoing power struggles with other Catholic sovereigns; and the spread of Enlightenment thought that questioned the very foundations of Christianity. Pius responded with policies and programs for reform, such as the famous reclamation of the Pontine marshes, and, as Collins demonstrates in chapter two, with imagery representing the pope as a "beneficent monarch, religious reformer, and enlightened patron of the arts." The third chapter is devoted to Pius's completion of St. Peter's, especially the building of the Sacristy by Carlo Marchionni, and the fourth to the establishment of the innovative Museo Pio-Clementino at the Vatican Palace. Chapter five details the pontiff's various projects in Rome, including the erection of obelisks and the building of the Palazzo Braschi for his family, and chapter six similarly explores his commissions in the provinces of the Papal States. In the conclusion Collins interprets Pius's patronage through the lens of Harold Bloom's theory of the "anxiety of influence," citing it to explain the pope's need to outdo his predecessors' commissions and ensure his fame for posterity.

One of the great strengths of this book is the author's ability to work across various media, ranging from paintings, prints, and decorative objects to fresco cycles, sculptural monuments, and architectural projects. Another virtue is Collins's in-depth examination of the larger commissions, tracing them from conceptualization to realization and often introducing previously unpublished documentation in the process. Collins's book thus makes a substantial contribution to the study of Roman art in a period that has been the object of increasing scholarly interest. Spanning the Grand Tour and revolution, eighteenth-century Rome played a critical role in the transition from the early modern to the modern European world. Pius VI attempted to navigate this transition by balancing tradition against innovation. Although conservative by temperament, the Braschi pope, as Collins points out, should also be remembered for his more progressive moves. He expanded the impressive hospitals for which Rome was justly famous. He employed artists and architects...