Ancient and Modern Idols of Papal Rome: Contextualising Michelangelo’s Bacchus Within the Art Collecting and Patronage of his era. Review on: Kathleen W. Christian. Raffaele Riario, Jacopo Galli, and Michelangelo’s Bacchus, 1471–1572. (London, Turnhout 20

The monograph reviewed by the author aims to reconstruct the socio-cultural background against which Michelangelo Buonarroti created several of his early sculptures, most notably Bacchus (1496–1497). Drawing on the extensive number of illustrative and textual sources, including unpublished data from the Riario, Galli, Medici and the Roman Curia financial records, Christian adopts an anthropological approach to recreate the mundane and symbolic spaces of High Renaissance Rome. Her work allows us to expand and clarify our knowledge about Michelangelo’s early career and his cooperation with his Roman patrons. The book consists of nine chapters, an epilogue and appendices, including transcriptions of a number of archival documents and early printed books relating to the activities of the main characters of the book, namely Michelangelo himself, Cardinal Raffaele Riario and his banker Jacopo Galli, as well as their kin, friends and business partners. The book is richly illustrated, including architectural plans and city maps, as well as reconstruction schemes of Galli and Riario Roman residences.