‘Dopo’ l’immagine. Aspetti della pittura di ricordi a Roma nel Seicento

This paper deepens the pictorial genre of souvenirs during the 17th century. Through an account of the state of the art and some significant examples, the research aims at analysing a type of painting that has not been extensively investigated yet by scholars so far. After focusing on general issues concerning vocabulary, formal characteristics, and functions of souvenirs paintings – to clarify the difference between this type of artwork and oil sketches – the attention is turned to artists such as Andrea Sacchi, Pietro da Cortona, Carlo Maratti, Luca Giordano, and Filippo Lauri. Those painters were all authors of small-sized replicas reproducing entirely or a detail of a large-scale work, painted by the artist for himself or for some collector. This practice played a major role especially in Filippo Lauri’s career, so much so that his work provides a unique opportunity to pinpoint the history of this type of artwork. His souvenirs enjoyed a large appreciation, telling of the cultural dynamics of late-baroque Rome, relating to its burgeoning art market, and representing an early example of the culture of collecting, which eventually developed through the Grand Tour.