The monumental splendor, imperial strength and magnificence which is associated with Rome is in fact, when looked at closely, composed of a shimmering array of small fragments: archaic Etruscan relics, the impressive marble artifacts of the Roman Empire, the magnificent buildings of the Papal State, the immense collections of paintings and drawings in The Vatican Museum. This legacy of artists from virtually all eras who were drawn by the city's powerful magnetism is still to be marveled at in Rome today. In this magnificently produced volume we are led chronologically by art historians through this inestimable source of European culture.