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The art of the Sistine Chapel, decorated by artists who competed with one another and commissioned by popes who were equally competitive, is a complex fabric of thematic, chronological, and artistic references. Four main campaigns were undertaken to decorate the chapel between 1481 and 1541, and with each new addition, fundamental themes found increasingly concrete expression. One theme in particular plays a central role in the chapel: the legitimization of papal authority, as symbolized by two keys-one silver, one gold-to the kingdom of heaven. "The Sistine Chapel: Paradise in Rome" provides a concise, informative account of the decoration of the Sistine Chapel. In unpacking this complex history, Ulrich Pfisterer reveals the remarkable unity of the images in relation to theology, politics, and the intentions of the artists themselves, who included such household names as Botticelli, Michelangelo, and Raphael. Through a study of the main campaigns to adorn the Sistine Chapel, Pfisterer argues that the art transformed the chapel into a pathway to the kingdom of God, legitimising the absolute authority of the popes. First published in German, the prose comes to life in English in the deft hands of translator David Dollenmayer.

Based on the key concepts of 'pluralization' and 'authority', the series presents studies on early modern literature and culture from the 15th to the 17th century. The early modern period is increasingly recognized in cultural studies as an age whose cultural paradigms still largely depended on medieval norms and traditions but at the same time also created a set of conditions that facilitated Europe's transition to modernity. As opposed to established historical grand narratives such as modernization or secularization, the volumes in this series attempt to describe the dynamics of the period as a complex interaction of mutually competing world views, knowledge structures and behaviour patterns. The series explores these dynamics from an interdisciplinary perspective, including studies on literature, linguistics, history, philosophy, art, music and legal history.

Das Lexikon erlautert die zentralen Leitideen, Methoden und Hilfsmittel der Kunstgeschichte bis hin zu jungsten Forschungsansatzen. In etwa 150 Stichwoertern, z.B. Original, Falschung, Reprasentation, Kunsthandler, Kunstmarkt, Manierismus, Ende der Kunst, wird dabei auch die wissenschaftsgeschichtliche Entwicklung der Disziplin ausfuhrlich dargestellt. Damit steht das Werk ausser Konkurrenz. Die Autoren erlautern Begriffe und Theorien aus der Zeit vor der eigentlichen Begrundung der Kunstwissenschaft im 19.Jahrhundert, beginnend mit der Antike. Auf diese Weise erfahrt der Leser mehr uber die historischen Voraussetzungen heutiger Diskussionen uber Kunst und erkennt zugleich die Andersartigkeit der damaligen Kunstbetrachtung. Damit unterscheidet sich das unter Mitarbeit von 50 renommierten Kunsthistorikern entstandene Handbuch wesentlich von bisherigen, grossenteils personen- und sachkundlich orientierten Nachschlagewerken.