Indice degli autori

Abstract: Giovanni Rumi and Giovanni Barbarossa were two art dealers - or «quadrari» - in Rome in the eighteenth century: their characteristics and professional activity, previously unknown, are reinstated and placed in the context of the art trade of the period for the first time in this article. Giovanni Rumi worked mostly to satisfy the lower middle class demand by collecting primarily portraits. Giovanni Barbarossa instead reached a higher level, thanks also to Cardinal Silvio Valenti Gonzaga, his client and advisor. Although in different ways, Rumi and Barbarossa are key figures for the understanding of the difficult and often controversial relationship between the art market and institutions such as the Accademia di San Luca and the Customs’ offices.