Cardinals in Early Modern Europe with Dr Lisa Beaven

What was it like to be a cardinal in early modern Europe? In reality there was huge diversity among cardinals as some were extremely wealthy while others were relatively poor, but all were pressured to display their wealth, and many lived in great style in their Roman palaces and villas. Their collections included exotic animals, mummies, musical instruments, antiquities, luxury clocks, and of course art. This lecture will provide an overview of some of more unusual items they owned, wore or displayed.

Dr. Lisa Beaven is Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at La Trobe University, Australia. From 2014-18 she was a post-doctoral research fellow in the ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions at the University of Melbourne. Her research interests are concentrated on seventeenth century Italian art patronage and collecting as well as landscape painting and environmental history and she has published widely on these topics.