"The baroque style of architecture rose up from the Mannerism of the turn of the seventeenth century, and evolved into the lighter rococo around 1750. At its height, the baroque encompassed all the arts, and the style was freighted with the message of the Counter-Reformation.".

"This catalogue explores every facet of baroque architecture in Europe. An international team of scholars examines such subjects as the political and religious use of architecture, the birth of the baroque in Rome, landscape, fantasies, and the education of the architect. The second part of the book, a catalogue of works exhibited, illustrates the types of baroque construction: villas and chateaux, military architecture, royal palaces, and gardens."--BOOK JACKET.