Few painters have enjoyed such a dazzling career as Antonio Pellegrini. For some thirty years (1708-38) he was the most sought-after history painter in the great cities of Europe: London, Dusseldorf, Antwerp, The Hague, Paris, Pommersfelden, Wurzburg, Dresden, Vienna, and Mannheim were in turn the principal scenes of his triumphs.

The author discusses Pellegrini's major commissions and their patrons, offers an indication of Pellegrini's relationship with other contemporary painters, presents the existing documentation, and provides a background against which many smaller canvases can be considered. In this the first comprehensive study of the artist's work to be published George Knox describes how Pellegrini played a leading role in the creation of the Rococo style.