Book excerpt: The 17th-century was a period of extraordinary achievement in Italian painting that placed Naples at the center of international artistic taste. The almost continuous artistic accomplishments in Naples at this time left an imprint on the history of European art. This exhibition catalog presents 50 paintings-including both familiar icons and many important works visiting North America for the first time-by such artists as Artemisia Gentileschi, Luca Giordano, Francesco Guarino, Salvatore Rosa, Jusepe De Ribera, and more. The paintings depict religious and secular subjects, still life, portraiture, and 17th-century city life in Naples, including the ravages of rebellion and plague, and the moments of great triumph.