Book excerpt: In recent years, historians of early modern Italian art have begun to delve into issues surrounding patronage, production, materials and materiality. This volume brings together some of the top scholars in the field, to investigate how sculptors and patrons dealt with the practical and esoteric issues of material choices and acquisition, production, shipping and transportation, and the changing meanings of sculptures. The epilogue reveals continuity in the challenges artists face today as they move large sculptures around the globe.