Purple Desks

Between 2004 and 2007, during the pontificates of Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI, Matthias Schaller photographed the rarely seen offices of the Roman Catholic cardinals inside the Vatican. Using fifteenth century iconography as a model, such as the portrait of cardinal St. Hieronymous by Vittore Carpaccio, Schaller combines Renaissance tradition with the technology and conventions of contemporary art, creating portraits without the sitter. In this absorbing monograph, his subjects are revealed through our entrée into their intimate chambers and through subtle differences of their attendant accessories, forcing the viewer to confront his or her own assumptions about who these men really are.