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.

Matthias Schaller wurde 1965 in Dillingen an der Donau geboren und lebt heute in Venedig und New York City. Schaller studierte Kulturanthropologie in Göttingen, Hamburg und Siena. Er war DAAD-Stipendiat in Rom und hat seine Werke international in Einzelaustellungen ausgestellt, unter anderem im Picasso Museum in Münster, der Fondazione Giorgio Cini, der Biennale d'Arte in Venedig und dem Museu de Arte Moderna in Rio de Janeiro. Steidl veröffentlichte Schallers The Mill (2007), Controfacciata (2008) und Purple Desk (2009).