Abstract

H.R. Jauss's fame is closely linked with that of the aesthetic of reception. The doctrine was first thought with a polemic intent, it presents itself as a radical rethink of the idea of tradition. Jauss's thesis have been broadly appreciated, even outside the literary critic. Little has been thought about their suitability for the history of art. We will try to evaluate the possible influence of «Rezeptionsästhetik» on the two great art historians M. Baxandall and especially F. Haskell by analysing their writings. A singular criminal episode that features Vermeer as main character will come to our aid in indirectly confirming the validity of our hypothesis.