Download - Galleria Borghese, Rome 2.0

An Exclusive gallery in Rome

First created 18 Aug 2011. Version 2.0 - 24 Nov 2017. Jerry Daperro. London. All rights reserved. Rights belong to their respective owners.

Available free for non-commercial, Educational and personal use.

Galleria Borghese

Villa Borghese Park

The Galleria Borghese is situated in a park about 2 km from the centre of the city, Rome.

The gallery is not big but housed in an opulent palaces. It is the most exclusive gallery in Rome. To see the collection, visitors have to make a reservation before hand, in one of the 2-hour slots offered by the gallery.

Th

e ga

ller

y

The main entrance

Ceiling of the Entrance Hall

The building was built for as the personal home of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, between 1613 and 1615. Scipione Borghese was also the nephew of the pope Paul V. He was also a patron of Bernini. The gallery underwent an extensive 14 years restoration in 1983 and reopened in 1997.

The Building

Cardinal Scipione Borghese

Pope Paul V (1605-21)

The Emperor Room

The building was built as a showpiece gallery of the cardinal. The gallery is known for its collection of Bernini, Raphael and Caravaggio masterpieces.

The Egyptian Room

The Building

Ancient Greek Sculpture

Artemis. 4C BC. OriginalPeplofora. Early 5C BC. Possibly Greek Original

The Sleeping Hermaphrodite was a 1C Roman copy of the 150 BC original sculpture by Polycles. The first Hermaphrodite sculpture belonged to the gallery was sold to the Louvre. This current Hermaphrodite was found in 1781 and reworked by Pacetti.

The Sleeping Hermaphrodite, original Greek, 150 BC.


Dancing Satyr, original Greek, 4C BC.

Hercules, original Greek, 4C BC.


In 1807, many pieces of art works were sold to Napoleon and they are now exhibit as the ‘Borghese collection’ in the Louvre, Paris.

Satyr on a Dolphin, original Greek, 1C BC.

Iris (Egyptian godess), Roman 2C.


Raphael

Woman with a Unicorn. 1505-06. Sanzio Raffaello.

Raphael probably did not finish the painting. Another artist completed the portrait by changing its pose and the size of the sleeves. He also added a small dog and the windowsill. Soon after, the dog was changed into a unicorn.

In 17C the woman was changed into St Catherine with addition of her wheel. In the 1935 restoration the 17C changes were removed .

The Deposition of Christ. 1507. Sanzio Raffaello.

The painting was cleaned in 2005 and revealed the magnificent vivid colours.

The painting was painted by Raphael before he moved to Rome. It was originally placed in the church of S Francesco al Prato in Perugia.

Raphael

Sacred and Profane Love. Titan. 1514.

The nude woman was the goddess of Venus (sacred love), with her sacred flame in hand. The clothed woman (profane love) was a young widow Laura Bagarotto, dressed as a bride to be of Niccolo Aureli, who commissioned the painting.

Venus with the help of Cupid who was stirring a pool of water in a sarcophagus, to assist Laura Baggrotto for the coming marriage.

Titian

Venus Blindfolding Cupid. c1565. Titian. This was painted some 50 years after the previous painting, in his 70s, showing his changing style.

Titian

Venus and Two Cupids. c1520. Brescianino.

Brescianino

Venus and Cupid with a Honeycomb. c1531. Cranach. An unusual painting in the collection as Cranach was a friend of Martin Luther.

Cranach

The painting refers to a romantic epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto. It told the story of an enchantress, Circe, who imprisoned her lovers within trees (see miniscule figures of men on the tree, top left), rocks and animals. The lady who sat in a magic circle was probably Melissa, who liberated the victims from the spell. The empty armour was a reference to the trapped knight of Astolpho.

Melissa or Circe, c1530. by D. Dossi.

Note the fantasy and opulent use of colours in the painting and fine landscape in the background.

Dosso Dossi

Danae. 1531-32. Correggio. He was responsible for some of the most vigorous and sensuous works of the 16C.

Correggio

Portrait of a Man. 1535. Lotto.

Lotto

Born in Venice, his work is always crisp and clear. His works show the influence of the Venetian painters and the influence of German painters, in his landscape.

Aeneas’ Flight from Troy. 1598. Barocci. Bernini must had seen this before he worked on the Aeneas and Anchises sculpture.

Barocci

Bassano

Inevitably this painting would be compared with Leonardo’s Last Supper. Bassano’s version is far more informal and more disorganised than Leonardo’s version. The disciples is dressed in more realistic ordinary costumes, as expected for fishermen and labourers. The painting has been called “a prelude to the revolution of realism championed by Caravaggio”.

Vittore Carpaccio

Vittore Carpaccio (c1405-1523/6) was an early Venetian school. He studied under Gentile Bellini and also influenced by Giovanni Bellini. His best work is the cycle of large pictures of the Legend of S Ursula. Here is a rather delightful portrait of a woman.

Annibale Carracci

Annibale Carracci (c1405-1523/6) is the best known of the three Carracci from a family of painters in Bologna. The Carracci played crucial role in lifting Bologna into the leading role in Italian art in the 1590s. The Laughing Youth was painted by the young Annibale. It is spontaneity and modern and anticipated the portraits by Bernini and Velazquez.

Giorgione

The painting is attributed to Giorgione (1476/8-1510), who was a Venetian painter. He was one of the most celebrated and influential of artists, credited with laying the foundations of the Venetian High Renaissance.

Zucchi

Jacopo Zucchi (1541-90) is a Florentine Mannerist painter, a pupil and assistant of Vasari, whom he assisted on frescos of the Palazzo Vecchio. IN 1572 He settled in Rome as an independent artist, continuing to receive fresco commissions.

Self-Portrait as the Sick Bacchus. c1593. Caravaggio

CaravaggioCaravaggio, Michelangelo Merisi is the most important Baroque painter. His revolutionary technique used dramatic dark background, selective illuminations and strong lighting contrasts. Many painters were influenced by his styles, including Artemisia Gentileschi, Ribera, Honthorst, Georges de La Tour, Rembrandt and Velazquez.

Caravaggio

Boy with a Basket of Fruit. c1594. Caravaggio.

Caravaggio’s style is described as ‘chiaroscuro’. The fruits in his paintings were often over-ripe and starting to decay. The leaves were wilting and colours were fading.

Caravaggio

Early Italian still life by Caravaggio.

St Jerome. 1605-06. Caravaggio. This was painted at the height of his career. Note the light streams off the bald head of the saint.

Caravaggio

Madonna of the Palafrenieri. 1605-06. Caravaggio.

It is a very unusual painting of the Madonna and child. It was commissioned as an altarpiece in the St Peter Basilica.

The painting shows the Virgin, with the help of her son, trampled on a snake, the source of the original sin. This is an allegory of the Catholics church (represented by the Virgin) crashing the opposition, on the dispute between the Catholics and the Protestants on the original sin.

St Anne (on the right), the mother of the Virgin was given the rough treatment by Caravaggio.

Caravaggio

David with the Head of Goliath. 1609-10. Caravaggio.

Self-portrait, the head of Caravaggio, who was wanted by the police for murder. Caravaggio is saying “here is my head”.

Caravaggio

St John the Baptist. 1609-10. Caravaggio.

Caravaggio painted St John the Baptist in his youth. The saint grew up in the wilderness, that strengthened his spirit (St Luke).

The painting illustrated Caravaggio’s approach to saints and apostles. He saw these people as ordinary men and women rather than sanitised version of people in robes or spiritual colossus.

Caravaggio

The Hunt of Diana. 1616. Domenichino. The painting was forcefully bought by the Scipione Borghese from the rebellious artist Domenichino. It depicts a an archery contest, in a festive atmosphere amongst Diana’s nymphs. The exquisite colour was part of the Veneto school ‘s style.

Domenichino

Sybil. c1616. Domenichino.

A colourful and a youthful Persian Sybil, with a viola and a music book. In antiquity sybils sang their prophecies, accompanied with music. Domenichino was also an expert in music.

Domenichino

Madonna and Child. c1650. Sassoferrato.

Sassoferrato

Bernini c1623

Bernini c1630-35

Bernini

BerniniIt is impossible for any tourist to visit Rome without coming across art works by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. He was a very successful artist in the early 17C. He was the leading sculptor, a painter, play write, a prominent architect and a stage designer. Several of his masterpieces are on display in the gallery. Below are some of his works in Rome.

Aeneas fleeing from the burning city of Troy carrying his elderly father, while his son carries the sacred fire. Aeneas and Anchises. 1618-1620.

Bernini

Many scholars saw the influence of Bernini’s father on the sculpture. Some even suggested it was his father’s work.

Bernini

Proserpine was carried by Pluto into the underworld. Rape of Proserpine. 1621-22.

Bernini

Marble softened in the hand of Bernini.

Bernini

Bernini

Life-size marble sculpture (1622-26) by Bernini. Apollo insulted Cupid, who shot him with the gold arrow of love. Knowing Apollo was in love with Daphne, Cupid shot her with the lead arrow of hate. The sculpture showed the moment when Apollo touched her. Sensing Apollo’s touch and the danger she turned herself into a tree to escape from Apollo.

Bernini

The Apollo and Daphne was one of the four sculptures commissioned by Cardinal Borghese.

Bernini

Daphne’s foot is turning into roots.

Bernini

Bernini’s David is very dynamic and compared well with previous well-known examples of sculpture of David.

David. 1623-24. Life-size marble.Bernini

Note the biting lips, the hatred and other emotions on His face.

Bernini

Bernini was very skilful in conveying movements in his David sculpture. Note the tension on his leg.

Bernini

Pauline was Napoleon’s sister, who married one of the Borghese Princes. Pauline Bonaparte as Venus Victrix, 1805-1808. Antonio Canova.

Canova

By portrait Pauline in nude with an apple in her hand, Canova elevated her to be a goddess. The apple is a reference to the Judgement of Paris, about beauty.

Canova

Landi

Portrait of Antonio Canova.

Portrait of the greatest Italian sculptor of the 18C, painted by Gaspare Landi. Antonio Canova (1757-1822) was brought up as a mason. At the age of 17, he already had his own studio in Venice. He became the most famous Neoclassic sculptor of his age.

Galleria Borghese

The Galleria Borghese is an exclusive gallery. You need to buy a reservation ticket for a two hours visit, before your admission before your allocated time slot.

Scipione Borghese was an early patron of Bernini and an enthusiastic collector of works by Caravaggio. As a result, the gallery has a very large collection of Bernini and Caravaggio’s masterpieces. The gallery was re-opened in 1997, after a 14 years restoration.

With over a thousand of paintings in more than 10 countries.