Like in the seventeenth century. The Salone Pietro da Cortona returns to shine in Palazzo Barberini – Rome

Roma – A symbolic place of the Roman baroque returns to its original aspect, or almost. The one who has just been completed in the Salone Pietro da Cortona By Palazzo Barberini: For the first time after decades, the enormous frescoed environment returns to welcome the preparatory boxes of the cycle of Life of Urban VIII, Absolute masterpieces of the painting of seventeenth century. Recently recovered in the laboratory of the national galleries of old art, the paintings were placed in the context for which the cycle of tapestries was devised, in dialogue with the famous fresco of the ceiling, the Triumph of Divine Providence By Pietro Da CortonaAccording to a philological return that reconstructs the original function of the Salone as a place of representation and celebration of the Barberini Dynasty.

For the noble families of the seventeenth century, possessing his own arazzeria meant a declaration of power and prestige unparalleled. It was the Cardinal Francesco Barberini, cousin of Pope Stedelijk VIII, to be found in 1627 de Factory BarberiniOne of the most ambitious artistic projects of that time, according to a diplomatic gift of enormous value: seven tapestries made on drawings by WinkReceived by the King of France Louis XIII. Hence the idea of ​​completing the series with new festive tapestries, directly put into use to court artists and fabrics in the newly formed Roman factory.

Palazzo Barberini, Salone Pietro da Cortona, Preparatory cartoons of the carpet cycle The Life of Urban VIII, Bottega di Pietro da Cortona © National Galleries of Ancient Art

The cycle of Life of Urban VIII represent The top of the production of the Arasteria BarberiniA monumental project in which biography and allegory are intertwined in the glorification of the Pontiff and his family. The preparatory cartoons entrusted to the circle of Pietro da Cortona are presented as Real artworks with natural sizeDesigned to be converted into dust through the complex technique of “Low Liccio”. Contrary to what mostly happened, the Barberini chose to preserve these models, aware of their artistic and propaganda value, so that they are exposed in the rooms of their building for more than three centuries.
The recurrence therefore offers A new key to reading the salon And the decorative program: a visual and narrative path that invites you to rediscover one of the highest moments of baroque culture, in which the art dialogue to celebrate the size of the church and the house that managed to represent more than any others how to represent in Baroque Rome.

Palazzo Barberini © National Galleries of Old Art