Portrait of Asdrubale Mattei di Giove by students of Caravaggio (c. 1615). Asdrubale Mattei (died 1638), Duca di Giove, was an Italian nobleman of the

House of Mattei 200px, Cortile Mattei di Giove The House of Mattei was one of the most powerful noble families of Rome during the Middle Ages and early modern era, holding high positions in the papal curia and government office. The family amassed significant a ...

, an avid art collector and a

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of hi ...

Family

Mattei was the third of three sons of Alessandro Mattei and Emilia Mazzatosta and the younger brother of

Ciriaco Mattei Ciriaco Mattei (died 1614) was an Italian nobleman of Rome and of the House of Mattei and one of the most prolific art collectors of his time. Family Mattei was the son of Alessandro Mattei and Emilia Mazzatosta. He was the brother of Cardinal G ...

and

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

Girolamo Mattei Girolamo Mattei (8 February 1547 – 8 December 1603) was an Italian Cardinal from the House of Mattei. Biography Mattei was born 8 February 1547, the son of Alessandro Mattei and Emilia Mazzatosta. He was the younger brother of Ciriaco Mattei ...

. He married Costanza Gonzaga (of the

House of Gonzaga ) , type = Noble house , country = , estates = Ducal Palace (Mantua) Ducal Palace (Nevers) , titles = * Prince of Arches * Duke of Montferrat * Duke of Mantua * Duke of Guastalla * Duke of Nevers * Duke ...

) and they had three sons: *

, future Duca di Giove *

Luigi Mattei Luigi Mattei (died 1665) was an Italian military General and Marquis de Belmonte. During the 17th century he commanded troops loyal to the papal armies of Barberini Pope Urban VIII and Pamphili Pope Innocent X during the Wars of Castro. Biograp ...

, future Marquis di Belmonte *Paolo Mattei

Patron of the arts and architecture

In 1597, Mattei and his brother Ciriaco paid 65,000

scudi The ''scudo'' (pl. ''scudi'') was the name for a number of coins used in various states in the Italian peninsula until the 19th century. The name, like that of the French écu and the Spanish and Portuguese escudo, was derived from the Latin ''scu ...

for the fortified

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

of GioveBerkshire Review:
Giove which allowed Mattei to be appointed ''Duca di Giove'' (Duke of Giove). Mattei passed the title and property to his son, Girolamo. Between 1598 and 1618, Mattei commissioned architect

Carlo Maderno Carlo Maderno (Maderna) (1556 – 30 January 1629) was an Italian architect, born in today's Ticino, who is remembered as one of the fathers of Baroque architecture. His façades of Santa Susanna, St. Peter's Basilica and Sant'Andrea della Valle ...

to build the

Palazzo Mattei A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

. Mattei was a strong supporter of

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

artist

. The artist lived at Mattei residences, the

and latter the

Villa Mattei The Villa Celimontana (previously known as Villa Mattei) is a villa on the Caelian Hill in Rome, best known for its gardens. Its grounds cover most of the valley between the Aventine Hill and the Caelian. Location The Villa Celimontana is situa ...

and Mattei (and his brother Ciriaco) commissioned a large number of works from the painter. The works included ''The Taking of Christ'' (for which Mattei and his brother paid a paltry 125

). It was reported that Mattei began a tradition which later took hold among Italian noblemen and carried on through the 17th century. Upon meeting his

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

"superior", Cardinal Alessandro Farnese (both were in

carriage A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most commonly horse-drawn. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping an ...

s) in a public street, Mattei ordered his carriage stopped as a mark of respect. The cardinal then ordered his carriage to come alongside Mattei's so that the two could converse. The practice became a standard part of interactions between the various sub-classes of Italian nobility. ''History of the popes; their church and state (Volume III)''
by Leopold von Ranke (2009,

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

Library)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mattei, Asdrubale 1638 deaths Asdrubale Italian nobility Date of birth unknown Year of birth unknown Date of death unknown