Guido Reni - L'Aurora di Guido Reni nelle arti decorative

L'Aurora (''The Aurora'') is a large

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 ...

ceiling fresco painted in 1614 by

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious ...

for the Casino, or garden house, adjacent to the Palazzo Pallavicini-Rospigliosi, in Rome. The work is considered Reni's fresco masterpiece.

Casino dell'Aurora

The casino and the paintings were commissioned by the Cardinal Scipione Borghese, a prominent art patron, and designed by

Giorgio Vasanzio Giorgio may refer to: * Castel Giorgio, ''comune'' in Umbria, Italy * Giorgio (name), an Italian given name and surname * Giorgio Moroder, or Giorgio, Italian record producer ** ''Giorgio'' (album), an album by Giorgio Moroder * "Giorgio" (song), ...

and Carlo Maderno, and the rear overlooks the Piazza del Quirinale in Rome. The facade is towards the small garden next to the palace. On the walls of the room are four frescoes of the ''Seasons'' by Paul Bril, and two ''Triumphs'' by Antonio Tempesta.

The Aurora fresco

The ceiling fresco is tall and wide. It is displayed within a painted frame or ''

quadro riportato ''Quadro riportato'' (plural ''quadri riportati'') is the Italian phrase for "carried picture" or "transported paintings". It is used in art to describe gold-framed easel paintings or framed paintings that are seen in a normal perspective (visual), ...

'' and depicts from right to left, Aurora (Dawn) in a golden billowing dress with her garlands flies over a dim-lit landscape, leading a blond Apollo in his horse-drawn chariot, surrounded by a chain of female "hours", bringing light to the world. It could also be described as the '' Triumph of Apollo led by the Aurora''. Above the quadriga, in the sky, flies the putto Phosphorus with a torch. Zephyrs blow winds at either end. One interpretation of the work is that the incorporated heraldic symbols were meant to link the patron Scipione with Apollo, his patronage bringing "light to the darkness". It may have served to uphold the ravenous Borghese accumulation of classical antiquities. The style of the work is classically restrained and mimics poses from ancient Roman sarcophagi, that were on display in the cardinal's collection. Others have noted how the painting echoes in part a bas-relief at the Arch of Constantine showing Apollo in a Quadriga with Phosphorus. The chariot procession recalls the central fresco in ''

The Loves of the Gods ''The Loves of the Gods'' is a monumental fresco cycle, completed by the Bolognese artist Annibale Carracci and his studio, in the Farnese Gallery which is located in the west wing of the Palazzo Farnese, now the French Embassy, in Rome. The f ...

'', painted by

Annibale Carracci Annibale Carracci (; November 3, 1560 – July 15, 1609) was an Italian painter and instructor, active in Bologna and later in Rome. Along with his brother and cousin, Annibale was one of the progenitors, if not founders of a leading strand of th ...

in the Farnese Palace, which depicts the ''Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne''; however, here there is far more classical sobriety in a restricted number of figures, with little emotion, without overemphasizing muscular anatomy, and hearkening beyond mannerism back to a high- renaissance restraint. The quadriga prances in unison; the maiden hours gambol at a placid pace. There is little attention to perspective, and if anything the vibrantly colored style is an affront to the violence and tenebrism displayed by

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 ...

and his followers, despite this being a pavilion commissioned by one of Caravaggio's early patrons, Scipione Borghese. It is unclear how the fresco relates to the paintings on the walls by

Paolo Brill Paul Bril (1554 – 7 October 1626) was a Flemish painter and printmaker principally known for his landscapes.Nicola Courtright. "Paul Bril." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 26 September 2016 He spent most of h ...

. On the other hand, the contemporary frescoes by Antonio Tempesta also depict triumphs: on the right a ''Roman general in a triumph and crowned by winged Victory. On the left, a ''Triumph of Love''.Casino Aurora of Palazzo Pallavicini
official site.

References

{{Guido Reni 1614 paintings Paintings in Rome Paintings by Guido Reni Paintings of Roman goddesses Aurora (mythology)