The palazzo Cattaneo-Adorno or palazzo Lazzaro e Giacomo Spinola is a building located on

via Garibaldi Via or VIA may refer to the following: Science and technology * MOS Technology 6522, Versatile Interface Adapter * ''Via'' (moth), a genus of moths in the family Noctuidae * Via (electronics), a through-connection * VIA Technologies, a Taiwan ...

, in the historical centre of

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

, marked by house numbers 8 and 10, included on 13 July

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

in the list of 42 palaces inscribed in the

Rolli di Genova Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which includes a number of streets and palaces in the center of Genoa, in Northwestern Italy. * The ''Strade Nuove'' (Italian for "New Streets") are a ...

, which became

World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

on that date. It houses a remarkable cycle of Baroque frescoes by Lazzaro Tavarone.

History

The cousins Lazzaro and Giacomo Spinola (from Luccoli) had the palace built between 1583 and 1588. The attribution of two distinct house numbers is due to the fact that the palace, although it consists of a single building, is made up of two distinct and symmetrical dwellings, a feature that makes it unique among the palaces of Strada Nuova. The absolute symmetry conceived by the unknown architect who oversaw its construction characterises both the facades, the floor plan and the gardens, as can be seen in the surveys made by

Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...

for the 1622 edition of the

Palazzi di Genova ''Palazzi di Genova'' is a 1622 book written and illustrated by Peter Paul Rubens, depicting and describing the palaces of Genoa, Italy in 72 plates. A second volume with 67 further plates was added the same year, and they are usually found (and r ...

. The uniqueness of the double construction is still highlighted by the presence of the two identical

portal Portal often refers to: * Portal (architecture), an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, or the extremities (ends) of a tunnel Portal may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), two video games ...

s facing the street. In 1609, the western part (no. 10) was given to Filippo Adorno. The Adorno family, whose descendants retained ownership until the 20th century, commissioned the interior decoration. In particular, it was Giovanni Battista Adorno (1566—1638), brother of the purchaser, who commissioned Lazzaro Tavarone to paint the famous cycle of frescoes in the 1520s, with the subject of the exploits of the Adorno family. From his marriage to Paola Spinola was born Paolina Adorno (1610—1648), wife of

Anton Giulio Brignole Sale Anton may refer to: People *Anton (given name), including a list of people with the given name *Anton (surname) Places *Anton Municipality, Bulgaria **Anton, Sofia Province, a village *Antón District, Panama **Antón, a town and capital of th ...

, immortalised in the famous portrait by

Van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy. The seventh c ...

now in

Palazzo Rosso The Palazzo Brignole Sale or Palazzo Rosso is a house museum located in Via Garibaldi, in the historical center of Genoa, in Northwestern Italy. The palace is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Pa ...

. The eastern residence (no. 8), on the other hand, experienced more changes of ownership. Belonging to the Saluzzo family from the 17th to the mid-19th century, it then passed to the Scassi, then to the Cattaneo. Following the merger of the Cattaneo and Adorno families, with the marriage of Luigi Cattaneo and Viola Adorno, the palazzo took its present name.

Description

More modest is the decoration of the east wing, which features 16th-century frescoes by Giovanni Andrea Ansaldo (1584—1638) with ''Stories of Cupid and Psyche''. Inside the west wing at number 10, the frescoed decoration, dated 1624 and the work of

Lazzaro Tavarone Lazzaro Tavarone (1556–1641) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance and Mannerism, Mannerist period, active mainly in his native Genoa and in Spain. He was the pupil of the painter Luca Cambiasi. Tavarone accompanied Cambiaso to Spain i ...

, celebrates on the

Vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosure ...

of the atrium a ''war feat of Antoniotto Adorno'', the owners' ancestor doge. In another room on the ground floor, the '' Conquest of Jerusalem,'' is celebrated with ''William Embriacus expels Jerusalem, the Delivery of the Baptist’s Ashes, the Gift of the Holy Basin,'' surrounded by ''Allegorical Figures. In the room on the

piano nobile The ''piano nobile'' (Italian for "noble floor" or "noble level", also sometimes referred to by the corresponding French term, ''bel étage'') is the principal floor of a palazzo. This floor contains the main reception and bedrooms of the hou ...

, also by Lazzaro Tavarone, is the ''

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

depicting the ''Deeds of Doge Antoniotto Adorno for the liberation of Pope Urban VI besieged by Charles III, King of Naples at Nocera'' ''(1385)''. Other rooms present encomiastic subjects (''Raffaele Adorno conquers the island of Gerba in 1388)'' biblical ''(Announcement of the angel to Hagar and Ishmael, Stories of Daniel)'' and mythological ''(Cupid blindfolded)''.Parma E. (ed.), La pittura in Liguria: il Cinquecento, Genoa 1999, pp. 292—299 In other living rooms under vaults frescoed with mythological subjects, precious furniture and knick-knacks are preserved, as well as part of the rich and well-known picture gallery comprising remarkable paintings between the XVI and the 17th century. File:Genova-DSCF7471.JPG, Particular of one of the two portals of the palace File:Attributed to Nicolaes Rijckmans 008.jpg,

, ''Palaces of Genoa'' File:Palazzo Cattaneo-Adorno13.jpg, Raffaele Adorno besieges the city of Tunis, Lazzaro Tavarone, 1624 File:Anton Van Dyck - Paolina Adorno Brignole-Sale - Google Art Project.jpg,

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy. The seventh c ...

, Portrait of Paolina Adorno Brignole-Sale Palazzo Podestà Genoa 01.JPG, Fresco by

, depicting the storming of Jerusalem

Notes

Sources

Italian sources

* E. Poleggi, Genova. Una civiltà di Palazzi, Cinisello Balsamo (Milano) 2002, pp. 114-116 (Palazzo di Lazzaro e Giacomo Spinola (1583)) * E. Poleggi, L’invenzione dei Rolli, catalogo della mostra, Genova 2004. * Alizeri Federico, (Attribuito a) Manuale del forestiere per la città di Genova, Genova, 1846 pag. 282-285 * Alizeri Federico, Guida illustrativa del cittadino e del forastiero per la città di Genova e sue adiacenze, Bologna, Forni Editore, 1972 pag. 185-189 * Poleggi Ennio e Poleggi Fiorella (Presentazione, ricerca iconografica e note a cura di), Descrizione della città di Genova da un anonimo del 1818, Genova, Sagep, 1969 pag. 153 * Ratti Carlo Giuseppe, Istruzione di quanto può vedersi di più bello in Genova in pittura scultura et architettura autore Carlo Giuseppe Ratti pittor genovese, Genova, Ivone Gravier, 1780, pag. 272-273 * Spotorno Giovanni Battista, Descrizione di Genova e del Genovesato, Vol. III, Genova, Ferrando, 1846, pag. 291

External links

Palazzo Cattaneo Adorno
(Lazzaro e Giacomo Spinola)
Palazzo Spinola Lazzaro e Giacomo
via Garibaldi, 8-10
Palazzo di Lazzaro e Giacomo Spinola
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palazzo Cattaneo-Adorno Palaces in Genoa World Heritage Sites in Italy