:''See also
Palazzo Doria Pamphilj
The Doria Pamphilj Gallery is a large art collection housed in the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, between Via del Corso and Via della Gatta. The principal entrance is on the Via del Corso (until recently, the entrance to the gallery was ...
Palazzo Pamphilj, also spelled Palazzo Pamphili, is a palace facing onto the
Piazza Navona in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, Italy. It was built between 1644 and 1650.
Since 1920, the palace has housed the
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
ian Embassy in Italy. In October 1960, it became the property of the
Federative Republic of Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area an ...
in a purchase negotiation led by Ambassador Hugo Gouthier de Oliveira Gondim. The roof terrace is open to the public, with a renowned restaurant and bar that showcases the Roman skyline, and frequent concerts, often featuring Italian opera.
History
In 1644,
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, t ...
Giambattista Pamphilj of the powerful
Pamphilj family
The House of Pamphili (often with the final ''long i'' orthography, Pamphilj) was one of the papal families deeply entrenched in Catholic Church, Roman and Italian politics of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Later, the Pamphili family line merged ...
, who already owned a palace between the Piazza Navona and the Via Pasquino, became
Pope Innocent X
Pope Innocent X ( la, Innocentius X; it, Innocenzo X; 6 May 1574 – 7 January 1655), born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj (or Pamphili), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 September 1644 to his death in Januar ...
. With this election came the desire for a larger more magnificent building to reflect his family's increased prestige. Further land was bought, the architect
Girolamo Rainaldi
Girolamo Rainaldi (4 May 1570 – 15 July 1655) was an Italian architect who worked mainly in a conservative Mannerist style, often with collaborating architects. He was a successful competitor of Bernini. His son, Carlo Rainaldi, became an even ...
received the commission and construction began in 1646. The new project was to incorporate some existing buildings, including the former palace of the Pamphilj (whose decoration by
Agostino Tassi
Agostino Tassi (born Agostino Buonamici; 1578 – 1644) was an Italian landscape and seascape painter, who was convicted of raping Artemisia Gentileschi in 1612.
Because he aspired to nobility he modified the details of his early life. Though h ...
was partially preserved) and the Palazzo Cibo.
In 1647, the Baroque architect Francesco Borromini was consulted about the design and he made a series of new proposals for the palace. However, the prevailing preference was for Rainaldi's more staid and conservative design. Borromini's limited contributions included the stucco decoration of the salone (the main room) and design of the Gallery, located at first floor level between the rest of the palace and the church of St. Agnese next door. The Gallery extends through the width of the block with a large Serliana window at either end.
![Parione - piazza Navona - s Agnese in Agone e palazzo Pamphilij 1020584](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Parione_-_piazza_Navona_-_s_Agnese_in_Agone_e_palazzo_Pamphilij_1020584.JPG)
Between 1651 and 1654, the painter
Pietro da Cortona
Pietro da Cortona (; 1 November 1596 or 159716 May 1669) was an Italian Baroque painter and architect. Along with his contemporaries and rivals Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini, he was one of the key figures in the emergence of Roman ...
was commissioned to decorate the Gallery vault. His secular fresco cycle depicts scenes from the life of
Aeneas
In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas (, ; from ) was a Trojan hero, the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite (equivalent to the Roman Venus). His father was a first cousin of King Priam of Troy (both being grandsons ...
, the legendary founder of Rome, as recounted by
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: th ...
. The Pamphili claim to be descended from Aeneas. Unlike the large spacious volume of the Palazzo Barberini in which he had painted his fresco celebrating the reign of Innocent's predecessor,
Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As p ...
Barberini, the Pamphilj Gallery was long with a low vault which meant that a single viewpoint to see the frescoes was not possible. So Cortona devised a series of scenes around a central painted framed ‘Apotheosis of Aeneas’ into the Olympian heavens. The elaborate doorframes regularly spaced along the longer walls of the Gallery display a combination of motifs typically used by Borromini and by Cortona
[Blunt Anthony, ''Borromini'', Granada, 1984, p. 174.
]
The plan has three courtyards. The rooms on the ''piano nobile'' (the first floor) have frescoes and friezes by artists such as
Giacinto Gimignani
Giacinto Gimignani (1606 – December 9, 1681) was an Italian painter, active mainly in Rome, during the Baroque period. He was also an engraver in aquaforte.
Biography
Gimignani was born in Pistoia, where his father, Alessio (1567–1651) wa ...
,
Gaspard Dughet
Gaspard Dughet (15 June 1615 – 25 May 1675), also known as Gaspard Poussin, was a French painter born in Rome.
Life
Dughet was born in Rome, the son of a French pastry-cook
and his Italian wife. He has always generally been considered as a Fr ...
,
Andrea Camassei
Andrea Camassei (November 1602 – 1649) was an Italian Baroque painter and engraver mainly active in Rome under the patronage of the Barberini.
Biography
He was born in Bevagna in Umbria to parents of modest means, Angelina d' Anton Maria Ange ...
,
Giacinto Brandi
Giacinto Brandi (1621 – 19 January 1691) was an Italian painter from the Baroque era, active mainly in Rome and Naples.
left, 250px, ''Christ in Gesthemane'', Pinacoteca Vaticana
left, 250px, Dome of the church of San Carlo al Corso
...
,
Francesco Allegrini, and
Pier Francesco Mola
Pier Francesco Mola, called Il Ticinese (9 February 1612 – 13 May 1666) was an Italian painter of the High Baroque, mainly active around Rome.
Biography
Mola was born at Coldrerio (now in Ticino, Switzerland).''Ecstasy in the Wilderness: Pier ...
.
Carlo Rainaldi, the son of Girolamo, completed the building around 1650.
The new
palazzo
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 ...
became the home of
Innocent's widowed and unpopular sister-in-law
Olimpia Maidalchini
Olimpia Maidalchini Pamphilj (26 May 1591 – 27 September 1657), (also spelled Pamphili and known as Olimpia Pamphili), was the sister-in-law of Pope Innocent X (Pamphili). She was perceived by her contemporaries as having influence regarding pap ...
, who was his confidante and advisor and, more scurrilously, reputed to be his
mistress
Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to:
Romance and relationships
* Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a ...
. She was the mother of
Camillo Pamphilj
Camillo Francesco Maria Pamphili (21 February 1622 – 26 July 1666) was an Italian Catholic cardinal and nobleman of the Pamphili family. His name is often spelled with the final ''long i'' orthography; Pamphilj.
Early life
Pamphili wa ...
, the one time
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 ...
, who through his marriage came into the possession of the Palazzo Aldobrandini, now known as the
Palazzo Doria Pamphilj
The Doria Pamphilj Gallery is a large art collection housed in the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, between Via del Corso and Via della Gatta. The principal entrance is on the Via del Corso (until recently, the entrance to the gallery was ...
.
Confusingly, until the unification of the
Doria
Doria or Dória may refer to:
People Surname
* Doria (family), a prominent Genoese family
** Andrea Doria (1466–1560), Genoese admiral
** Ansaldo Doria, 12th century Genoese statesman and commander
** Brancaleone Doria (died c. 1409?), husband ...
and Pamphilj surnames both palazzi were known as Palazzo Pamphilj, or in the case of today's Doria Pamphilj sometimes "Palazzo Pamfilio". Both spellings Pamphilj and Pamphili are in common
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
usage, even though the family prefers Pamphilj.
References
Bibliography
Leonie Stephanie. ''The Palazzo Pamphilj in Piazza Navona: Constructing Identity In Early Modern Rome'' (Studies in Baroque Art), 2008, Harvey Miller.
Magnuson Torgil. ''Rome in the Age of Bernini'', volume II, Almquist & Wiksell, Stockholm, 1986, Chapter 1 Innocent X (1644-1655)
External links
Brazilian Embassy in RomeOfficial website
Palazzo PamphiljVirtual tour
{{Diplomatic missions in Italy
Brazil–Italy relations
Houses completed in 1650
Pamphilj
The House of Pamphili (often with the final ''long i'' orthography, Pamphilj) was one of the papal families deeply entrenched in Catholic Church, Roman and Italian politics of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Later, the Pamphili family line merged ...
Pamphili family
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
Rome R. VI Parione
1650 establishments in Italy
1650 establishments in the Papal States