Commissioned
by Cardinal Neri Maria Corsini, nephew of Clement XII Corsini (1730/40)
It consists
of about 600 paintings, including both those exhibited in eight rooms
and those in storage. It is the only eighteenth-century Roman collection that
was preserved intact
ATRIUM and
STAIRCASE
“Roman
Sarcophagi” and “Ancient busts”
Various
ancient statues, some of which “completed” arbitrarily in the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries, including “Cleopatra” completed by Pietro
Paolo Olivieri (1551/99) an “Igea” and “Satyr with kroupezion”, also completed by Pietro Paolo
Olivieri, dating back to 150 BC found in the Villa of the Quintili
The
kroupezion is a kind of wooden sandal used to mark time in dance. This satyr is
one of the best existing copies in the world
Room
I - Antechamber
“Originally
the room was called 'Antechamber of the servants' and it was divided by a
corridor that ran along the entire perimeter of the façade of the building,
thus allowing the servants to access the rooms that opened onto the Via Lungara
through a system of stairs connecting the various floors, without having to go
through the reception rooms. At the time of Neri Maria Corsini the room was
also known as 'Room of canonizations' for the presence of some paintings (now
on display in Room VIII) depicting episodes from the life of people beatified
or canonized under Pope Clement XII” (Official Website of the Galleria Corsini
- galleriacorsini.beniculturali.it)
On the wall
above the door “Front of marble sarcophagus” of the third century AD with a
bas-relief frieze depicting allegorical scenes of harvesting grapes and circus
Objects placed on furniture:
“Round Cup in yellow alabaster” of the eighteenth century
“Large piece of pink amber” maybe from the Baltic Sea
Selection of mainly landscape paintings from
the collection:
“Landscape with Rinaldo and Armida”, “Hercules capturing the mares of
Diomedes”, “Orpheus and Eurydice”, “Landscape with nymph and satyr”, “Landscape with sheep grazing”, “Hercules and Antaeus” and “Stormy
Landscape” by Gaspard Dughet (1615/75)
Dughet was
born in Rome to French parents and was the brother-in-law of Nicolas Poussin
“Landscape
with Rinaldo and Armida hinges on the shady hill in the center from which its
bright reliefs convey the air on two telescopes prospective offset to each
other, one climbing almost vertically with respect to one's point of view, between
mountain ridges, the other scattering in a diagonal through the whole
framework, breaking through boundaries to the furthest horizon. The movement of
the clouds that are gathering on the mountain and fade bleaching to the marina,
are useful to develop an atmospheric space that adds depth and naturalness to
the view. (...) The inspiration was given by a view of Mount Soratte that
Dughet enriched with specially invented details. (...) It is one of the
masterpieces of the great Roman landscape painter” (Sivigliano Alloisi)
“Landscape with waterfall and
shepherds” and “Landscape with women by a spring” by the Flemish who settled in Rome Jan Frans Van Bloemen aka Orizzonte (1662/1749)
“Even in the
great tradition of Dughet and Lorrain, he was able to translate the landscape
of Roman countryside according to the canons of the new Arcadian sensitivity.
(...) His landscapes are constructed with a classic and serene balance that
softens the natural reality in a timeless dimension, led by timid figurines
almost afraid to disturb the charm of a nature finally freed from the cares of
men” (Sivigliano Alloisi)
Four
landscapes: “Landscape with a farmer who removes
a thorn”, “Landscape with Diana”, “Landscape with peasant woman
picking louses from her child’s hair” and “Landscape with bagpiper” by Crescenzio
Onofri (1632/1712)
“River Landscape” and “Landscape
with river and castle” by Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi (1606/80)
from Bologna
“Adoration of the Shepherds” by G.B.
Passeri (1610/79)
“Landscape with shepherds by a lake” and “Landscape with fishermen and women” by the Roman Andrea Locatelli (1693/1741)
“Landscape”
of the so-called Maestro della Betulla (Master of the Birch) (active 1630/40) maybe Gaspard
Dughet
“Christ among the Doctors” about 1656/60 by Luca Giordano (1634/1705)
“He reworked
the legacy of the past with great critical freedom and his immeasurable
creative impetus took advantage of a fast technique: note for example in Jesus
among the Doctors the fluid brush that dissolves forms in a golden glow mass.
The ability to absorb the different styles or communication techniques made
Luca Giordano a modern artist who chose the formal means according to the
circumstances and for the purposes of expression. Large dimensions were particularly
congenial to his lively sense of color and his inventive streak” (Carlo
Bertelli, Giuliano Briganti, Antonio Giuliano)
“Judith and Holofernes” about 1715/20 by G.B. Piazzetta (1683/1754)
“Piazzetta
chose to represent the moment immediately prior to the beheading of the
Assyrian general. Judith is preparing to loosen with her left hand the strap to
which the sword of Holofernes is suspended, while he lies dormant in the lower
left of the painting, and at the same time she indicates high above as to
implore the help of God and to point to the real inspirer of the act” (Official
Website of the Galleria Corsini - galleriacorsini.beniculturali.it)
“Small Triptych with Judgement and
Pentecost” by Fra'
Giovanni da Fiesole aka Fra Angelico (about
1395/1455)
“He wouldn’t paint if he hadn’t prayed first and he never corrected his
works, because he was convinced that every stroke of his brush would have a
divine inspiration. For all his life he painted sacred subjects (…), but he
nevertheless introduced a touch of realism in those solemn compositions, the
figures appearing solid and real, reminding us of Masaccio’s style. We must
consider that Fra Angelico lived in between two different periods: the
Fourteenth century – a century during which the medieval tradition was still
felt, emphasizing precious colorful fabric and using golden backgrounds – and
the Fifteenth century, during which the Renaissance culture prevails with
realism in painting and the rules of perspective. Fra Angelico was influenced
by both cultures and styles” (Bettina Mirabile - Enciclopedia dei ragazzi
Treccani)
“Battle” by Jacques Courtois
aka Borgognone (1628/79)
“Madonna and Child with St. John the
Baptist” by Girolamo Siciolante da Sermoneta (1521/80) a pupil of
Perin del Vaga
“Madonna and Child” by anonymous
painter, copy from an original by Perin del Vaga
“Meeting of Jacob and Laban” by Ciro
Ferri (1634/89) from the original by Pietro da Cortona
“Winter” by Eberhard Keilhau detto Monsù Bernardo (1624/87)
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