QUIRINAL PALACE (seventh part)

Room of the Bees

Vault of the 1900s with central panel of the 1600s

Stucco frieze “Lorenzo de' Medici banishing vices” about 1800 by Francesco Massimiliano Laboureur (1767/1831)

“Bust of Commodus (180/192)” end of the second century AD

Room of the Zodiac

Vault and lunettes “Zodiac signs” of the end of 1800s by Annibale Brugnoli (1843/1915)

Frieze in bas-relief “Triumph of Caesar” 1812 by Carlo Finelli (1785/1853)

Room of the Piedmont Wallpaper or of the factories of Paul V

It takes its name from the 1750 silk wallpaper of the Ursuline Sisters of Turin, now removed

In 2006 the frieze with “Papal building works alternating with virtues” of 1610 by Ranuccio Semprevivo and Cesare Rossetti (active 1593/1620) was rediscovered

Painting “Galatea” maybe by Giovanni Andrea Sirani

Chapel of the Annunciation

1609 Flaminio Ponzio (1560/1613) for Paul V Borghese (1605/21)

Altar “Annunciation” by Guido Reni (1575/1642)

Frescoes of the years 1609/10 by Guido Reni, including the famous “Madonna of sewing”

Lunettes “Annunciation to Joachim” by Antonio Carracci (about 1589/1618), son of Annibale, and “Presentation in the Temple” by Giovanni Lanfranco (1582/1647)

Left wall “Seven putti” by Francesco Albani (1578/1660)

Room of Tapestries

Room Setup by Ignazio Perricci

Vault “Love crowns the three graces” 1877 by Cesare Maccari (1840/1919)

Four “Eighteenth-century tapestries” of the manufactory of Beauvais from a model of François Boucher (1703/70)

In the splays of the windows “Grotesque” beginning of the seventeenth century by Annibale Duranti with coat of arms of Pius VII Chiaramonti (1800/23) added later

Two splendid “Egyptian alabaster urns with lids” first century AD

Room of Mirrors

Vault “Allegory of the dance” 1876 by Ignazio Perricci

Dancing Room

Very high vault, so-called “Roof terrace of Ponzio”

It was painted by Agostino Tassi (1578/1644) and Orazio Lomi aka Orazio Gentileschi (1563/1639) and was fully repainted with the “Triumph of Italy” in 1873 by Girolamo Magnani and Cecrope Barilli (1839/1911)

The carpet is 340 m² (3,700 square feet) woven, just like those of the other rooms, in situ by a company from Turin

Gallery of Busts

Vault “Triumph of candor” 1905 by Alessandro Palombi (active since the end of the XIX/beginning of the XX century)

Five busts with ancient heads

QUIRINAL PALACE (sixth part)

Room of Hercules

Coffered ceiling and frieze with trophies 1940 by Cesare Maria Crestini

Paintings over the doors “Six stories of Aeneas” brought here in 1893 from the Savoy residences:

“Aeneas sacrifices to Apollo”, “ Venus appears to Aeneas as Diana”, “Aeneas and Dido caught by the storm”, “Mercury appears to Aeneas”, “Venus deliveries the weapons to Aeneas” and “Departure of Aeneas from Carthage” 1735/38 all sublime masterpieces by Corrado Giaquinto (1703/66)

“It is with the musical theater here that the painter seems to relate more explicitly than in his other works. (...) A new aesthetic marked by the desire to affirm the seriousness of art and to restore expressive decorum starting right from the reform of opera. His characters exemplify, in terms of behaviors, a way of feeling graceful and sensitive, according to the rules of society. The Arcadian world that reigns in these paintings is made of a mixture of subtle tones in which everything is blurred and in where the epic is transformed, rejecting the extremes of tragedy and comedy” (Sara Parca)

Three tapestries from the left “Stories of Apollo”, “Stories of Minerva” and “Stories of Hercules” beginning of the eighteenth century by the Gobelins Manufactory in Paris

Hall of the Chests

It takes its name from the five chests of the sixteenth and seventeenth century

In this room Pius VII Chiaramonti (1800/23) was arrested by the French on July 9, 1809

Busts “Hector” and “Paris” beginning of nineteenth century by Pietro Fontana

Four French tapestries 1743/47 by the Gobelins manufactory in Paris

Tapestry with “History of Don Quixote” 1773 by the royal manufactory of Naples

MASCHERINO'S STAIRS

1583/85 by Ottaviano Nonni aka Ottaviano Mascherino (1524/1606)

Loggia of Honor

The center of the Gregorian Small Palace, the oldest part of the palace built by Ottaviano Nonni aka Ottaviano Mascherino for Gregory XIII Boncompagni (1572/85)

Ceiling “Allegory of the Arts” 1908 by Ernesto Ballarini (1845/1922)

QUIRINAL PALACE (fifth part)

Gallery of Alexander VII Chigi (1655/67)

Divided into three rooms (Yellow Room, Augustus' Room and Room of the Ambassadors) in early 1800s by Raffaele Stern (1774/1820) to create the rooms of the apartment of the Empress Marie Louise, during the transformation of the palace for the planned residence of her husband Napoleon Bonaparte, who never actually came to Rome in his life

The recent restoration work, started in 2001 and still ongoing, revealed the original fresco decoration with columns and telamons 1656/57 directed by Pietro Berrettini aka Pietro da Cortona (1597/1669)

YELLOW ROOM

Fresco “Joseph recognized by his brothers” by Pier Francesco Mola (1612/66)

“He started under the Cavalier d'Arpino, but received the influence that would last throughout his life after a prolonged stay in Venice. He returned to Rome in 1641 and in the following two decades he used a rich palette of warm and brownish shades and created works in which the element of landscape often forms the central point of the composition. He gave his best in small paintings that reveal an idyllic and even elegiac style, absolutely personal. His masterpiece as a painter of frescoes at the Quirinal Palace reveals the specific problem of this group of artists. Again, the landscape plays a predominant part, but the organization of the painting with a composition of figures, which derives as much from Raphael as from Pietro da Cortona, shows a trend toward conciliation with the dominant classicism of the period” (Rudolf Wittkower)

Frescoes in the great frieze “Stories from the Old Testament” under the direction of Pietro Berrettini aka Pietro da Cortona (1597/1669) who also directed the work on the frieze in the two following rooms:

Left wall:

“Joseph sold by his brothers” by Giovanni Paolo Schor (1615/74)

“Reconciliation of Jacob and Esau” by Fabrizio Chiari (about 1615/95)

“Jacob and the Angel” by Giovanni Paolo Schor

Right wall:

“Explorers of the promised land” by Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi (1606/80) from Bologna

“Passage of the Red Sea” by Jean Miel (1599/1663)

“Moses and the Burning Bush” by Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi

Two tapestries “Miraculous Draught of Fishes” and “The Last Supper” 1753/64 by the Gobelins manufactory in Paris

The room was the dressing room of the new pontiff during conclaves

ROOM OF AUGUSTUS

It was the Throne Room of Pius IX and of the King of Italy and it is now named after the “Bust of Augustus” sculpted in 1900 and placed here for Hitler's visit in 1938

Ceiling 1812 with central panel in monochrome “Prophets” 1846 by Tommaso Minardi (1787/1871)

Frescoes on the great frieze “Stories from the Old Testament”:

Left wall:

“Sacrifice of Isaac” by Giovanni Angelo Canini (1609/66)

“Exit from the ark of Noah” by Lazzaro Baldi (about 1624/1703)

“Entrance into the ark” by Giovanni Paolo Schor (1615/74)

Right wall:

“David slays Goliath” by Francesco Murgia

“Gideon squeezes out the dew from the fleece” by Filippo Lauri (1623/94)

“Victory of Joshua over the Amorites” by Guillaume Courtois aka Borgognone (1628/79)

ROOM OF THE AMBASSADORS

Floor with “Mosaic with birds” maybe from Villa Adriana in Tivoli

Ceiling “Justice”, “Wisdom” and “Judgment of Solomon” about 1823 by Francesco Manno (1752/1831)

Frescoes on the great frieze “Stories of the Old Testament” 1656/57:

Left wall:

“God warning Adam and Eve” by Lazzaro Baldi and Gaspard Dughet (1615/75)

“Expulsion from Paradise” by Bartolomeo Colombo

“Sacrifices of Cain and Abel” by Filippo Lauri (1623/94) and Gaspard Dughet

Right wall:

“Judgment of Solomon” by Carlo Cesi (1626/86)

“Ciro frees the Israelites from captivity in Babylon” by Ciro Ferri (1634/89)

“Annunciation” by Lazzaro Baldi (about 1624/1703)

Among the paintings “Virtues” by Tommaso Minardi (1787/1871), fresco “Adoration of the Shepherds” by Carlo Maratta (1625/1713) which was covered in the Savoy period and recovered only in 1925

On the sides “Angels” 1848 by the Roman Luigi Coghetti who often worked with his namesake Francesco Coghetti from Bergamo

Below “Monochrome with the church of S. Maria della Pace” revealed by the recent restoration

Large fresco “The mission of the apostles” 1864 by Tommaso Minardi

Tapestries “Stories of the New Testament” of the beginning of the eighteenth century by the Gobelins manufactory in Paris

QUIRINAL PALACE (fourth part)

Room of the Flood or Carracci’s Room

Designed by Carlo Maderno

Vault painted in the mid-nineteenth century by Annibale Angelini (1812/84) and Alessandro Mantovani

Frieze “Stories of the Old Testament” in 1616 by Antonio Carracci (about 1589/1618), son of Annibale Carracci and by an anonymous follower of Caravaggio who also worked on the central fresco in the vault “Angels upholding the papal coat of arms”

“Bust of Commodus (180/192)” beginning of the third century AD

“Four Chinese porcelain vases” of the Kang-Hsi Dynasty (1662/1722)

Room of the Loggias

Incredible vault with false loggias 1861 by Annibale Angelini (1812/84)

Frieze and a central decoration of the vault 1616 by Bernardo Castello (about 1557/1629)

Painting “St. John the Baptist accompanied by the angel”

Room of the Bussolanti (Porters of the Pope)

Designed by Carlo Maderno

Frieze and vault by Bernardo Castello

“Stories of St. Benedict” in the frieze 1851 by Alessandro Mantovani

Room of the Balcony

Vault in stucco 1616 maybe by an unknown artist of the school of Martino Ferrabosco

“Departure of David” and “Triumph of David” maybe by Pietro Berrettini aka Pietro da Cortona (1597/1669)

Small Lounge of St. John

Vault 1616 with paintings added in the nineteenth century by Annibale Angelini (1812/84)

“St. John the Baptist” copy from Raffaello Sanzio (Raphael) (1483/1520) maybe by Giulio Pippi aka Giulio Romano (1499/1546)

QUIRINAL PALACE (third part)

Pauline Chapel

1617 Carlo Maderno

Same size as the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican

Vault gilded in stucco with rosettes all different from each other built in 1616 by Martino Ferrabosco (active in Rome from 1606/d. 1623)

The vault should have been painted by Agostino Tassi (1578/1644) and the wall behind the altar by Andrea Commodi, the first master of Pietro da Cortona, but the project was not carried out

Monochrome frescoes on the walls “Apostles and Evangelists” 1818 by eleven painters including Tommaso Minardi (1787/1871) and Agostino Tofanelli under the direction of Raffaele Stern (1774/1820)

Four conclaves (elections of popes) took place here in the nineteenth century including the one that elected Pius IX Mastai Ferretti (1846/78)

Room of the seasons

In the vault “Seasons” and at the center “Allegory of Time” 1905 by Alessandro Palombi (active since the end of the XIX/beginning of the XX century) and Ernesto Ballarini (1845/1922)

“Bust of Gallienus (253/268)” third century AD

First Ceremonial Room

Designed by Carlo Maderno

Frieze “Stories of St. Paul” in 1616 by Agostino Tassi (1578/1644)

In the vault “The fruits of peace” 1906 by Alessandro Palombi and Ernesto Ballarini

Canvas “Chastity punishes love” by Francesco Mancini (1679/1758)

Room of the Virtues

Designed by Carlo Maderno

Frieze “Four virtues” 1616 by Cesare Rossetti (active 1593/1620) and “Landscapes” school of Paul Brill (1554/1626)

Vault mid-nineteenth century maybe by Alessandro Mantovani

Tapestry “Mercury petrifies Aglaurus” about 1550 by the Belgian school of Jean and Guillaume Dermoyen

QUIRINAL PALACE (first part)

PALAZZO DEL QUIRINALE

Piazza del Quirinale

1573/77 begun by Martino Longhi the Elder (1534/91) as the summer residence of the popes

It was built over the demolished fifteenth-century villa of Cardinal Oliviero Carafa which had later belonged to Orazio Farnese, nephew of Paul III (1534/49), and to Cardinal Ippolito d'Este

1578/85 continued by Ottaviano Nonni aka Ottaviano Mascherino (1524/1606), who designed the so-called PALAZZINA GREGORIANA (Gregorian Small Palace) for Gregory XIII Boncompagni (1572/85)

It would later be used as accommodation, first for the kings of Italy and later for the Presidents of the Republic

Under Alexander VII Chigi (1655/67) Pietro Berrettini aka Pietro da Cortona (1597/1669) directed the decorations in the Gallery of Alexander VII

It was the PAPAL RESIDENCE for 278 years, from 1592 with Clement VIII Aldobrandini (1592/1605) until 1870 when it became the residence of the Savoy family

In 1938 Adolf Hitler was a guest on the main floor of the small palace built by Mascherino under the clock tower and, for the occasion, restorations were carried out and new marble floors were made

Since 1947 it has been the RESIDENCE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC

It was built on the site of the ancient TEMPLE OF SALUS

EXTERIOR OF THE PALACE

WING FACING THE SQUARE AND FAÇADE

1589 Domenico Fontana (1543/1607) for Sixtus V Peretti (1585/90)

WING FACING THE GARDEN

1609/11 Flaminio Ponzio (1560/1613) for Paul V Borghese (1605/21)

WING FACING VIA DEL QUIRINALE

1615/17 Carlo Maderno (1556/1629) also for Paul V, in place of the deceased Flaminio Ponzio

TOWER

1626 Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598/1680) for Urban VIII Barberini (1623/44)

1615 PORTAL by Carlo Maderno

1638 BENEDICTION LOGGIA by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

“Statue of St. Peter” by Stefano Maderno (1560/1636) and “Statue of St. Paul” by Guillaume Berthelot (about 1570/1648)

Manica Lunga (Long Wing)

Begun 1659 by Bernini, continued by Alessandro Specchi (1668/1729) and finished by Ferdinando Fuga (1699/1782) who was also responsible for the construction, at the short north end of the wing, of a BUILDING FOR OFFICES OF THE SEGRETARIO DELLE CIFRE (Accounting Secretary) who used to take care of the diplomatic correspondence of the Holy See