Saturday, July 2, 2016

CORSINI PALACE - CORSINI GALLERY (second part)

GALLERIA CORSINI

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
Small bronze “Time kidnaps Youth” by the Florentine sculptor G.B. Foggini (1652/1725)
Selection of mainly landscape paintings from the collection:
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)
“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” 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)

No comments:

Post a Comment