Begun in
1653 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598/1680) for
Innocent X Pamphilj (1644/55) who wanted to donate it to the Ludovisi family
The work
was interrupted in 1655 on the death of Innocent X as the Ludovisi did not have
the funds to finish the building
“Bernini
expresses his innovative ideas, while referring to the traditional Roman
architecture of Palazzo Farnese. The complete and uniform idea of a civil building
is overcome by genuine attempts at articulation; observe the slightly convex
shape of the facade, the naturalistic rocks under great pillars that mark five
volumetric units of which the central is decidedly protruding forward.
Moreover, the expansion of the wings is a symptom of a new vision of space that
tends to a prospective enlargement that will become a fundamental element of
Bernini's architectural language” (Carlo Bertelli, Giuliano Briganti, Antonio
Giuliano)
Adapted in
1694 by Carlo Fontana (1634/1714) to State
Court for Innocent XII Pignatelli (1691/1700)
In 1871 it
became the seat of the CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES OF THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC
In the
years 1903/27 Ernesto Basile (1857/1932) built
the new body of the building, the current ASSEMBLY HALL readjusting the
courtyard of Carlo Fontana and the FAÇADE ON PARLIAMENT SQUARE adorned by the “Sculptural groups” by the sculptor Leonardo Bistolfi (1859/1933) from Piedmont and Domenico Trentacoste (1859/1933) from Palermo
The old and
provisional assembly room, the Aula Comotto, named after the engineer
Paolo Comotto who designed it, was very hot in summer and cold in winter so
that the members of parliament were allowed to wear hats to keep warm
In the Middle
Ages the artificial mound on which the palace stands was called Mons Acceptorius.
The name probably derives from the fact that it was a place of waste building
material and therefore it “accepted” discharges
On the
central balcony occurred the extraction of the lottery in the eighteenth
century
Over the
two smaller entrances two round panels:
On the left
“Charity” maybe by Giovanni
Antonio Mari (active from 1635/d. 1661), on the right “Justice” by Ercole
Antonio Raggi (1624/86)
ASSEMBLY
HALL in floral style
Glass
skylight fan-shaped in art nouveau style known as “Velario” by Giovanni
Beltrami (1860/1926) from Milan who also designed stained glass in the
Cathedral of Milan
Frieze on
canvas “Italian Civilization and virtues of the Italians” 1908/12 by Giulio
Aristide Sartorio (1860/1932)
LIBRARY
Founded in
1848 with over 400,000 books
ARTISTIC
HERITAGE
In the
building a wealth of works of art are preserved: over a thousand paintings
and sculptures dating from the four centuries between 1500 and 1900,
thousands of engravings and prints of various periods, a number of
archaeological pieces, as well as a fair amount of other artistic goods such as
watches, mobile antiques and tapestries
It is not
clear why this immense amount of art is not to be assigned to appropriate
museums
Some of the masterpieces hidden from the
public:
WORKS OF THE
1500s
“Wedding at Cana” by the school of Paolo Caliari aka Veronese (1528/88)
“Venus and the Three
Graces”
maybe by Jacopo Robusti aka Tintoretto (1518/94)
“Rape of Helen” by Raffaello
Vanni (1587/1673) from Siena
“Flood” by Francesco da Ponte aka Bassano the Younger (1549/92)
“Weapons bearer with
putto” by
Jacopo Carrucci aka Pontormo (1494/1556)
WORKS OF THE
1600s
“Bernini's project of
Palazzo Montecitorio” by Mattia De Rossi (1637/95)
WORKS OF THE
1700s
“Landscape with Juno” by Jan
Frans van Bloemen aka Orizzonte (1662/1749)
“Death of St. Joseph” by Francesco
Solimena (1657/1747)
WORKS OF THE
1800s
“Portrait
of Napoleon” that seems to be the only one for which Napoleon himself has posed
“Ships on the stormy
sea” by Anton Sminck Pitloo (1791/1837) Dutch painter who
lived mainly in Rome and Naples. He was a leading exponent of the School of
Posillipo and is considered a precursor of Impressionism
“The Shepherdess” by Antonio
Fontanesi (1818/82)
“The rest of a Cadine
in the harem”
by Armando Ferraguti (1862/1925)
“Pennine Alps” by Enrico
Bartezago (1849/1954)
“The wounded of Porta
Pia” by Nicola Parisi (1827/87)
“Thunderstorm in the
Roman countryside” by Giuseppe Cannella (1788/1847)
“Three sheep grazing” by Stefano
Bruzzi (1835/1911)
WORKS OF
1900s
“Winter on Lake Iseo” by Carlo
Carrà (1881/1966)
“Paris by
Night” by Giovanni Boldini (1842/1931)
“Dance of
Women” by Mino Maccari (1898/1989)
“Landscape” by Alberto
Ziveri (1908/90)
“Composition” by Mario
Sironi (1885/1961)
“Student in love” and “Rose on the table” by Mario Mafai (1902/65)
“Gladiators” by Giorgio
de Chirico (1888/1978)
“Woman” by Massimo Campigli (1895/1971)
“Landscape with pink
house” by Giorgio Morandi (1890/1964)
“Head of a
peasant woman” by Francesco Paolo Michetti
(1851/1929)
“Roman Landscape” by Fausto
Pirandello (1899/1975)
“Little old
lady” by Ottone Rosai (1895/1957)
“Woman” by Lorenzo Viani (1882/1936)
“Sicilian carts” by Renato
Guttuso (1911/87)
“Bathers and girls” by Armando
Spadini (1883/1925)
Sculpture
“Mother” by Marino Mazzacurati (1907/69)
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