Monday, February 27, 2017

MONTECITORIO PALACE

PALAZZO DI MONTECITORIO
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)
Bronze relief on the wall “Apotheosis of the House of Savoy” 1911 by Davide Calandra (1856/1915)
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)
“Madonna and Child” maybe by Pietro Bonaccorsi aka Perin del Vaga (1501/47)
WORKS OF THE 1600s
WORKS OF THE 1700s
Extraordinary “The Rape of Europa” by Giovanni Domenico Ferretti aka Imola (1692/1768)
“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)
“Ripetta Walk” by Francesco Trombadori (1886/1961)
“Woman” by Lorenzo Viani (1882/1936)
“Sicilian carts” by Renato Guttuso (1911/87)
“Bathers and girls” by Armando Spadini (1883/1925)
Sculpture “Mother and Child” by Giacomo Manzù (1908/91)
Sculpture “Mother” by Marino Mazzacurati (1907/69)

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