An experience not to be missed if at all possible, the Borghese Gallery sits inside Rome’s “Central Park” (the Villa Borghese) and houses the sublime collection of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew to the 17th century Pope Paul V. The gallery houses some of Rome’s best ancient sculpture and mosaics, alongside Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces by artists such as Raphael and Caravaggio. The centerpieces of the collection are a number of beautiful marble sculptures by Rome’s ultimate Baroque master, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Our guide will bring to life the turbulent relationship between Bernini and the papacy, from child prodigy through popularity, disgrace and redemption. Other highlights include Antonio Canova’s world renowned marble portrait of Pauline Bonaparte (Napoleon’s sister) and Titian’s Sacred and Profane Love.
Let’s travel back to 1606 when the Catholic Reformation was in full swing in Rome and the Baroque style began to pop up the city. Elected as pope, Paul V Borghese started a series of public works and renovations in the city and named his nephew, Scipione Borghese as cardinal nephew-a type of secretary of state at the time. Scipione, blessed with a strong artistic sensibility, thanks to his long -term outlook and his passion for art, began to make a series of purchases (some legal and others not so legal) and commissions that over time proved to be the key to the gallery’s fortune and the family’s prestige. At that time, Caravaggio was in Rome and had already produced his first works; a young Bernini was able to show his geniality in the first commissions he did for the gallery.
Over time, the collection grew, with the addition of further important works by the likes of Tiziano, Raffaello, Correggio and many others. Another two phases that were fundamental to the history of the gallery were in 1770 when the whole building was restored; the restoration was led by architect Antonio Asprucci and the painter Mariano Rossi gave new life to the gallery’s decoration, the layout of the gallery was also changed. Another historical event was the wedding of one of the Borghese heirs, Camillo and Paolina Bonaparte, the famous Napoleon’s sister. This was the moment in which the collection was enriched with another masterpiece; the statue of Paolina Bonaparte, portrayed as the Venus Victrix, the work of the famous neo-classical sculptor Antonio Canova.