Works Flashcards
1598-1680
son of a sculptor
a figurative-based architect
theatricality
Pope Urban VIII (Barbarini - bees)
Gianlorenzo Bernini

Bernini
Santa Bibianana
1623-26 renovation
architecture and sculpture
outskirts of Rome
unearthed bones during renovation
used found columns
frescos by Cortona and Agostino Ciampelli

Bernini
Santa Bibiana
1623-26 restoration
statue in high altar niche
looks up at God fresco above (“stage/theatricality”)
Benini
Santa Bibiana
1623-26 restoration
2 stories, 3 bays
Ionic piers, not columns
aedicula breaks through balastrade
overall it is quite flat
center top aedicula mimics high altar shape
comissioned by Urban VIII

Bernini
Baldacchino of New St. Peter’s
1624-33
Urban VIII is too late to finish St. Peter’s so open competition to design altar, Bernini won
others tried to create one that looked like the Old St. Peter’s altar w/ small columns
Bernini proposed it in the round w/ new Solomonic columns
mimics tapestry/canopy of the Pope -
altar for the Pope ONLY
coats of arms on the bottom with Barbarini heraldry

Bernini
Cossing Peir Niches of New St. Peter’s
each niche had a giant statue w/ reliquary on 2nd fl
-St. Longinus w/ lance (Bernini carved!)
- St. Andrew w/ skull
- St. veronica w/ veil
- St. Helen w/ cross

Bernini
Cathedra Petri
in New St. Peter’s
1657-66
Comissioned by Pope Alexander VII
(later in Bernini’s carrer)
altar in the apse of the long nave
in dedication to St. Peter’s teaching’s
(may contain parts of his original wodden chair)
holy spirit stained glass above bronze chair and 4 bronze “Doctors of the Church” statues

Bernini
Raimondi Chapel
a chapel in S. Pietro in Montorio
1640-47
designed by Bernini from the ground up
comissioned by brothers for thier burial and family prayer
men are shown as busts and as dead in thier coffins!
altarpiece is lit by secret windows
altarpiece: St. Francis in Ecstasy
(not by Bernini)

Bernini
Cornaro Chapel
in S. Maria della Vittoria
1645-52
Bernini designed and decorated the chapel from top to bottom - “bel composto”
includes the famous Ecstasy of St Theresa statue!
aedicular niche with hidden window behind pediment
illuminates guilt bronze “rays”
side walls - portrait busts of Cornaro family
look like opera boxes
stucco from ceiling encroaches on wall 7 window
painted clouds and angels
floor is inset with skeletons in colored marble
What is bel composto?
the idea that a designer should take into account everything the viewer experiences
unity of painting scuplture and architecture
often results in a theatricality
think Bernini

Bernini
S. Andrea al Quirinale
1658-70
had to have 5 altars - solved it with a transverse oval plan
small, but lavish church for Jesuit novices (and public)
part of a larger Jesuit complex
St Andrew in high altar painting & in broken segmental pediment above
huge aedicular front door w/ semicircular walls
ceiling is ribbed and coffered w/ golden occulus/lantern

Bernini
S. Maria dell’ Assunzione (S. Mary of the Assumption)
Ariccia, Italy (40 k outside of Rome)
1662-65
across the street from Palazzo Chigi (family of Pope Alexander VII)
round building w/ Pantheon-style portico and lantern above
enclosure wall that encircles the church
2 side buildings have matching facades

Bernini
1637-46
bell towers (campanili) of St. Peter’s would not stand
Urban VII gave comission to Bernini
2 stories were completed, cracks appeared again
then Urban died, Innocent X elected
Bernini did not get any more papal comissions for awhile
Innocent reconsidered and hired Bernini for a few small things

Bernini
Piazza S. Pietro (Piazza for New St. Peter’s)
1656-67
arms are semi circular passageways 4 columns deep
illusion of a protected space that allows for entrances/exits anywhere

Via della Conciliazione
actually a result of Mussolini
links S. Peter’s and Castel Sant’ Angelo (fortress and treasury)

Bernini
Ponte Sant’ Angelo (bridge of Castel Sant’ Angelo)
decorated 1667-72
designed 10 angels holding instruments of the Passion to decorate the bridge
carved 2 of them himself
Pope Clement IX kept them for himself and copies were put in thier place

Bernini
Scala Regia
1663-66
Vatican Palace did not have a proper entrance
walls are not parallel = Bernini solves this with columns that are
links S. Peter’s with an audience chamber (Sala Regia)to Vatican Palace
also contatins statue of Constantine
Sala Regia
a audience chamber for the Pope to recieve important visitors
“papal court”
covered in paintings by Vasari
Serliano window at end with Pope’s throne
(understood the dramatic use of this type of window)
(sort of by Bernini)

“Serliano motif” for windows and doors

Bernini
Statue of Constantine
1662-68
at the foot of the Scala Regia
depicts Emperor Constantine having a vision on his horse
important moment in Christianity
(conversion from Paganism)
he looks toward a window that Bernini originally meant to be stained glass (now its a window with a cross)
Describe the Italian idea of the “visit”

What is a piano nobile?
(Italian for “noble floor” or “noble level”)
the principal floor of a large house
contains the principal reception and bedrooms of the house
thier “1st floor”
our “2nd floor”
(as the 1st floor was reserved for work/servant rooms)
1599-1667
from stone mason family in N. Italy
much more of a draftsman-architect
hatted right angles, loved curves
experimental in design
loved breaking the rules
hated flat, blank wall space
comitted suicide
Francesco Borromini

Borromini was related to Carlo Moderno
Moderno appointed him asst. to Bernini on S. Peter’s
Barbarini coat of arms on bottom of Baldacchino
probably by Borromini - little baby face
(who took over Michelangelo’s S. Peter’s plans)

Palazzo Barberini plan
Moderno, Bernini & Borromini
built for brothers (nephews of the Pope)- Taddeo was the married one(Ana Colonna), and Francesco went into the church
right half of palace is for married couple,
left half is for cardinal
designed by Moderno, handed off to Bernini, Borromini was his assistant
at edge of the city (at the time)

Bernini & Borromini
Palazzo Barberini facade
3 storey arcade
built like a large villa
upper windows = Borromini
(curved angles of entabliture jut out)

Bernini & Borromini
Palazzo Barberini rear facade
based off triumphal arch
rear entrance is not at the same level as front entrance
tan brick w/ white moldings
entablature jumps out over pilaster clusters
leads to oval room

oval room at back entrance of Palazzo Barberini
blind doors on either side to suggest symmetry

Grand Salon, Palazzo Barberini
Bernini, Borromini
full height of the palace
main reception room
w/ throne under mock baldachin
(reminder of family’s papal status)
Peitro da Cortona’s painting on the ceiling
“Allegory of Divine Providence”
Grand (main) Stircase,
Palazzo Barberini
Bernini
square-based
originally open to the sky
at each landing there are niches
paired columns
Ana & Tadeo side of building

Spiral Staircase,
Palazzo Barberini
Borromini
more column pairs
hated right angles
brother cardinals side

Borromini
S. Carlo alle Quattro Fontane
“San Carlino”
(Saint Charles of the Four Fountains)
1634-77
small church but extremely decorated
spent his whole life on it
at famous crossroads (4 fountains of river dieties)
how to keep the fountain and have a facade?
didnt have a lot of $, hired Borromini who was still new & everything is stucco (not marble)
built for Spanish order of Discalced Trinitarians

Borromini
San Carlino
monastary 1634-35
courtyard 1635-36
rectangle w/ rounded corners
covered passageway around the ouside (2 floors)
inverted balastrade

Borromini
San Carlino church
1638-41
oval shape w/ apses at both ends and flat(ish) walls on the side (sort of elongated greek cross)
groundplan = look at ceiling
oval dome on pendentives w/ apse domes attached
(no drum, windows in dome)
play the “where to the columns belong” game
made niches works of art themselves (no statues)
apse domes - coffers, rosettes and pediments!

dome of San Carlino
Borromini
coffers -crosses, hexagons & octagons
lantern - dove/holy spirit

facade of San Carlino
Borromini
1665-67
completed after his death
hated straight lines - curved facade
collasal columns w/ smaller aedicules
Borromini
Oratory and Residence of the Filippini
1637-1650
S. Maria in Vallicella is church of the Filipinni
(followers of St. Phillip Neri)
original comission given to Paolo Maruscelli,
they didnt like it (too residental),
given to Borromini

Borromini
plan or Oratory and Residene of Filippini
Borromini solves…
-entrance to oratory problem
-oratory windows to courtyard problem
-rounded shape of coutyard on oneside
(extra window in niche)
pilater cluster on corner of building to emphasize it
windows have decorative grills
Borromini designed them
(his attention to detail)

Borromini
S. Ivo alla Sapienza
1642-60
“Church of Saint Ives at the univeristy of Rome”
patron saint of lawyers
courtyard for academics w/ classes on either sides
(not its the state archives of Rome)
whole building is from the 16th cent
chapel was left unfinished

lumbared drum - surrounds dome, acts as buttress from outside
looks like its bulging out btwn clustars of pilaters
heraldry reflects many popes
Urban VIII > Innocent X > Alexander VII
spire - Pentacost
mimicks papal tiara, tower of Babel
dove and flames on inner lantern
(think San Carlino)
stucco decoration - all individualized

Borromini
S. Giovanni in Laterano
“Saint John Lateran”
resoration 1646-50
church is piecemeal (never torn down and started anew like S. Peter’s)
renovated in honor of holy year (pilgrammage church)
Innocent X - gave to Borromini
encased what was already there
planned to leave ovals open to see brick underneath
(did not last)
12 nave niches - 12 apostle statues (18th cent)
meant to have a barrel vault - not structurally possible
also designed new facade - never built
Borromini
Perspective galley, Palazzo Spada
1652-53
Purchased by Cardinal Spada in 1632, hired Borromini to redesign it
designed optical illusion arcade in the courtyard
helped by mathematician/Augustinian Friar
Giovanni Maria da Bitonto
appears to be 37 meters long (is actually 8m)

Borromini
S. Andrea delle Fratte
started in 1604, never finished $
Marchese Paolo del Bufalo (family church) hires Borromini in 1653

Boromini
S. Andrea delle Fratte
facade and campanile 1653-59
dome 1660-67 (Borromini’s death)
lumbar drum - almost square in plan
campanile - 4 storeys
columns > serfs > flaming torches > volutes/heraldry/crown/cross
facade and drum are unfinished, meant to be coverd in white stucco like campanile
1596-1669
born in Cortona, near Florence (Tuscan)
primarily a painter
Urban XIII was Florentine = hired Cortona a lot
Pietro da Cortona
Who were early patrons of Cortona’s?
brothers Marcello Sacchetti and Cardinal Gulio Sacchetti
Marcello “dicovered” Cotona
suggested him to Urban XIII for S. Bibiana frescos
(Barberini were friends of the Sacchetti)
at Marcello’s villa by th sea…
Cortona painted ceiling of rear garden gallery
quadri riportati
Sacchetti(1) and Barberini(3) coats at corners of room
What is thi painting style called?

quadri riportati-
when a ceiling is painted to look as if framed paintings has been placed overhead

Cortona
ceiling vault Grand Salon, Palazzo Barberini
Allegory of Divine Providence
1633-39
had a little imput on architecture
Who was Casiano dal Pozzo
a collector of paper drawings
after classical antiqity, architecture, sculpture and nature
“Museo Cartaceo”

Cortona
reconstruction drawings of temple complex at Palestrina
1st cent BC temple complex
drawings comissioned by Cassiano dal Pozzo
for Museo Cartaceo
land actually belonged to Babreini
(through Taddeo’s wife Ana Colonna)

Cortona
Villa Sacchetti del Pigneto
1630s-40s?
few miles NW of Rome
retreat dor day excursions
comissioned by Marcello
abandoned in 18th cent
built on a hill - terraces
“nicheone” - great big niche on facade
(think Belvedere Courtyard at Vatican Palace)