ICCROM Mora Samples Collection
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Rome, Palazzo Farnese: MRA-ITA-Rom318

Type Sample Item

Sample ID

MRA-ITA-Rom318

Sample Material Type

Mural painting

Sample Sub-type

fragment

Dimensions (cm)

Length
3
Width
3.1
Height
1.1

Weight

weight value (g)
9.2

Geographic Location

Country
Italy
Place
Rome

Site/monument

Italy (ITA)
Rome
Palazzo Farnese

Historical note about the site/monument

The Palazzo Farnese was built for the Farnese family according to the designs of Antonio da Sangallo the Younger and Michelangelo from 1517-1589. With its stately proportions and thoughtful regularity, the façade provides an important example of High Renaissance architecture. Its features a rusticated portal on the ground floor, projecting cornice, and massive papal coat of arms above the central window. The interior holds frescoes by Annibale Carracci dating to the late 1500s. Perhaps the most noted among these is the cycle located in the west wing of the palace entitled The Loves of the Gods, which is considered an important transitional work bridging Mannerism and 17th century Baroque styles. The Sala dei Fasti, on the other hand, underscores the function of a palace as a declaration of familial pride. Its fresco cycles, started by Salviati in 1552 and finished by Taddeo and Zuccari, show members of the Farnese family performing heroic services to the Church. The Palazzo currently serves as the French Embassy in Rome.

Sources:
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Palazzo Farnese". Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Sep. 2017, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Palazzo-Farnese-building-Rome-Italy. Accessed 16 May 2021.

Wikipedia contributors. (2021, April 16). The Loves of the Gods . In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 16, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Loves_of_the_Gods&oldid=1018218273

Further reading:
Blunt, A. (1960). Two Unpublished Plans of the Farnese Palace. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin19(1), 15-17.
Dempsey, C. (1995). Annibale Carracci: The Farnese Gallery, Rome. G. Braziller.
Gamrath, H. (1997). The History of a Success in the Italian Renaissance: The Farnese Family c. 1400-1600. Analecta Romana Instituti Danici XXIV (1997): 93111.

Chronological period (sample)

16th century

Inventory