Andrea della Valle
Encyclopedia
Cardinal Andrea della Valle (29 November 1463, Rome
– 3 August 1534) was an Italian clergyman and art collector.
Of an ancient family of Roman nobles whose family tomb is in Santa Maria in Aracoeli
, he was elected bishop of Crotone in 1496. In 1503-05 he directed the Apostolic Chancery
, and served as Apostolic secretary during the pontificate of Pope Julius II
. He was transferred to the titular diocese of Miletus
in 1508, which he resigned in favor of his nephew Quinzio Rustici on 26 November 1523. He participated in the Fifth Lateran Council, 1512, and was created cardinal
priest in the consistory of 1 July 1517. He participated in the conclaves of 1521-22 and 1523. As archpriest of the patriarchal Liberian basilica
(1520) he ceremonially opened and closed the Holy Door
in the Jubilee Year of 1525.
Cardinal della Valle is best remembered, however, as the collector of one of the first collections of Roman antiquities that marked the High Renaissance
. He inherited some antiquities, which had been collected by the della Valle in the previous century, according to Vasari
. and eagerly acquired more. Inspired by the Cortile del Belvedere
, in 1520 he commissioned the Rafaellesque sculptor architect Lorenzetto Lotti
to create a suitable setting for the sculptures and inscriptions and other antiquities that he had amassed, the result of a generation of rediscoveries at the turn of the 16th century. On the main floor of the palazzo's new second inner courtyard the sculptures were displayed in a sort of loggia
, described by Giorgio Vasari
as a hortus pensilis or hanging garden (giardino di sopra) that included planted raised boxes and an aviary
, which "blurred the distinction between garden and courtyard," with inscriptions inviting peace, relaxation and thought, an invocation of rus in urbe. The architectural framing and the great care with which the ensemble was presented— as decorative as it was scholarly, evoking Classical harmony, symmetry and equilibrium, was a model for other Roman collections. Many visitors left written impressions during the 16th century, and more than one artist made sketches. Martin Heemskerck's early drawing of the loggia, showing the two famous armless satyrs supporting baskets on their heads, set against the piers of the arches, was etched by Hieronymus Cock
in 1558 and circulated among connoisseurs of the Antique. Here, in the serene and ordered presentation that was eventually developed in the 1520s and 30s by Lorenzetto— Heemskerk's drawing still shows a picturesque disorder— were undertaken the first systematic restorations and completions of Roman sculptural fragments, work that, according to Vasari's anecdotes, had occasionally been undertaken piecemeal for the Medici
by Donatello
and Verrocchio
, but which became common practice and developed into a Roman industry during the sixteenth century; Vasari, following his description of della Valle's antiquities, remarks, "And to tell the truth, these antiquities restored in this manner have much more grace than those mutilated trunks, members without heads or figures defective and incomplete in any other way".
At his death the Palazzo Valle passed to his nephew, Camillo Capranica, of another antiquities-collecting family and gained the name Palazzo Valle-Capranica, while the collection was housed separately, in the palazzo of bishop Bruto Della Valle; there it was inspected by Gabriele Simeoni in 1557, who left descriptions in French and Italian. In 1584 the combined collection was purchased en bloc by Cardinal Ferdinand de' Medici and dispersed among various Medici dwellings, mostly at the Villa de Medici in Rome, but transferred in part to Florence, where della Valle sculptures can be seen today in the Palazzo Pitti
and the Boboli Gardens
, in the Uffizi
and at the Medici villa at Poggio Imperiale
.
A theatre was built in the Cardinal's courtyard, which gave its name to the via Teatro Valle.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
– 3 August 1534) was an Italian clergyman and art collector.
Of an ancient family of Roman nobles whose family tomb is in Santa Maria in Aracoeli
Santa Maria in Aracoeli
The Basilica of St. Mary of the Altar of Heaven is a titular basilica in Rome, located on the highest summit of the Campidoglio. It is still the designated Church of the city council of Rome, which uses the ancient title of Senatus Populusque Romanus...
, he was elected bishop of Crotone in 1496. In 1503-05 he directed the Apostolic Chancery
Apostolic Chancery
The Chancery of Apostolic Briefs , is a former office of the Roman Curia, merged into the Congregation for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs by Pope Pius X on June 29, 1908 with the apostolic constitution Sapienti Consilio...
, and served as Apostolic secretary during the pontificate of Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II , nicknamed "The Fearsome Pope" and "The Warrior Pope" , born Giuliano della Rovere, was Pope from 1503 to 1513...
. He was transferred to the titular diocese of Miletus
Miletus
Miletus was an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia , near the mouth of the Maeander River in ancient Caria...
in 1508, which he resigned in favor of his nephew Quinzio Rustici on 26 November 1523. He participated in the Fifth Lateran Council, 1512, and was created cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
priest in the consistory of 1 July 1517. He participated in the conclaves of 1521-22 and 1523. As archpriest of the patriarchal Liberian basilica
Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
The Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major , known also by other names, is the largest Roman Catholic Marian church in Rome, Italy.There are other churches in Rome dedicated to Mary, such as Santa Maria in Trastevere, Santa Maria in Aracoeli, Santa Maria sopra Minerva, but the greater size of the...
(1520) he ceremonially opened and closed the Holy Door
Holy door
Each of the four papal basilicas in Rome has a Holy door . The doors are normally sealed shut from the inside so that they cannot be opened...
in the Jubilee Year of 1525.
High Renaissance
The expression High Renaissance, in art history, is a periodizing convention used to denote the apogee of the visual arts in the Italian Renaissance...
. He inherited some antiquities, which had been collected by the della Valle in the previous century, according to Vasari
Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari was an Italian painter, writer, historian, and architect, who is famous today for his biographies of Italian artists, considered the ideological foundation of art-historical writing.-Biography:...
. and eagerly acquired more. Inspired by the Cortile del Belvedere
Cortile del Belvedere
The Cortile del Belvedere, the Belvedere courtyard, designed by Donato Bramante from 1506 onwards, was a major architectural work of the High Renaissance at the Vatican Palace in Rome; its concept and details reverberating in courtyard design, formalized piazzas and garden plans throughout Western...
, in 1520 he commissioned the Rafaellesque sculptor architect Lorenzetto Lotti
Lorenzetto
Lorenzo Lotti, also known as Lorenzetto, , born Lorenzo di Lodovico di Guglielmo, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and architect in the circle of Raphael....
to create a suitable setting for the sculptures and inscriptions and other antiquities that he had amassed, the result of a generation of rediscoveries at the turn of the 16th century. On the main floor of the palazzo's new second inner courtyard the sculptures were displayed in a sort of loggia
Loggia
Loggia is the name given to an architectural feature, originally of Minoan design. They are often a gallery or corridor at ground level, sometimes higher, on the facade of a building and open to the air on one side, where it is supported by columns or pierced openings in the wall...
, described by Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari was an Italian painter, writer, historian, and architect, who is famous today for his biographies of Italian artists, considered the ideological foundation of art-historical writing.-Biography:...
as a hortus pensilis or hanging garden (giardino di sopra) that included planted raised boxes and an aviary
Aviary
An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds. Unlike cages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages...
, which "blurred the distinction between garden and courtyard," with inscriptions inviting peace, relaxation and thought, an invocation of rus in urbe. The architectural framing and the great care with which the ensemble was presented— as decorative as it was scholarly, evoking Classical harmony, symmetry and equilibrium, was a model for other Roman collections. Many visitors left written impressions during the 16th century, and more than one artist made sketches. Martin Heemskerck's early drawing of the loggia, showing the two famous armless satyrs supporting baskets on their heads, set against the piers of the arches, was etched by Hieronymus Cock
Hieronymus Cock
Jérôme or Hieronymus Cock, or Wellens de Cock was a Flemish painter and etcher of the Northern Renaissance, as well as a publisher and distributor of prints.-Biography:...
in 1558 and circulated among connoisseurs of the Antique. Here, in the serene and ordered presentation that was eventually developed in the 1520s and 30s by Lorenzetto— Heemskerk's drawing still shows a picturesque disorder— were undertaken the first systematic restorations and completions of Roman sculptural fragments, work that, according to Vasari's anecdotes, had occasionally been undertaken piecemeal for the Medici
Medici
The House of Medici or Famiglia de' Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside,...
by Donatello
Donatello
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi , also known as Donatello, was an early Renaissance Italian artist and sculptor from Florence...
and Verrocchio
Andrea del Verrocchio
Andrea del Verrocchio , born Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni, was an Italian sculptor, goldsmith and painter who worked at the court of Lorenzo de' Medici in Florence in the early renaissance. Few paintings are attributed to him with certainty, but a number of important painters were...
, but which became common practice and developed into a Roman industry during the sixteenth century; Vasari, following his description of della Valle's antiquities, remarks, "And to tell the truth, these antiquities restored in this manner have much more grace than those mutilated trunks, members without heads or figures defective and incomplete in any other way".
At his death the Palazzo Valle passed to his nephew, Camillo Capranica, of another antiquities-collecting family and gained the name Palazzo Valle-Capranica, while the collection was housed separately, in the palazzo of bishop Bruto Della Valle; there it was inspected by Gabriele Simeoni in 1557, who left descriptions in French and Italian. In 1584 the combined collection was purchased en bloc by Cardinal Ferdinand de' Medici and dispersed among various Medici dwellings, mostly at the Villa de Medici in Rome, but transferred in part to Florence, where della Valle sculptures can be seen today in the Palazzo Pitti
Palazzo Pitti
The Palazzo Pitti , in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast mainly Renaissance palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio...
and the Boboli Gardens
Boboli Gardens
The Boboli Gardens are a park in Florence, Italy, that is home to a collection of sculptures dating from the 16th through the 18th centuries, with some Roman antiquities.-History and layout:...
, in the Uffizi
Uffizi
The Uffizi Gallery , is a museum in Florence, Italy. It is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world.-History:...
and at the Medici villa at Poggio Imperiale
Poggio Imperiale
Poggio Imperiale is a town and comune in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy....
.
A theatre was built in the Cardinal's courtyard, which gave its name to the via Teatro Valle.