Asdrubale Mattei
Encyclopedia
Asdrubale Mattei Duca di Giove, was an Italian nobleman of the House of Mattei, an avid art collector and a patron
of Caravaggio
.
and Cardinal
Girolamo Mattei
.
He married Costanza Gonzaga (of the House of Gonzaga
) and they had three sons:
of Giove which allowed Mattei to be appointed Duca di Giove (Duke of Giove). Mattei passed the title and property to his son, Girolamo.
Between 1598 and 1618, Mattei commissioned architect Carlo Maderno
to build the Palazzo Mattei
.
Mattei was a strong supporter of baroque
artist Caravaggio
. The artist lived at Mattei residences, the Palazzo Mattei
and latter the Villa Mattei
and Mattei (and his brother Ciriaco) commissioned a large number of works from the painter. The works included The Taking of Christ (for which Mattei and his brother paid a paltry 125 scudi).
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
of Caravaggio
Caravaggio
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was an Italian artist active in Rome, Naples, Malta, and Sicily between 1593 and 1610. His paintings, which combine a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting, had a formative influence on the Baroque...
.
Family
Mattei was the third of three sons of Alessandro Mattei and Emilia Mazzatosta and the younger brother of Ciriaco MatteiCiriaco Mattei
Ciriaco Mattei was an Italian nobleman of Rome and of the House of Mattei and one of the most prolific art collectors of his time.-Family:...
and 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...
Girolamo Mattei
Girolamo Mattei
Girolamo Mattei was an Italian Cardinal from the House of Mattei.Mattei was born 8 February 1547, the son of Alessandro Mattei and Emilia Mazzatosta. He was the younger brother of Ciriaco Mattei and the older brother of Asdrubale Mattei, Marquis di Giove...
.
He married Costanza Gonzaga (of the House of Gonzaga
House of Gonzaga
The Gonzaga family ruled Mantua in Northern Italy from 1328 to 1708.-History:In 1433, Gianfrancesco I assumed the title of Marquis of Mantua, and in 1530 Federico II received the title of Duke of Mantua. In 1531, the family acquired the Duchy of Monferrato through marriage...
) and they had three sons:
- Girolamo MatteiGirolamo Mattei, Duca di GioveGirolamo Mattei was an Italian nobleman of the House of Mattei and Duke of Giove.Mattei was born in 1606, the son of Asdrubale Mattei, Marquis di Giove, and his wife Costanza Gonzaga . He was the older brother of Luigi Mattei; Marquis di Belmonte and military ally of the Barberini and Pope Urban...
, future Duca di Giove - Luigi MatteiLuigi MatteiLuigi Mattei was an Italian military General and Marquis de Belmonte. During the 17th century he commanded troops loyal to the papal armies of Barberini Pope Urban VIII and Pamphili Pope Innocent X during the Wars of Castro.-Biography:...
, future Marquis di Belmonte - Paolo Mattei
Patron of the arts and architecture
In 1597, Mattei and his brother Ciriaco paid 65,000 scudi for the fortified comuneComune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of Giove which allowed Mattei to be appointed Duca di Giove (Duke of Giove). Mattei passed the title and property to his son, Girolamo.
Between 1598 and 1618, Mattei commissioned architect Carlo Maderno
Carlo Maderno
Carlo Maderno was a Swiss-Italian architect, born in Ticino, who is remembered as one of the fathers of Baroque architecture. His façades of Santa Susanna, St. Peter's Basilica and Sant'Andrea della Valle were of key importance in the evolution of the Italian Baroque...
to build the Palazzo Mattei
Palazzo Mattei
thumb|250px|right|The courtyard of the Palazzo Mattei di Giove.The Palazzo Mattei di Giove is the most prominent among a group of Mattei houses that forms the insula Mattei in Rome, Italy, a block of buildings of many epochs...
.
Mattei was a strong supporter of baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
artist Caravaggio
Caravaggio
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was an Italian artist active in Rome, Naples, Malta, and Sicily between 1593 and 1610. His paintings, which combine a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting, had a formative influence on the Baroque...
. The artist lived at Mattei residences, the Palazzo Mattei
Palazzo Mattei
thumb|250px|right|The courtyard of the Palazzo Mattei di Giove.The Palazzo Mattei di Giove is the most prominent among a group of Mattei houses that forms the insula Mattei in Rome, Italy, a block of buildings of many epochs...
and latter the Villa Mattei
Villa Mattei
The Villa Mattei or Villa Celimontana is a villa on the Caelian Hill in Rome, best known for its gardens. Its grounds cover most of the valley between the Aventine Hill and the Caelian.-Location:...
and Mattei (and his brother Ciriaco) commissioned a large number of works from the painter. The works included The Taking of Christ (for which Mattei and his brother paid a paltry 125 scudi).