Palazzo Mattei
Encyclopedia
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
To distinguish this section from the others it carries the name of a Mattei fief, Giove. The Mattei owned a number of other palazzi that carried the family name including Palazzo Mattei di Trastevere across the Tiber as well as properties in Umbria, the Palazzo Mattei Paganica.
designed the palace at the beginning of the 17th century for Asdrubale Mattei
, Marquis di Giove and father of Girolamo Mattei
and Luigi Mattei
. He was also the brother of Ciriaco Mattei
and Cardinal Girolamo Mattei
. It was Maderno who was responsible for the extravagantly enriched cornice on the otherwise rather plain stuccoed public façade, the piano nobile loggia
in the courtyard and the rooftop loggia or altana.
was commissioned to execute the pair of compositions on the ceiling of the gallery, dating before 1626. In the early 19th century, a group of paintings from the collection at the palazzo was purchased by William Hamilton Nisbet
and removed to Scotland.
Like others of the Mattei family, Asdrubale Mattei was an enthusiastic patron of the arts. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (better known simply as Caravaggio) is recorded as living at the palazzo in 1601.
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...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, a block of buildings of many epochs
To distinguish this section from the others it carries the name of a Mattei fief, Giove. The Mattei owned a number of other palazzi that carried the family name including Palazzo Mattei di Trastevere across the Tiber as well as properties in Umbria, the Palazzo Mattei Paganica.
Design and construction
Carlo MadernoCarlo 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...
designed the palace at the beginning of the 17th century for Asdrubale Mattei
Asdrubale Mattei
thumb|Portrait of Asdrubale Mattei di Giove by students of Caravaggio .Asdrubale Mattei , Duca di Giove, was an Italian nobleman of the House of Mattei, an avid art collector and a patron of Caravaggio.-Family:...
, Marquis di Giove and father of Girolamo Mattei
Girolamo Mattei, Duca di Giove
Girolamo 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...
and Luigi Mattei
Luigi Mattei
Luigi 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:...
. He was also the brother of Ciriaco Mattei
Ciriaco 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 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...
. It was Maderno who was responsible for the extravagantly enriched cornice on the otherwise rather plain stuccoed public façade, the piano nobile 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...
in the courtyard and the rooftop loggia or altana.
Relationship with the arts
For the interior of the palazzo, Pietro da CortonaPietro da Cortona
Pietro da Cortona, by the name of Pietro Berrettini, born Pietro Berrettini da Cortona, was the leading Italian Baroque painter of his time and also one of the key architects in the emergence of Roman Baroque architecture. He was also an important decorator...
was commissioned to execute the pair of compositions on the ceiling of the gallery, dating before 1626. In the early 19th century, a group of paintings from the collection at the palazzo was purchased by William Hamilton Nisbet
William Hamilton Nisbet
William Hamilton Nisbet was a British politician.On 31 January 1777, he married Mary Manners, daughter of Lord Robert Manners. They had one child:...
and removed to Scotland.
Like others of the Mattei family, Asdrubale Mattei was an enthusiastic patron of the arts. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (better known simply as Caravaggio) is recorded as living at the palazzo in 1601.