The “Masterpieces from the Borghese Gallery” exhibition proposed by the Parisian Jacquemart-André museum features some 40 works from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, a loan from the Borghese Gallery in Rome.
The Villa Borghese Pinciana, which houses today the Borghese Gallery, is created in 1616 by Scipio Borghese, who is inspired by the luxurious Roman villas all’antica and wishes to devote his palace to the exhibition of his art collections. Nephew of Camillo Borghese, elected pope under the name of Paul V in 1605, Scipio enjoys the influential position of nipote – cardinal-nephew – which enables him to enrich his collections by any means, legal or not. A man of controversial character, shy, jovial, passionate and cunning, he is also devoid of scruples. One of the best examples of his behavior is the seizure in 1607 of over one hundred works from the collection of the Cavalier d’Arpin, then one of Rome’s most prominent artists, under the false pretext of illegal possession of arms.
Scipio thus comes into possession of masterpieces such as Caravaggio’s “The Boy with the Fruit Basket”.
As one of the most important collectors of his time, he also establishes himself as an influential and visionary patron of the arts, turning the Villa Borghese into a veritable museum.
On his death, in accordance with his last wishes, the collections are handed down from generation to generation, and the Borghese heirs continue to enrich the family patrimony.
By the end of the 17th century, the Villa Borghese boasts over 800 paintings and one of Rome’s most famous collections of antiques.
In the early 19th century, however, several hundred antique sculptures are ceded to Napoleon by his brother-in-law, Prince Camille Borghese.
Placed in trust in 1833 to prevent the dispersal of the collections, the Villa Borghese is finally acquired by the Italian State in 1902.
Loth and his daughters – Giovanni Francesco Guerrieri
Virgin and Child with Six Angels and the Baptist – Botticelli
The Abduction of Europa – Cavalier d’Arpino
Ecce Homo – Baglione
Boy with a Fruit Basket – Caravaggio
Sibyl – Domenichino
Portrait of a Young Woman with Unicorn – Raphael
Susanna and the Elders – Rubens
Judith and Holopherne – Baglione
Leda and the Swan – Ghirlandaio
Leda and the Swan – Da Vinci
Lucrezia – Ghirlandaio
Masterpieces from the Borghese Gallery
December 20, 2024
