Giacomo Della Porta's Perspective
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The Palazzetto Inside Palazzo Albertoni Spinola perspective is an architectural masterpiece and the result of Renaissance Master and architect Giacomo Della Porta. In 2022, the Perspective became part of the Italian Cultural Heritage.[1]
The Palazzetto, also made by Giacomo Della Porta, is located in Piazza Campitelli No. 2, in one of the oldest areas of the city center of Rome. It is distinguished by being formed by two independent buildings connected to each other but perfectly integrated, which generate the extraordinary perspective effect recently brought to light and which has had the world's media talking.[2]
Marquis Albertoni and Blessed Ludovica [edit]
Towards the end of the fifteenth century, Marquis Paluzzi ceded to the Albertoni family, descendants of an important Roman family that had come to power at that time, the ancient Palace located in today's Rione Capizzucchi, in which was located the birthplace of their ancestor Ludovica Albertoni, the true spiritual reference of the family.
The Palace, which at that time had a decidedly different appearance from the present one, looked with a continuous gaze at the birthplace of the Blessed Ludovica: establishing, thus, a direct and permanent contact with a place that was very dear to the family.
Blessed Ludovica Albertoni was born in the house overlooking Piazza Campitelli in 1473. Orphaned at a very young age, she married a Basque nobleman with whom she had two daughters. During her marriage Ludovica approached the Franciscan order where she began to attend the church of San Francesco a Ripa, and was eventually buried in the Paluzzi Albertoni chapel, where Gian Lorenzo Bernini, at the behest of Cardinal Paluzzi (nephew of Pope Clement X), dedicated a work to her, a true example of mystical-carnal transport and Baroque ecstasy, which well resembles the Ecstasy of Saint Theresa in the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria.[3]
Widowed, Ludovica Albertoni divided her property among her daughters and renounced all her possessions. She entered the Third Order of St. Francis and spent the rest of her life helping the needy.
She died on January 31, 1533, and Clement X officially approved her cult on January 28, 1671, immediately making her a devotional figure in Rome and beyond.
Meanwhile, in 1587, right in front of the place where the Blessed was born, Marquis Albertoni and other families whose palaces overlooked Campitelli Square had a splendid fountain built. The work was commissioned to one of the most famous artists of the time, Giacomo Della Porta, already the designer of several fountains and buildings in the city center.
The Albertoni marquises also asked Giacomo Della Porta to design a building in front of the old Palazzetto. However, they asked the Master to accomplish the impossible: to maintain visual continuity between the Palazzetto and the Blessed's house. Giacomo Della Porta accepted the challenge, thus bringing the masterpiece to life.
Giacomo Della Porta and Michelangelo[edit]
All the greatest historians and biographers spoke about the construction of the Palazzetto. Particularly, the celebrated painter and writer Giovanni Baglione mentions it in his most famous work Le Vite dei pittori, scultori, et architetti, attesting that the building was designed and executed in the late 16th century and early 17th century by Giacomo Della Porta (1532-1602) and Girolamo Rainaldi (1570-1655). [4] Giacomo Della Porta was one of the most important architects of the Renaissance. [5] Mistakenly, for a long time, he was considered exclusively the "master of fountains" given the large number of projects he completed on the subject during his career. Among the many fountains made by Della Porta are the Fountain in Palazzo Borghese (1573), the Fountain in Piazza Colonna (1574), the small Fountain in Piazza Navona (1574), the Fountain of the Turtles, and of course the Fountain in Piazza Santa Maria in Campitelli.
However, it would be reductive to relegate Giacomo Della Porta exclusively to this task. The Lombard architect was much more than that: he was a pupil of the greatest artist, sculptor, architect, and designer of all time: Michelangelo Buonarroti, the one whom Giorgio Vasari called "a thing rather heavenly than earthly."[6]
Working closely with Michelangelo, Della Porta made all the master's wisdom his own, day after day, pouring and paying homage to Michelangelo's genius in his architectural designs. Thus, walking through the streets of Rome and observing Della Porta's architecture, one can catch countless references to Michelangelo's architectural designs, especially in Palazzo Albertoni Spinola.
After 1563, Della Porta carried out Michelangelo's plans for the reconstruction of the open spaces of the Campidoglio, completing the facade and staircase of the Palazzo Senatorio, the Cordonata Capitolina (the ramped staircase leading to the Campidoglio square), worked in the Michelangelo-designed Sforza Chapel, and upon the Master's death, received the title of "architect of the Roman People" being charged with the construction of all buildings whose jurisdiction fell to the administration, and also dealing with the construction and maintenance of urban infrastructure and building police.
Thus, many of the buildings that decorate the city centre of Rome are the work of Giacomo Della Porta, or at least he had put his hand to them.
Giacomo Della Porta: The Master of the Dome of St. Peter's[edit]
In addition, as papal architect, Della Porta was in charge of the Fabbrica della Sapienza and from 1573, he lead the masterwork of man's creative spirit and at the same time the symbol of the Church of Rome: the Dome of St. Peter's.
Actually, many attribute the construction of St. Peter's Dome to Michelangelo. However, thanks to an unveiled plaque, embedded at the top of the bronze, east-facing sphere in the dome showing the name of Giacomo Della Porta, clarity has been made, attesting to his unmistakable role in the final development of the world-famous symbol of Christianity.
Based on what is historically known, Della Porta developed the rest of the unfinished structure after Michelangelo's death in 1564. He was also commissioned to redesign the overall project, because the original version would most likely have collapsed under the excessive weight of the Dome as designed by Michelangelo.
Actually, the design for Michelangelo's Dome, which was a perfect hemisphere, according to the static calculations made by Giacomo Della Porta, was unfeasible, as the weight of the structure would have weighed too heavily on the basal tympanum, breaking it. Thus, Della Porta, working with the architect Domenico Fontana, put into practice a feat that marked an important phase in the technological advances of the late 16th century. Thanks to his intervention, the project finally gained momentum and St. Peter's Dome was finally finished when Della Porta began construction of Palazzo Albertoni Spinola.
The Master's solutions implemented by his pupils[edit]
The work on the Palazzo that Della Porta did between 1560 and 1580 involved the design, the construction of the load-bearing structures (still visible inside the Palace) and the internal partitions of the large building.
When the Master died in 1602, he was succeeded by Girolamo Rainaldi, who had been collaborating with him for some time. Rainaldi was responsible for aligning the building's facade (completed around 1616) with the newly updated plan of Campitelli Square.[7]
Meanwhile, the house of the Blessed Ludovica was converted into a small church. The building was then rebuilt and enlarged on September 29, 1600, followed by architect Carlo Rainaldi on commission from Pope Alexander VII, who wanted to celebrate the end of the plague of 1656 that had already decimated two-fifths of the population of the Kingdom of Naples and threatened to spread to Rome and neighboring territories, building a worthy home for a Marian icon believed to be miraculously preserved in the small church of Santa Maria in Portico.
The work was entrusted to Carlo Rainaldi, Girolamo's son, who, knowing very well the intention of the two masters, built the great portal exactly where the portal to the original house of the Blessed was located, with millimeter precision.
The facade of the Church of Santa Maria in Portico in Campitelli was completed in 1667. A few years later, in 1669, the marvelous fountain was moved about 30 meters to the eastern south side of the square because, according to the state archives, it disturbed those whose houses faced the square.
The discovery of perspective[edit]
It all started in May of the year 2015, when architect Alex Rosman traveled to Rome to study the Palazzetto Inside Palazzo Albertoni Spinola to carry out a plan to redevelop the ancient and complex Palace.[8]
On May 22, during the St. Peter's Basilica guided tour, the architect paused to reflect on the role and figure of Giacomo Della Porta as Michelangelo Buonarroti's successor in completing the famous Dome.
It was those reflections on Della Porta's work at St. Peter's that provided the suggestion that the construction of Campitelli Square might have been so complex that it could "hide" urban planning and architectural techniques worthy of deeper analysis.
Immediately the next day, admiring the view from the front door of the rear building, the Palazzetto, Alex Rosman noticed that the front door of the larger Palazzo framed the door of the Church of Santa Maria in Portico in Campitelli perfectly to the millimeter. Palazzo Albertoni Spinola had revealed its secret, and Della Porta's design perfectly respected the wishes of the marquises who had commissioned it.
The perspective, through the androne, the entrance gallery and the portal of the body of the large building, is perfectly aligned, while from the latter, the front view falls on the left side of the church itself, and not on the entrance. To witness the miracle, one must walk through the entrance gallery that leads orthogonally to the back door.
Moving backward from the main door, in fact, the entrance to the door of Santa Maria in Portico in Campitelli begins to move until it concisely reaches the door of the Palazzetto. Here the magic happens. From the door of the Palazzetto the entrance to the church is framed millimetrically thanks to the magical orthogonality conceived by the genius of the masters.
The Palazzo-Palazzetto integration[edit]
In 1616 the construction of the flyover to connect the two buildings was carried out by Girolamo Rainaldi. The architect thus realized the access to the Palazzetto, creating an effect capable of confusing the public entering the building.
In fact, walking through the inner halls of the Palace, there is no perception of the passage from the main body to the ancient building behind. A further visual peculiarity concerns the "secret" hanging garden, which is visible from the entrance of the overpass on the second floor of the Palace, although it is "hidden," as it is a rear offshoot of the second floor of the Palazzetto and therefore far from the square.
Three geniuses, one masterpiece[edit]
Palazzetto Inside Palazzo Albertoni Spinola, created by the inspiration of three artists is a unique architectural jewel.
The result of the talent of the greatest architects of the Italian Renaissance, the work stands as a unique masterpiece of perspective that may soon find a place in the Olympus of the seven architectural perspective wonders, alongside Borromini's Galleria Spada, Palladio's Teatro Olimpico and Bramante's perspective at the Church of Santa Maria presso San Satiro in Milan.
Bibliography[edit]
AMEYDEN, Teodoro, Storia delle famiglie romane, Roma, 1910.
BENEDETTI, Sandro, Il ghetto di Roma. Progetto di recupero urbano e edilizio, Roma, edizioni Kappa, 1995.
BENEDETTI, Sandro, I palazzi romani di Giacomo della Porta, in Roma e lo Studium Urbis. Spazio urbano e cultura dal Quattro al Seicento, Roma, 1992.
BENOCCI, C., Palazzetto in Palazzo Albertoni: un interessante esempio di architettura romana
minore degli inizi del XVII secolo, in “Alma Roma”, settembre-dicembre 1981, pp. 37-51.
CARPANETO, Giorgio, I palazzi di Roma, Roma, 2004, Newton Compton Editori, pp. 23-24.
CERROTI, Alessandra, Palazzo Albertoni Spinola, in “AR Bimestrale dell’Ordine degli Architetti di Roma”, anno XLIV, marzo-aprile 2009, n. 82/09, pp. 39-42.
HIBBARD, Howard, Di alcune licenze rilasciate dai mastri di strade per opere di edificazione a Roma, in “Bollettino d’Arte”, LII, p. 109.
FASOLO, Furio, L’opera di Hieronimo e Carlo Rainaldi (1570-1655 e 1611-1691), Roma, Edizioni Ricerche, s.d.
FINELLI, L. – INSOLERA, I. – MARCIANÒ, A.F., Il ghetto, Roma, Officina Edizioni, 1986.
GAVALLOTTI CAVALLERO, Daniela, Palazzi di Roma dal XIV al XX secolo, Roma, NER-Nuova Editrice Romana, 1989.
PIETRANGELI, Carlo, Guide rionali di Roma. Rione X Campitelli, I, Roma, Palombi Editori, 1992.
RENDINA, Claudio, I Palazzi storici di Roma, Roma, Newton Compton Editori, pp. 244-45.
ROSSMAN, Alex, Storia di una scoperta urbanistica architettonica storica rinascimentale, maggio 2015-novembre 2018.
SPINOLA, Giandomenico, Le sculture nel Palazzo Albertoni Spinola a Roma e le collezioni Paluzzi ed Altieri, Roma, Giorgio Bretschneider Editore, 1996.
TIBERIA, Vitaliano, Giacomo della Porta, Roma, Bulzoni Editore, 1974. TORSELLI, Giorgio, Palazzi di Roma, Milano, Ceschina, 1965.
TORSELLI, Giorgio, Palazzi di Roma (Palaces of Rome), Milan, 1965.
ZANDER, Giuseppe, L’arte di Roma nel secolo XVI, Bologna, Cappelli, 1990.
References[edit]
- ↑ VISTO l’interesse storico-artistico particolarmente importante riconosciuto dalla Soprintendenza speciale archeologia, belle arti e paesaggio di Roma con la relativa proposta di tutela ai sensi dell’art. 10, co. 3, lett. a) del d.lgs.vo n. 42/2004 e ss.mm.ii. del 22.12.2021, prot. n. 57134, acquisita agli atti del Segretariato regionale del Ministero della cultura per il Lazio in data 22.12.2021, prot. n. 9564, per il rinnovo della dichiarazione di interesse culturale ai sensi degli artt. 14 e 128, co. 1 del d.lgs.vo n. 42/2004 e ss.mm.ii., per l’immobile denominato “Palazzo Albertoni Spinola”
- ↑ Study Reveals Newly Discovered Architectural Masterpiece Contained in Rome’s Famous Palazzo Albertoni Spinola, su e-architect.
- ↑ Alessandro Angelini, Bernini, Editoriale Jaca Book, 1999, p. 70.
- ↑ Giovanni Baglione, Le vite de' pittori, scultori et architetti dal Pontificato di Gregorio XIII fìno a tutto quello di Urbano VIII, Roma,Forni,1649; Gregorio Roisecco, Roma antica e moderna, Roma, Roisecco, 1750; Primo Acciaresi, Roma antica, medioevale, moderna e dintorni, Roma, Libreria Salesiana, 1922;Lugi Vittorio Bertarell, Roma e dintorni, Milano, Touring Club Italiano, 1934,[s.v. «Palazzo Spinola»];Ulrich Thieme e Felix Becker, Thieme-Becker, Leipzig, Engelmann, 1907, ( capitolo «Porta, Giacomo della», che attribuisce il palazzo all'ottavo decennio del XVI secolo); Jetwart Arslan,Forme architettoniche civili di Giacomo della Porta, Bollettino d'Arte del Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione, Roma, Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione, 1926-1927, (opere architettoniche civili di Giacomo della Porta, pagine 510-511, figura 4 "…il Palazzo Paluzzo appunto - ora Spinola - in piazza Campitelli ripete, salvo la porta ed il cornicione che sono aggiunte o rifacimenti del Rainaldi, lo schema di Palazzo Caetani ..."); Sandro Benedetti e Giuseppe Zander, L'arte di Roma nel secolo XVI, Bologna, Cappelli, 1990, (pagine 436-437, tavole CXXXVI).
- ↑ Giacomo Della Porta, su wblog.wiki.
- ↑ Vasari Giorgio, Vite dei più eminenti pittori, scultori e architetti. vol. IX. Tradotto da Gaston du C. De Vere. Londra: Società dei Medici.
- ↑ Minozzi Marina, Rivista Roma Sacra, Elio De Rosa Editore, 1999, Roma; Parrocchia Santa Maria in Campitelli, I disegni di Carlo Rainaldi, Archivio Parrocchiale Santa Maria in Campitelli, Roma, 2017.
- ↑ ROSMAN Alex, The miracle of the prospective of three geniuses. The history of the construction and evolution of Palazzetto inside Palazzo Albertoni Spinola, Roma, 2021.
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