The Exhibition “The Seventeenth Century in Villa Farnesina”

The exhibition “The Seventeenth Century in Villa Farnesina” will be held in Rome from November 6, 2024 to January 12, 2025. This event presents new discoveries on the seventeenth-century decoration of the historic villa, with unpublished frescoes found above the nineteenth-century vault that concealed them.

Exhibition Details

The frescoes include:

• A sky with flying cherubs around the Farnese coat of arms
• Two putti on a blue background in the corbels
• An autumn landscape in the only visible lunette The exhibition is sponsored by the Associazione Amici dell’Accademia dei Lincei, in collaboration with the École Française de Rome and the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo. It is curated by Alessandro Zuccari and Virginia Lapenta, and aims to delve deeper into the seventeenth-century works influenced by Raphael in the Villa Farnesina.

Technological Innovations and Historical Research

Through the use of digital technologies and a photographic campaign by Luigi Spina, the 17th century frescoes, dating back to the Farnese period (from 1579), will be presented. A three-dimensional reconstruction will show the transformations of the ancient Chigiana living room, restoring an image of the environment and its original decoration. Between 1861 and 1863, significant restoration work modified the sixteenth-century configuration of the villa, designed by Baldassare Peruzzi. The architect Antonio Sarti reported serious structural damage and proposed consolidation work, which led to a drastic modification of the interior spaces.

“The discovery of the frescoes, spared by the installation of the elevator, constitutes significant news for the knowledge of the building.”

Raphael’s Influence and Exclusive Works

This exhibition also offers the opportunity to delve deeper into the influence of Raphael’s style in seventeenth-century Rome. Six paintings inspired by the Urbinate’s frescoes will be presented for the first time at the Farnesina. Among them:

• Two Allegories commissioned by Farnese attributed to Antonio Carracci
• Galatea by Pietro da Cortona
• Galatea by Andrea Sacchi The exhibition is dedicated to Professor Natalino Irti, who generously contributed to the restoration of Villa Farnesina, financing the recovery of the seventeenth-century decoration.