Name of Monument:

Palazzo Colonna Rospigliosi, fresco decoration

Location:

Zagarolo, Rome, Latium, Italy

Date:

Second half of the 16th century

Artists:

Giovanni Bianchi, also known as Il Bertone (documented 1573–1580)

Denomination / Type of monument:

Secular architecture, provincial palace

Patron(s):

Pompeo (d. 1583) and his son Marzio Colonna (known in 1584–1606 when he hosted Caravaggio at his estate)

History:

In 1569, Pius V made the Zagarolo estate, belonging to the ancient Colonna family, into a duchy. The prestige of the Colonna family derived notably from their gens Julia lineage, the fact that they had been key players in the struggles between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines against the Orsini in the 12th and 13th centuries. They could already boast cardinals amongst their numbers by the late 12th century (Giovanni in 1193) and a Pope in the 15th century, when Oddone ascended to the Papal Throne as Martin V in 1417.
The restoration work on the old Zagarolo Palace and the entire surrounding area, a rich livestock and arable farming centre, dates back to the time the duchy was created in the second half of the 16th century. The ducal palace modified the original fortified mediaeval centre with the addition of two long wings facing the centre—which still define its shape—which was restructured to suit the palace. In 1622, the entire estate was sold to Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi, who further embellished the palace. It was then taken over in 1670 by the Rospigliosi family, who completed the ground-floor decorations.

Description:

The 16th-century interior decoration is a compendium of themes exalting antiquity, according to a master plan for the renovatio of Antiquity, intended to legitimise the power of the Colonna family, recent undertakings by family members (victory against the Turks in Lepanto in 1571) and the family's virtues. In the first two rooms, paintings by Giovanni Bianchi of Reggio Emilia depict the celebrations of the victory at Lepanto (1571), the battle against the Turks where Marcantonio Colonna fought at the head of the papal fleet. The battle was hailed as a victory of the Church a sentiment underlined by the allegories of the theological virtues (Faith, Hope and Charity) and the cardinal virtues (Prudence, Fortitude, Justice and Temperance). The "imprese" of the Colonna family are also displayed in several places: the two-tailed mermaid, elements from the coat of arms (a crowned column) and an image of rushes emerging from the waves with the motto "Flectimur non rumpimur undis" ("we are bent but not broken by the waves").
In other rooms on the ground floor, painted by the school of Federico Zuccari and dating back to the last years of the 16th century, landscapes with ruins alternate with coats of arms, grotesques and allegorical figures. Particularly noteworthy is the vaulted room with figures of Victory and Hope.

The 16th-century interior decoration is a compendium of themes exalting antiquity, intended to legitimise the power of the Colonna family, and recent undertakings by family members (victory against the Turks in Lepanto in 1571) and its theological and cardinal virtues.

How Monument was dated:

Tantillo, A. M., “Palazzo Colonna Rospigliosi”, I principi della chiesa, Milan 1998, p. 115.

Selected bibliography:

Tantillo, A. M., “Palazzo Colonna Rospigliosi”, I principi della chiesa, Milan 1998, pp. 114–116.

Citation of this web page:

Laura Indrio "Palazzo Colonna Rospigliosi, fresco decoration" in "Discover Baroque Art", Museum With No Frontiers, 2025.
https://baroqueart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;bar;it;mon13;5;en

Prepared by: Laura Indrio
Translation by: Laurence Nunny
Translation copyedited by: Mandi GomezMandi Gomez

Amanda Gomez is a freelance copy-editor and proofreader working in London. She studied Art History and Literature at Essex University (1986–89) and received her MA (Area Studies Africa: Art, Literature, African Thought) from SOAS in 1990. She worked as an editorial assistant for the independent publisher Bellew Publishing (1991–94) and studied at Bookhouse and the London College of Printing on day release. She was publications officer at the Museum of London until 2000 and then took a role at Art Books International, where she worked on projects for independent publishers and arts institutions that included MWNF’s English-language editions of the books series Islamic Art in the Mediterranean. She was part of the editorial team for further MWNF iterations: Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean Virtual Museum and the illustrated volume Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean.

True to its ethos of connecting people through the arts, MWNF has provided Amanda with valuable opportunities for discovery and learning, increased her editorial experience, and connected her with publishers and institutions all over the world. More recently, the projects she has worked on include MWNF’s Sharing History Virtual Museum and Exhibition series, Vitra Design Museum’s Victor Papanek and Objects of Desire, and Haus der Kulturen der Welt’s online publication 2 or 3 Tigers and its volume Race, Nation, Class.

MWNF Working Number: IT1 05