Since January 28, El Greco’s painting, La Guarigione del cieco nato inv. 201 and the miniature by Anonimo fiammingo, Ritratto del cardinale Alessandro Farnese inv. 1177-9, have been on loan to the exhibition: I Farnese nella Roma del ‘500. Origini e fortuna di una collezione, Musei Capitolini, Rome, Capitoline Museums, Villa Caffarelli, 10 February – 18 May 2025.
The exhibition, curated by Chiara Rabbi Bernard and Claudio Parisi Presicce, is dedicated to the Farnese collection, the highest expression of erudite collecting, supported by Pope Paul III (1534-1549) and his grandchildren. The exhibition, set up at the Capitoline Museums, Villa Caffarelli, is organized in collaboration with Civita Mostre e Musei and Zètema Progetto Cultura.
The exhibition project stems from a reflection on the impact that Pope Paul III Farnese had on the city of Rome on the eve of the Jubilee of 1550.
The pontiff was responsible for some significant interventions on the city, including the monumentalization of the Piazza del Campidoglio, entrusted to the genius of Michelangelo.
The exhibition presents works dating back to the Collection’s period of greatest splendor, which goes from the first decades of the 16th century to the beginning of the following one, which include over one hundred masterpieces (paintings, ancient sculptures, sketches, drawings, manuscripts), coming mainly from the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, the Capodimonte Museum, the National Library and other Italian and foreign collections, including the JP Morgan Library in New York.
Particular attention is paid to the evocation of some of the most representative rooms of Palazzo Farnese in Campo dei Fiori, the magnificent residence of the family, such as the Galleria dei Carracci and the Sala dei Filosofi.
A further focus concerns the figure of Paul III and the intellectuals who gravitated around his court.
Gallery
