an intelligent interpretation of the Renaissance
master’s style. Reni, consistent with the precepts of
the Bolognese academy, also looked to antiquity
for his models. The ultimate sources for the Au-
roracomposition were Roman reliefs (FIG. 10-41)
and coins depicting emperors in triumphal chari-
ots accompanied by flying Victories and other
personifications.
PIETRO DA CORTONAThe experience of
looking up at a painting is different from simply
seeing a painting hanging on a wall. The consider-
able height and the expansive scale of most ceiling
frescoes induce a feeling of awe. Patrons who
wanted to burnish their public image or control
their legacy found monumental ceiling frescoes to
be perfect vehicles for such statements. In 1633,
Pope Urban VIII commissioned a ceiling fresco
for the Gran Salone of the Palazzo Barberini in
Rome. The most important decorative commis-
sion of the 1630s, the job went to Pietro da Cor-
tona(1596–1669), a Tuscan architect and painter
who had moved to Rome in about 1612. The
grandiose and spectacular Triumph of the Bar-
berini(FIG. 24-22) overwhelms spectators with
the glory of the Barberini family (and Urban VIII24-21Guido Reni,Aurora,ceiling fresco in the Casino Rospigliosi, Rome, Italy, 1613–1614.
The “divine Guido” conceived Auroraas a quadro riportato, reflecting his training in the Bolognese art academy. The scene of Dawn leading Apollo’s
chariot derives from ancient Roman reliefs.
24-22Pietro da Cortona,Triumph of the
Barberini,ceiling fresco in the Gran Salone,
Palazzo Barberini, Rome, Italy, 1633–1639.
In this dramatic ceiling fresco, Divine Providence
appears in a halo of radiant light directing
Immortality, holding a crown of stars, to bestow
eternal life on the family of Pope Urban VIII.Italy 663