Italy 2024 Episode 22: Borghese Gallery

The Borghese Gallery displays some of the world’s most famous masterpieces within a medieval Cardinal’s mansion that is itself a work of art.
In the elaborately decorated Entrance Hall, a relief sculpture depicts Marcus Curtius throwing himself into a chasm created by an earthquake. An oracle declared that the gods required the Romans to fill the chasm with their most precious possession “or else.” Marcus Curtius, asserting that courage was Rome’s most valuable possession, mounted his horse and leapt into the chasm.
The Dancing Satyr is one of many ancient Roman sculptures on display.
Bernini captures a violent scene as Pluto claims Proserpina as his wife, his hand digging into her thigh as Bernini turns stone into flesh.
Another Bernini sculpture recreates a dramatic scene from Virgil’s story of the Trojan War as Aeneas flees the conquered city with his son in tow and his father on his shoulder.
Caravaggio offers us a frail, unwashed John the Baptist. He often found models in the lowest of places, which in this instance helped convey the effects of the saint’s ascetic lifestyle.
A famous rendering of Jerome translating the Bible depicts the white-haired saint extending his hand toward the inkwell, all but pointing to the skull to remind us of our mortality.
Caravaggio’s depiction of Bacchus looks as if the god of wine may have overindulged a bit. The artist, who struggled with alcohol abuse, was no doubt conveying something of his inner-self.
After killing a man in a bar fight, Caravaggio painted David & Goliath as a gift to the Pope after the pontiff pardoned him. Sadly, the excesses of Caravaggio’s lifestyle led to his death soon thereafter, making this one of his last paintings. The face of Goliath is in fact that of Caravaggio.
Another famous canvas depicts a young Jesus with his mother Mary and Mary’s mother Anne. Originally commissioned for St. Peter’s Basilica, the contract was cancelled when the resultant painting was deemed inappropriate. Mary is pictured with a low-cut dress, Jesus has red hair, and an aging Anne has a disapproving look on her face. The symbolism of Jesus stepping on the snake was a nice touch but it wasn’t enough to salvage the painting’s reputation, so an opportunistic Cardinal Borghese picked it up at a bargain price.
This Crucifixion scene is the work of Pinturicchio. At the foot of the cross is St. Jerome, holding a stone used to hit his chest as an act of penance. On the right, St. Christopher holds a palm branch symbolizing martyrdom. On his shoulder, a young Jesus holds an apple, symbolizing redemption from the sin brought into the world by Adam & Eve.
Raphael painted the Deposition of Christ for a noble lady following the death of her son, who had conspired to overthrow the existing power structure of Rome. When the coup failed, her son sought refuge in the family home, but she turned him away. She later had a change of heart and raced to find her son, but it was too late - he had been killed by his adversaries. One of the figures in the painting is the likeness of her son.
Canova, the marble master of the 19th c., was commissioned by Camillo Borghese to create a sculpture celebrating his marriage to Napoleon’s sister, Paolina. The bride is portrayed as the goddess Venus (Aphrodite to the Greeks) with an apple in her hand. The story once again takes us back to Troy. Eris, the goddess of discord, brought a golden apple to a wedding feast, inscribed "To the fairest one.” Three of the wedding guests quarreled over who should receive the apple. Ultimately they agreed to let Paris of Troy choose. Paris chose Aphrodite, in part because she had offered him a bribe: Helen of Sparta as his wife. Paris carried Helen off to Troy and we know the rest of the story. But it all started with Aphrodite (Venus) winning the prized golden apple.
After Michelangelo had carved his own David, Bernini needed a different angle. Rather than a David in repose after his victory, Bernini depicts him in the throes of battle before the outcome is known, straining at the task before him.
Bernini’s greatest masterpiece is Apollo & Daphne. Cupid was angry with Apollo, so he shot him with a golden arrow, causing Apollo to fall in love with Daphne. At the same time, he shot Daphne with a lead arrow, which had the opposite effect. Apollo pursued Daphne, but just as he was about to reach her, Daphne transformed into a laurel tree rather than submit to Apollo’s advances. Apollo, in despair, used his divine power to bestow eternal youth upon his beloved, which is why laurel trees are evergreen - so once again, the ancients used myth to help explain the things they didn’t understand.
French Neoclassicism is represented by Houdon’s portrayal of John the Baptist. Our final statue is a delightful 16th c. sculpture by an anonymous artist of a boy removing a thorn from his foot.
The video concludes with a series of still photos.