Palazzo Spada
Palazzo Spada | |
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General information | |
Location | Piazza di Capo Ferro #13, Rome, Italy |
Coordinates | 41°53′38.5″N 12°28′18.5″E / 41.894028°N 12.471806°E |
The Palazzo Spada is a palace located on Piazza di Capo Ferro #13 in the
The palace accommodates a large art collection, the Galleria Spada. The collection was originally assembled by Cardinal Bernardino Spada in the 17th century, and by his brother Virgilio Spada, and added to by his grandnephew Cardinal Fabrizio Spada,
History
In 1540, the palace was commissioned by Cardinal
The palace was briefly owned by the Mignanelli family, until in 1632, the palace was purchased by Cardinal Spada, who commissioned modifications from Francesco Borromini. The Baroque architect Borromini who created a masterpiece of forced perspective optical illusion in the arcaded courtyard, in which diminishing rows of columns and a rising floor create the visual illusion of a gallery 37 meters long (it is 8 meters) with a life-size sculpture at the end of the vista, in daylight beyond: the sculpture is 60 cm high. Borromini was aided in his perspective trick by a mathematician.
The
The colossal sculpture of
Gallery
The palazzo hosts the
Public authority
Palazzo Spada was purchased by the Italian State in 1927 and today houses the
External links
- Official website
- Aerial photo - The Farnese is the large square palace at the left, while one block along the same street to the south-west is the smaller Palazzo Spada with its gardens facing the Tiber.
- Dido's Death, Guercino, commissioned from Guercino by Cardinal Spada, 1631, on behalf of Marie de Medici
- Video of Palazzo Spada
- Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi, a fully digitized exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries, which contains material on Palazzo Spada (see index)
Media related to Palazzo Spada at Wikimedia Commons
Preceded by Palazzo Ruspoli, Rome |
Landmarks of Rome Palazzo Spada |
Succeeded by Palazzo Valentini |