Italian Trip Diary -- Day #19 -- Rome, Capitoline Museum

Sunday, July 1, 2001, Rome, Capitoline Museum:

I've broken down this day's diary into two parts -- Piazza Venezia, Piazza del Campidoglio, Roman Forum, and Colosseum was published last week; and Capitoline Museum will be published today.

The Capitoline Museum is spread among three buildings on the Piazza del Campidoglio.  It is best known for its collection of antiquities -- primarily sculptures.  But it also holds interesting Renaissance paintings, sculptures and tapestries and has some fabulous Renaissance interiors.  Since we visited in 2001, the museum has been upgraded and expanded -- but the collection remains pretty much as we saw it.

Among the antiquities, one obvious star is 'The Dying Gaul' which I posted about in March after seeing it again in a one-piece exhibition in the rotunda of the National Gallery in Washington last January.  Among the other sculptures that caught our eye in 2001 was a sarcophagus from the 3rd century AD where the coffin has incredibly detailed deep bas relief scenes from the life of Achilles, while the lid has rather primitive portrait renderings of the deceased patrons (looking almost like Grant Woods' 'American Gothic' minus the pitchfork).

'Sarcophagus', marble, Roman, 3rd century AD.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Displayed in a courtyard was a Satyr (half man-half goat) from the Theater of Pompey (dedicated in 55 BC) in the Campus Martius.   The statue is believed to be a copy of a Greek original.

'Satyr', marble, Roman (after Hellenistic original), circa 55 BC.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

In another courtyard we found the head, arms, hands and feet from the 'Colossus of Constantine' which was originally displayed in the apse of the Basilica of Maxentius.  While the head, hands and feet of the enormous statue are carved from white marble, the rest of the figure was composed of brick and wood, probably covered with gilded bronze.  In late antiquity the statue was looted for its bronze and destroyed.  Michelangelo moved the remaining pieces to the Capitoline while he was working on the Piazza del Campidoglio project. 

'Head and Hand' from the 'Colossus of Constantine', marble, Roman, 313-324 AD.
George (6'3") is included to provide some sense of scale.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Another giant statue is a bronze 'Hercules' that was discovered in Rome in the 15th century AD.  Scholars have dated it to the 2nd century BC in Greece and believe that it was brought to Rome as a cult figure for the Temple of Hercules Victor which was located in the Forum Boarium (livestock market) near the Tiber.  

'Hercules', bronze, Greek, 2nd century BC.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

This room, the Hall of the Horatii and Curiatii has frescoes by Giuseppe Cesari, Cavalier d'Arpino, from 1636-38 AD.

The 'Capitoline Venus' is a Roman copy of a 4th century BC original by Praxiteles.  The copy is executed in fine Parian marble.  It was discovered between 1666 and 1670 AD in Rome.  Compared to the male figures, this Venus seems a bit shy.

'Capitoline Venus', Parian marble, Roman (copy of a Greek original from 4th century BC).
Photo by Blomme-McClure

'Discobolus as a Wounded Warrior' is a reconstruction utilizing the torso of Discobolus from the 1st century AD -- which itself is based on a Greek original by Mirone from 460 BC.  The figure that Pierre-Etienne Monnot created around the start of the 18th century is extraordinarily dynamic with the arms and shoulders torqued away from the hips and legs. 

'Torso of Discobolus' (copy of an original Greek statue by Mirone, 460 BC), marble, Roman, 1st century AD.
Reconstruction as a 'Wounded Warrior' by Pierre-Etienne Monnot, marble, circa 1700 AD.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

One of the most beloved sculptures in the Capitoline Museum is a bronze from the 1st century BC of a young boy removing a splinter from his foot -- it's called 'Spinario' .  Less than 2.5 feet high it has a sweetness and simplicity which is direct and endearing.

'Spinario', bronze, Roman, 1st century BC.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

This grouping of three busts includes 'Commodus as Hercules' (center) flanked by two 'Tritons' -- all from 180-193 AD.  The Emperor Commodus is shown with the symbols of Hercules -- the lion skin over his head and shoulders and the club used to slay the Hydra slung on his shoulder.

'Commodus as Hercules' with two 'Tritons', marble, Roman, 180-193 AD.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

'Bust of Medusa' by Gian Lorenzo Bernini depicts the most powerful of the Gorgons as a kind of 60's hippie chick with a snake Afro.  It makes wonderful use of the Baroque sense of motion and drama -- you feel the mass of snakes writhing and slithering as you move around it.

'Bust of Medusa'  by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, marble, 1644-48 AD.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Among the great paintings is Guercino's painting 'The Burial of Saint Petronilla'.  It was initially commissioned for an altar in Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, then moved to the Quirinale, where it hung until Napoleon requisitioned it for the Louvre.  Antonio Canova brought it back to Italy in 1818 and installed it in the Capitoline Museum.

'The Burial of Saint Petronilla' by Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri), oil on canvas, 1621-23 AD.
George offers scale for this enormous painting.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

The painting is divided into two spheres: earth and heaven.  The lower, darker half depicts the saint's body being lowered into her grave surrounded by mourners; the upper, brighter half depicts her soul arriving before Christ in heaven.  According to Christian mythology, Petronilla was the daughter of Saint Peter.  The body was buried in the Roman Catacombs until 1606 AD when the remains were moved to the Vatican.

Part of the Capitoline Museum collection displayed in the grounds outside, 'Lion Attacking a Horse' is a Greek sculpture that dates from 325 to 300 BC.

'Lion Attacking a Horse', white marble, Greek, circa 325-300 BC.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Since our visit in 2001, this work has been moved to a new enclosed courtyard along with the original of the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius that once stood at the center of the Piazza del Campidoglio and several other works -- including this statue of 'Oceanus' from the 1st or 2nd century AD.

'Oceanus', marble, Roman, circa 1st of 2nd century AD.  It was probably originally part of the fountain.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

This sculptural fragment of one woman carrying another was discovered in the area of Horti Lamiani -- Lamiani Gardens -- created by the consul Aelius Lamia, friend of Tiberius, on the Esquiline Hill during the excavations for the Victor Emmanuel Monument.

'Fragment of One Woman Carrying Another', marble, unknown attribution.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

There is a sense of urgency to the movement of the figures and the drapery which makes it very arresting.

Here are a few other works that we liked that I can't identify (I hadn't yet adopted the practice I use now of photographing the wall plaques as well as the art):

This is obviously a marble sculpture of Hercules (note the lion skin and the club), but it's less muscular and cocky than many pieces on the subject.  Also, I liked the cool tone of the background.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

The subjects of these three paintings are familiar: 'The Baptism of Christ', 'The Resurrection of Christ', and 'The Mocking of Christ (with the Crown of Thorns)' -- but I cannot locate an attribution or date.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

The lighting on this bust is extraordinary -- but I have no idea who its subject or creator were.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

Finally, here's a coffered ceiling from one of the galleries centered on the papal seal of Innocent X -- three fleur de lys and a dove bearing an olive branch.  It testifies to the opulence of the galleries in the Capitoline Museum and the papal patronage that was bestowed on the project over many years.

Coffered ceiling in Capitoline Museum gallery.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Italian Trip Diary -- Day #19 -- Rome

Sunday, July 1, 2001, Rome:

On Sunday morning we took a taxi to the Victor Emmanuel Monument on the Piazza Venezia.  The monument was erected in honor of Victor Emmanuel II, the first King of Italy.

The Victor Emmanuel Monument home of Italy's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

 It was designed by Giuseppe Sacconi in 1885 and the sculptures adorning it were created by Italian sculptors of that era.  It houses the Tomb of Italy's Unknown Soldier who was buried there in 1921.  While it is an important site, the structure -- which can be seen from all over Rome -- is widely derided as 'the wedding cake', 'the typewriter' and even 'the urinal'.

Two of the domed churches near the Piazza Venezia -- Santa Maria di Loreto begun in 1507 by Anotnio da Sangallo and completed in 1582 by Jacobo del Duca and  Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano designed by Antoine Derizet around 1740.  Trajan's Column rises out of the Trajan Forum on the right.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

We went to the right of the monument, passed the ramp leading to the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, and climbed the ramp to the Piazza del Campidoglio on the Capitoline Hill.

Piazza del Campidoglio with statue of Marcus Aurelius.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

This beautiful square is based on a design by Michelangelo.  An equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius

Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius at the center of the Piazza del Campidoglio.  This is a replica -- the original
is inside the Capitoline Museum.  Experts speculate that the emperor is granting clemency to an enemy
captive about to be trampled under the horse's right front hoof.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

is the central focus of the radiating pavement.  The Palazzo Senatorio

Palazzo Senatorio which was redesigned by Michelangelo by moving the campanile to the center and adding the imposing double staircase with fountains and statuary below.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

is at the back flanked by two buildings that form the Capitoline Museum (they’re connected by an underground passageway which has a spur that goes under the Senatorio to a gallery with splendid views of the Roman Forum).

Capitoline Museum in the Palazzo dei Conservatori is a medieval palace the was redesigned by Michelangelo in the 1530's as part of the Piazza del Campidoglio project.  On the opposite side of the Piazza, Michelangelo added the matching Palazzo Nuevo to his design -- although it was not finished until 1654. 

The galleries of the Capitoline Museum contain an abundance of wonderful paintings and sculptures including 'The Dying Gaul'.  You can see photos and comments about 'The Dying Gaul' in my post from last winter here: 

http://zylopho.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-dying-gaul-at-national-gallery-of.html

There is so much wonderful art in the Capitoline Museum that I'm creating a separate post on the museum following this one.

We had lunch on a roof terrace with views out over the city to the Vatican.

View from the roof terrace of the Capitoline Museum including the domes of the Vatican (between the trees)
 and the Basilica of Sant Andrea della Valle.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

There was a wedding reception in progress, so access was restricted.

After completing our tour of the museum, we walked down the Capitoline Hill behind the Victor Emmanuel into the Forum, under the Arch of Septimius Severus

The Arch of Septimius Severus forms the entrance to the Roman Forum.  The arch was dedicated in 203 AD in honor of the victories of Septimius Severus over the Parthians in 194 thru 199 AD.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

Bas reliefs of Parthian captives on the Arch of Septimius Severus.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

and through the ruins of many magnificent temples

Temple of Vesta set against the ruins of the House of Tiberius in the Roman Forum.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

The Temple of Antonino & Faustina which the Christians repurposed as the Basilica of  Saints Cosmo & Damiano.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

and buildings to the Arch of Titus.

The Arch of Titus was built by the Emperor Domitian in 82 AD to commemorate his older brother, Titus,
and his many  military victories including the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

It was a hot, sunny day and the Forum was crowded with tourists.

From the Arch of Titus we walked to the Colosseum

Colonnade along the Via Sacra leading from the Roman Forum to the Colosseum.  Roman triumphal processions came along this route on their way to victory celebrations in the Colosseum.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

which is no longer in the center of a swirling sea of traffic and has been extensively repaired and buttressed. 

The Colosseum (aka the Flavian Amphitheatre) was built between 70 AD and 80 AD by the emperors Vespasian,
Titus and Domitian (the Flavian emperors).  It held between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

There was quite a wait for tickets to get inside, which is somewhat disappointing.  The area beneath the floor of the arena (what George refers to as “the backstage” area) has been partially covered by new floor (so the Pope can say one mass a year or something)

The interior of the Colosseum with the temporary floor used by the Pope to say mass.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

which allows visitors to walk out above the maze of cells and cages where the martyrs and lions and gladiators were kept before Nero’s spectacles. 

The maze of cells and passageways where the martyrs, beasts and gladiators were held below the floor of the
arena at the Colosseum (what George calls the 'backstage').  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Somehow this new structure interferes with the ancient sense of brutality which the place used to convey before the renovation.

The Arch of Constantine at the southwest corner of the Colosseum is the most recent of the Roman triumphal arches, built in 315 AD to commemorate Constantine's victory in the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 AD.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

We stopped for a drink at a café overlooking the arena and then taxied back to the hotel for a much deserved nap after an exhilarating day.  We opted for a restaurant near the hotel, Ristorante Il Giardino (now Giardino di Alvino,Via Zucchelli 29, Rome  www.ilgiardinodialbino.com/home.html).  We ate in a lovely vine-covered courtyard which had once been a handball court – a peaceful end to a long, hot day.

'The Dying Gaul' at the National Gallery of Art

On my January visit to the National Gallery of Art, I became reacquainted with 'The Dying Gaul', displayed in the rotunda of the East Building in a special one-work exhibition.

'The Dying Gaul' installed in Rotunda of National Gallery of Art East Building,
photo from National Gallery of Art website

We had originally seen this world famous sculpture at the Capitoline Museums in Rome, where it sits in the center of a gallery surrounded by other statues from Roman antiquity.

'The Dying Gaul' at the Capitoline Museum, Rome, photo by Blomme/McClure 2001

'The Dying Gaul' from the rear in the Capitoline Museum, Rome, photo by Blomme/McClure, 2001

In both settings it is a splendid work of art from the first or second century A.D.  It was dug up around 1621-23 in the gardens of the Villa Ludovisi in Rome.  Experts believe that it is a copy of even earlier Greek bronze thought to be created to honor the victory of the king of Pergamon over the Gauls in the third century B.C.  The Gauls were known for fighting nude with only their weapons, so the depiction of the wounded warrior naked except for a sword, a trumpet and a necklace has been deemed an accurate portrayal of a Gaul dying on the battlefield.

Following its discovery, it became such a famous sculpture that Napoleon's armies took it to Paris for display in the Louvre from 1797 to 1816.  Upon its return to Rome, the Capitoline museum became a featured stop on the 'grand tour' during the 18th and 19th centuries, wherein European gentlemen furthered their appreciation of the antiquities.

Isolated in the National Gallery's rotunda with better lighting, I was more keenly aware of both the extraordinary realism and incredible beauty of this wonderful, justly famed work.

'The Dying Gaul' on loan from the Capitoline Museum, Rome, marble, 2nd or 3rd century A.D.
 on display in the Rotunda of the National Gallery of Art, photo by McClure, 2014