The great seventeenth-century art between Italy and Spain. This is the central theme of the exhibition which opens on 14 April at Stables of the Quirinale and which will end on July 30th. To inaugurate the exhibition, entitled "From Caravaggio to Bernini – Masterpieces of the Italian seventeenth century in the Royal Collections of Spain” and curated by Gonzalo Redín Michaus, the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella was present yesterday.
The seventeenth century, in fact, was the period in which relations between the two countries were closest, due to the Spanish dominion over large territories of our peninsula, starting from the peace of Cateau Cambrésis, dated 1559, which opened a historical phase lasted over a century and a half, during which the two countries were able to exert a great cultural influence on each other, so much so that some of the great works of the Italian Baroque were among the first to be exhibited, a couple of centuries more later, at the Prado Museum.
The collection on display draws on sixty seventeenth-century works from the royal sites of Spain, such as the Escorial, El Pardo and the royal palace of La Granja di San Ildefonso. Some of the works present remained unpublished until last year, when they were exhibited in an exhibition at the Madrid palace, a prologue to the Roman one.
There are many works of great value. Among them, "Joseph's tunic", large oil on canvas made by Diego Velazquez, presumably immediately after his first trip to Italy, between 1629 and 1631, which recounts in images the biblical moment in which Joseph's brothers lie to their father Jacob about his death.
As the name clearly illustrates, Caravaggio is also present, with his masterpiece "Salome with the head of the Baptist", from the royal palace in Madrid and datable to around 1607. In the painting, the Jewish princess is holding the tray with the the head of the Baptist, of her mother, Herodias, and of the young executioner holding the sword.
Not only Caravaggio, however, because among the rooms of the Quirinale stables we also find works by Jusepe de Ribera, also known as "lo Spagnoletto", Andrea Vaccaro, Massimo Stanzione and Luca Giordano.
Among the sculptures, however, two works by Bernini stand out: a model of the Fountain of the Four Rivers and a crucified Christ which, as reported in the exhibition catalogue, is the only example of a complete autonomous and movable metal figure by Bernini that has reached it. Also present are two works by Guido Reni: a "Santa Caterina", there is the "Conversion of Saul", created around 1620.
