Three characters and a red cloth in the background: few elements, capable of orchestrating a real theater of opposites. Dark and light, old age and youth, life and death, strength and fragility. Judith is an Old Testament heroine, a young Jewish widow who saves her people from the siege of the Assyrian army. She pretends to want to ally herself with the enemy and kills General Holofernes with her own hands, after being welcomed into the camp with a sumptuous banquet. Since the 1400s it has been a frequent iconography, but it had never been represented with such bloody spectacularity. Here the scimitar is in full thrust, there is energy in the hands and contracted limbs of Holofernes, but still for a little while. The general's mouth is wide open in a cry that is about to go out, the gush of blood has not yet exhausted its jet, as if Caravaggio had wanted to block the lightning-fast moments of an action, difficult to stop with a glance. The source of light is located at the top left and entirely engulfs the slender figure of Judith, with a frown, in an effort to draw back all her strength, physical and spiritual, for a gesture that she performs in spite of herself. The handmaid Abra, who in the original story is a young woman, becomes an old woman with a wrinkled face and hallucinated eyes, a spy for the horror that the observer feels in the face of such violence. The canvas, dated around 1599, is important from a stylistic and thematic point of view: it is the first true picture of Caravaggio's history and inaugurates the phase of strong contrasts between light and shadow. It was commissioned by the banker Ottavio Costa, who was so fond of it that he claimed in his will its inalienability. However, traces of the painting were lost for centuries, and it was found only in 1951 by the restorer Pico Cellini, almost by chance, in the family that owned it, and reported to the critic Roberto Longhi. A full blown coup de théâtre, in keeping with the theatricality of the picture. Twenty years later it was purchased by the state and exhibited at Palazzo Barberini.

The classical myth of Narcissus knows numerous representations since ancient times, but the version that Caravaggio gives is distinguished by the unusual compositional scheme conceived almost like a playing card: the lower part mirrors the upper one as if the painter had overturned 180 degrees the upper half of the canvas to obtain the reflected figure. A layout congenial to the story of the young hunter, who falls in love with his own image reflected in the water. The stunt of the naked knee acts as the center of visual attraction and the wide puffed sleeve accompanies the gaze towards the hand immersed in the water in an attempt to embrace that deceptive form of the image of oneself, as narrated in the third book of Ovid's Metamorphoses. . The mouth is open: it is the apex of Narcissus' longing who, realizing the paradoxical nature of his sentiment, lets himself die on the shore of that same source.

In a dark and arid scenario, St. Francis holds a skull in his hands: he is meditating on death, understood in terms of redemption from earthly life. Every detail bears the mark of humility and penance, such as the torn habit on the shoulder, the broken trunk and the rough wooden cross, a clear reference to the passion of Christ. Skull and cross mediate Francis' intimate and profound dialogue with the divine, in a very popular iconographic variant in the Counter-Reformation period. It is no coincidence that the saint, famous for having embraced an ideal of life based on poverty, during one of his last retreats in prayer, would have received the stigmata, reliving the physical signs of the crucifixion. He is represented on his knees, showing only a part of his face, strategically illuminated between the right cheek and the wrinkles of his forehead, and we can sense his absorbed and suffering expression. The canvas was found in 1968 in the church of San Pietro in Carpineto Romano and in 2000 it underwent an important restoration, carried out at the same time as that of another version of the painting, almost identical, preserved in the church of Santa Maria della Concezione. in via Veneto. The investigations confirmed the autography for the Barberini canvas and its chronological precedence, judging by the numerous repentances, typical not of a copy, but of a first draft. According to some scholars, the date of execution would be around 1606, when Caravaggio, fleeing Rome after the assassination of Ranuccio Tommasoni, took refuge in the Colonna fiefdoms, close to those of the Aldobrandini, patrons of the work.

According to tradition, the woman depicted is Raphael's lover and muse: Margherita Luti, daughter of a baker from Trastevere, hence the nickname “Fornarina”. There is no news of who was the client of the work and this could support the hypothesis that Raphael painted it for himself in the last years of his life. Whether or not it is Raphael's lover, behind this imperfect face, with its marked features, there is a representation of Venus. The laying of the hands, one lying in the lap, the other on the breast, follows the model of the "modest Venus" of classical statuary: a gesture of modesty that nevertheless directs the observer's gaze precisely on what one would like to hide. Symbols of the goddess of love are also the woman's bracelet on which we read "Raphael Urbinas", the author's signature and a pledge of love, as well as, in the background, the myrtle bush and the quince branch, a symbol of fertility . The painting already belonged to the first owners of the building, the Sforza di Santafiora, and was one of the first to be purchased by the Barberinis.

The inscription on the blue background informs us that the English sovereign Henry VIII was forty-nine when Holbein portrayed him in this painting, made on the occasion of the king's fourth marriage. The frontal pose of the subject, the richness of the dress and jewels, the gaze fixed on the observer, return the vivid image of the greatness and power of Henry VIII, and allude to the strong political values of marriage, albeit of a very short duration, with Princess Anne of Cleves. Holbein, personal painter of the English sovereign since 1536, shows all his skill as an artist here. The different textures of the materials are rendered in an impeccable way: just compare the silk brocade and fur, the decorations of the dress, the puffs of the shirt, the sword and the jewels defined in detail. The physiognomy of Henry VIII is faithful to nature, but in the same way makes the image of the king timeless.

At his election in 1623, Maffeo Barberini chose the name of Urban to underline, among other things, his adherence to the classic concept of urbanitas, the kindness and courtesy that was to distinguish moderate spirits, as opposed to rusticitas, rudeness. An intentional choice, by way of a personal warning, to mitigate, if not even slow down, an excessively severe nature. The desire to present himself - or rather self-represent himself - as an “urban” pope also distinguishes the specific character of this portrait: the pontiff, wearing a mozzetta and camauro, has a bright and welcoming face, almost patiently waiting for someone to notice him. When this happens, then in the viewer's gaze the planes overlap: the official dimension is added to the personal motif. The individual portrait is transformed into an icon of the sovereign pontiff's ideal moral, political and spiritual conduct.

The leader Stefano IV Colonna, lieutenant of the Medici family who distinguished himself for the defense of Pope Clement VII during the Sack of Rome in 1527, is portrayed by Bronzino with the clear intention of highlighting the military virtues of the subject. The burnished armor, the solid and confident pose, the hand gestures that highlight the helmet and the sword, the firm and proud gaze describe Stefano Colonna like a biography. The original frame of the painting is decorated with reliefs of weapons, referring to the profession of the portrayed character. The painting, exhibited as a funerary portrait in the Florentine church of San Lorenzo during the funeral ceremony of 1548, is signed and dated on the base of the column, which closes the space on the left and alludes to the noble family of Stephen IV. A few years before making this painting, which is striking for the characterization capacity of the portrayed character and the very high technical quality, Agnolo Bronzino was appointed official portraitist of the Medici court, confirming the value of the Florentine artist in this pictorial genre.

The fresco was created in seven years by Pietro da Cortona and pupils between 1632 and 1639. The immense composition celebrates the spiritual and political power of the Barberini, through a myriad of characters, more than a hundred, placed in an open space, dilated to infinity, which exceeds the limits imposed by architecture. The only measure to which the eye can be anchored is the rectangular cornice, illusionistically painted in faux marble, which divides the vault into 5 parts. In the center, on a throne of clouds, Divine Providence, holding the scepter, commands the Fama to crown the coat of arms of the Barberini family. In the side panels, two opposing principles face each other, vices and virtues, good and evil: Minerva knocks down the giants, Theology and Religion keep lasciviousness and debauchery away, Hercules chases away the greedy Harpies, the Good governance bans war and guarantees peace. With its swirling vitality, its frenetic pace, its spectacular spatial illusionism, the fresco is one of the earliest and most accomplished examples of painting

According to tradition, Gian Lorenzo Bernini was responsible for the design of the square well staircase in the expansion project of the Sforza palace, bought by the Barberinis in 1625 to be used as the main residence of the family. Contrasting with the helical one by Francesco Borromini, both in terms of position inside the building and stylistic setting, Bernini's project had to take into account a more complex articulation of levels because it was inserted in the pre-existing northern wing of the Sforza building. Starting from the lowest floor, the staircase had to connect the main entrance on the courtyard of the Cavallerizza (destroyed in the twentieth century for the creation of via Barberini) with the already existing staircase that led to the garden level and then go up to the main floor, and to the superior. Bernini managed to overcome the difficulties by emphasizing the monumental proportions and the courtly style required by the client.

The staircase, designed by Francesco Borromini, serves the south wing of the building, and is complementary to that of Bernini, according to a principle that is not only aesthetic, but also distributive and functional. Accessible from the external portico, it led to the rooms of Cardinal Francesco Barberini and was intended for a more private circulation. It is helical, so it follows the principle of screwing around an axis of rotation, and has an oval plan, that is, it has a longitudinal flattening, allowing an easier climb than circular stairs. This model is codified in the sixteenth-century treatises by Vignola, Sebastiano Serlio and Andrea Palladio. Each turn is made up of 12 coupled Doric columns, whose capital is decorated with small bees (heraldic symbol of the family). The major axis measures 9.40 m, the minor axis 7.85 m. The light enters from the oculus at the top and from the windows of the facade. In the initial project, the staircase ended with a free ramp, then it is later raised above the top floor of the building to house the rich library of Cardinal Francesco, now transferred to the Vatican. The spiral structures, with all the design problems that derive from them, are particularly congenial to the eccentric spirit of Borromini, who re-proposes them in numerous drawings and in architectural details of other works.

The fresco celebrates Divine Wisdom, a theme with strong political and commendable values. The complex iconography derives from the Book of Wisdom, written in the Old Testament attributed to King Solomon, the prototype of the wise and enlightened king assisted by divine wisdom, to whom Urban VIII compares himself. The personification of Divine Wisdom is seated on the throne in the center of the stage. She is surrounded by eleven female figures, incarnations of her divine attributes: on the left, Nobility (Ariadne's crown), Eternity (snake biting its tail), Soavity (lyre), Divinity (triangle), Justice (libra), Strength (club), Charity (ear of corn); on the right, Holiness (cross and flaming altar), Purity (swan), Insight (eagle) and Beauty (Chioma di Berenice). Above, among the clouds, two winged young men appear associated with the lion and the hare, symbols of love and fear of God. Each virtue identifies a precise constellation so as to reflect the astral conjuncture that occurred on the night between 5 and 6 August of 1623 at the time of the election of Pope Barberini. The frescoed vault was to be used as a protective talisman for the fortunes of the family. Order, symmetry, pastel shades bring the fresco back to the classicist vein of Baroque painting, of which Andrea Sacchi was one of the greatest supporters.

The altar, a precious object of private devotion, has a triptych shape, with the side doors that can be closed and painted on both sides. In the central compartment there is a scene of Lamentation, with the characters arranged in a fan: standing, cloaked in red, the Magdalene, followed by Giovanni, bending down to support Mary, now unconscious; finally, the body of Jesus, harmonious though lifeless, whose serpentine shape is recurrent in the numerous Pietàs painted by Annibale Carracci. The pathos is intense: Maria is not sitting, as usual, but lying cheek to cheek next to her son. The little angels, sad and inconsolable, express to the faithful all the suffering of the scene: one of them points to the crown of thorns, to solicit meditation on the Passion of Jesus. In the internal lateral compartments, there is Santa Cecilia (on the left, with the inscription ANGELO .AMATORE (?) BEATISSIMA VIRGO), St. Ermenegildo (on the right, accompanied by the phrase REX REGEM REGUM COLUIT); below, scenes of their martyrdom. On the external faces, however, St. Michael the Archangel and the guardian angel, respectively surmounted by Christ and God the Father. The altar was commissioned by Cardinal Odoardo Farnese, who with the great decorative feats of Palazzo Farnese, first of all the Gallery, had inaugurated the fortune of the Bolognese school in Rome.

The Baptism of Christ can be read in parallel with the other painting in the collection, the Adoration of the Shepherds, both made as sketches for a monumental work consisting of several canvases and intended for a Madrid church. El Greco took advantage of the vertical format to give an ascending impetus to the compositions: if for the depictions of Baptism it is quite common to set the scene on the vertical, to highlight the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus, this modality is, however, decidedly unusual. for the Adoration of the shepherds. In the two paintings, El Greco has organized the space by dividing it in half: below the material world, above the otherworldly reality, united by an almost silver light, the divine light, emanating from God in Baptism, from the angelic hosts and from the Child in the 'Adoration. The two canvases show, in the compositional freedom of the scenes, in the choice of colors and in the skilful lighting direction, how much for El Greco, even after his transfer to Spain, the experience of Venetian painting, in particular of Tintoretto, was central and fruitful

Saint Mary Magdalene is recognizable by the profile marked by the halo, her long hair and the jar of ointments. The latter refers to the visit of the Magdalene and the pious women to the tomb on Easter morning: when they arrived at the place to embalm the body of Jesus with perfumed oils, they found the tomb empty, being the first to testify to the Resurrection. The long hair with which the Magdalene is usually depicted derives instead from an erroneous interpretation of the Gospel, which led to confuse the Magdalene with the unknown prostitute who, repenting of the sins committed, wept on Jesus' feet and wiped them with her own hair. In Piero di Cosimo's painting, however, there are elements that go beyond the traditional representation of the saint and instead refer to the artist's contemporaneity: the shape of the dress, the open book and the pose of the woman, in addition to the architecture that frames it. , have direct references to fifteenth-century portraiture. In fact, it cannot be ruled out that the painting was commissioned by or for a woman named Maddalena, who wanted to be portrayed as the saint whose name it bore. Noteworthy is the extremely refined execution of the work, which is striking for the quality of the pictorial surface and the definition of the details. With regard to these aspects, Piero di Cosimo has also shown that he appreciates and fully understands the formal values of Flemish painting.

Observing this work, one can immediately perceive Gian Lorenzo Bernini's extraordinary ability to draw a vital breath out of inert matter. A result obtained through small, apparently secondary details: the lips that seem to be about to open, the unshaven beard on the cheeks, a button on the mozzetta not completely fastened, the irises of the eyes engraved with the tip of the drill. Details that freeze the fleeting moment of the present in stone, capture the moment, infuse the portrait with great immediacy and psychological individuality. All these elements testify to the exceptional technical mastery with which Bernini was able to obtain particular effects from marble, not for virtuosity as an end in itself, but to give the portrait a naturalness that makes it seem to the observer that he is really in the presence of the pope. As the scholar Lelio Guidiccioni observed in 1633, the wisely hinted movement of the head and shoulder is enough to give us the impression of being on our knees in front of a "speaking portrait" of the pontiff, who with a benevolent gesture of blessing beckons us get up.

A girl, half-length, turns towards us, almost answering a call. A turban wraps her head, from which long locks of blond hair escape. A cloak, ivory white like the turban, wraps around her shoulders. The clothing has no specific social connotations, even if the headgear refers to the sixteenth-century iconographic tradition of the Muses.In its absolute simplicity the work lends itself to being filled with meanings. ; Annals of Italy & nbsp; had recalled the painful figure, a lasting tradition came to life that identified Beatrice Cenci, protagonist in spite of herself in the crime news of the late sixteenth century: with other members of the family she was accused of the murder of Francesco Cenci, incestuous father , and violent, and sentenced to death by beheading, performed at the foot of Castel Sant'Angelo on 11 September 1599. Up to the present day this story has inspired countless artistic and literary creations, including this alleged portrait; with its aura of defenseless innocence, it was commented and exalted by writers and intellectuals from Stendhal and Hawthorne to Artaud and Moravia, while a parallel tradition attributed the work to Guido Reni, portraying Beatrice shortly before the execution: an intriguing but unlikely story, in those circumstances. Currently this work is attributed to the painter Ginevra Cantofoli, active in Bologna in the important workshop of Elisabetta Sirani and author of numerous works in public and private contexts, characterized by the same soft, melancholy and modestly sensual atmosphere that also distinguishes the our mysterious protagonist.

The iconography of the Mystical Marriage derives from a medieval text that describes the conversion to Christianity of Catherine of Alexandria. The text tells how, after being baptized, the young woman had a vision: in the sky, between angels and saints, the Madonna appeared to her with the baby Jesus in her womb, who slipped a ring on Catherine's finger, making her his wife. As in most paintings of similar subjects, the three protagonists of the episode are surrounded by some saints. However, compared to the traditional iconography where the moment of delivery of the ring is depicted, in Lotto's painting we find a significant variant: Saint Catherine already wears the ring on her finger and receives a rose from the child Jesus, a symbol of love. This shift forward of the representation, towards a moment after the wedding, could be related to the commissioning of the work: the painting was in fact requested by Marsilio Cassotti from Bergamo to furnish the bedroom shared with his wife Faustina Assonica. The two young men had married the previous year and, on the occasion of the wedding, they had already been portrayed by Lorenzo Lotto himself, in a painting currently kept in the Prado Museum in Madrid.

The painting by Giovanni Baronzio illustrates six episodes from the Passion of Christ, inserted in square compartments and readable counterclockwise, starting at the top left: Deposition, Lamentation, Resurrection, Descent into Limbo, Ascension and Pentecost. In an article by Federico Zeri (1958), the work was for the first time related to a similar painting kept at the Museum of the City of Rimini: the two paintings - together with others not currently found - constituted the front panel of a altar of the Franciscan convent of Villa Verucchio. In the work exhibited at Palazzo Barberini, the scenes of the Passion following the death of Christ are found, in the Rimini one the preceding scenes: in both, however, the episode of the Crucifixion is missing, which was therefore to be depicted in another compartment, placed above or between the two tables. The narrative layout of the scenes, the chromatic range, the search for verisimilitude in the rendering of the bodies and space make evident the importance of Giotto's presence in Rimini for the development of the fourteenth-century local school.

Signed and dated 1766 on the lower right step, the portrait represents the newly elected Senator of Rome, Abbondio Rezzonico, nephew of Pope Clement XIII. The size of the painting, almost three meters by two, is proportional to the importance of the office, at that time the highest civil magistracy assigned by direct appointment of the pontiff. The dress is an encyclopedia of fabrics ranging from the golden brocade of the cloak to the red silk of the robe, to the lace of the collar. The tactile rendering of the fabrics emerges in the heavy fringed curtain folded over the table, in the velvet lining the sword, in the brocade of the chair. The right hand of the portrayed holds the small ivory scepter, while the left rests on the console near the wide-brimmed hat. Furthermore, the inkwell, the bell and a letter addressed to him, perhaps some deed waiting to be signed, are details that allude to the power and responsibilities of the character. The little putto at the bottom holds a scale, adorned with an olive branch, a symbol of justice that is a guarantee of peace. On the floor there is the fasces, a mark of authority by ancient Roman tradition. The artist designed the setting in a scenographic, symbolic and unrealistic way. In fact, the statue of the goddess Rome, with spear, helmet and sphere, which appears behind Rezzonico, is actually located at the entrance to the Palazzo Senatorio, of which the facade that closes the Piazza del Campidoglio can be glimpsed in the background. The representation follows the conventions of official portraiture, in order to provide us with all the necessary clues to understand who the illustrious character is, what he does and where he exercises his functions. In 2016 the painting was purchased by the state to be exhibited at Palazzo Barberini.

In a sumptuous domestic interior, the Madonna receives the announcement of her divine motherhood from the angel, an episode narrated in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew. The triple arch in the background frames the characters in the foreground and accelerates the telescope perspective that opens onto a hortus conclusus, the pristine garden, symbol of Mary's virginity. At the far right, two maids peep out, almost frightened by the presence of the unexpected visitor. On the far right the donors, reserved witnesses of the scene. The golden embroidery of the fabrics, the arabesques and plant motifs on the furnishings, the wings and locks of the angel's hair, the mottled marbles of the columns, are rendered with extreme detail, which denotes a knowledge and influence of contemporary Flemish painting (equally evident in the Madonna of Tarquinia, exhibited in the same room). Probably the table was originally placed in the chapel of a church as an altarpiece. The empty space that opens in the lower center could have been in dialogue with the real space of the chapel, perhaps a figurative extension of steps where the faithful prayed.

Commissioned to Bernini, and probably executed with the conspicuous collaboration of Giuliano Finelli, a talented pupil and then a rival of the same master, the bust represents the ideal portrait of Antonio Barberini (1494-1559), great-uncle of Urban VIII. Of republican and anti-Medici sympathies, Antonio had left Florence to travel for a long time in Italy, taking care of the family business, and was assassinated in Rome, perhaps by the assassins of Cosimo I de 'Medici's ambassador. In 1629 the Barberinis had him erect a funeral memorial in San Giovanni dei Fiorentini, decorated with a more modest replica of the sculpture of Palazzo Barberini, destined instead for the ideal gallery of portraits of family glories collected by Cardinal Francesco, as also shown by the capriccioso cartouche unfolded by the heraldic bee and perhaps intended to bear the name of the effigy.

Mother and Son emerge illuminated by the light in the half-light of the room. In the background you can see the thalamus of the Virgin, decorated with a partially raised curtain. The image refers to the mystery of the Incarnation and to the role of co-redemptrix that medieval theology assigned to Mary, who in fact raises the arm of Christ in an act of blessing. But it is the whole spatial and luministic setting of the painting that is charged with a symbolic connotation and transforms the place of the miracle of the Annunciation into a visual metaphor of the very body of Mary. Rare and unexpected is the detail of the cord with the counterweight that was used to close the door: the door that opens here without anyone pushing it can then allude to the mystery of the incarnation, according to an invention as sought after as it is unprecedented, which makes Giulio Romano a worthy heir of Raphael.

The body of Christ is about to be placed in a classical sarcophagus, perhaps of that red porphyry reserved for imperial tombs. Magdalene helps Joseph of Arimathea (or Nicodemus), while the Virgin assists contrite. From the background emerge the faces of two other characters and the tomb carved into the rock, described in the Gospel. As in Michelangelo's Pietà Bandini (Florence, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo), the painter favors the essential character of the composition and the dominant, upright and frontal pose of the abandoned body of Christ. The iconic and ostensive value of the work prevails, underlined by Joseph's fixed gaze at the viewer, who invites us to reflect on the sacrifice of Christ, "the stone rejected by the builders" which becomes the "cornerstone" [Psalm 117 (118), 22]. As a corner is the foreshortening at the bottom of the slab destined to close the sarcophagus, here a visual metaphor of the stone on which the new Church rests.

Patent homage to the Leonardesque magisterium of the nuanced and the chiaroscuro, the legendary episode of the mystical union of Saint Catherine of Alexandria with the Christ child is conceived by Sodom as a collected and composed ceremony. While the young martyr humbly bows to receive the ring, the old Joseph is summoned to testify at the wedding, who with his presence also serves to give a balanced symmetry to the image and a centrality not only geometric to the figure of Mary. Finally, the singular, rustic pergola that frames the trio contributes to underline the hierarchical structure of the composition, beyond which a distant, misty and indistinct view opens up, a landscape of “perdimenti” equally mindful of Leonardo's lesson.

The painting was commissioned by Marco Marazzoli (1602-1662), court musician of the Barberini family, who donated the work to his patrons as a sign of gratitude. In an atmosphere full of desire, the painter constructs the scene of a baroque melodrama, presenting us the sovereign of Egypt as the woman for whose love Marco Antonio renounced Rome and domination over the world. It is the culminating moment of the tragedy, in which the heroine, in order not to be exhibited as a war trophy, chooses suicide. Her eyes are wide open and her lips parted, but she is as sensual and seductive as the stereotype of her legendary beauty dictates. The shining perfection of the body - almost an ancient marble - wrapped in a fiery red cloth, stands out against a dark background, an anticipation of imminent death. The artist used the same model as the Venus playing the harp.

This intense portrait of the cardinal at a young age, painted on paper and made later on canvas in two versions, one of which is preserved in the Corsini Gallery, was probably painted in 1631 during the prelate's stay in Pesaro, as a papal legate, on the occasion of the passage of the Duchy of Urbino to the Church. The painter investigates the face of the young man with an immediate, almost impressionistic sign, making a speaking portrait of it, live, as revealed by some details such as the mention of the slight squint. The naturalistic vein of the work indicates the painter's experimental approach and at the same time expresses the personality of the cardinal, whose face emanates deep calm and conscious strength, which will be characteristics of his life (1607-1671), marked by great powers, sudden falls and subsequent rebirths.