Divine Providence: Glorification of the Reign of Urban VIII
Dublin Core
Title
Divine Providence: Glorification of the Reign of Urban VIII
Description
Divine Providence: Glorification of the Reign of Urban VIII is one of the reigning examples of the Baroque ceiling fresco, a manifestation of Pietro da Cortona’s mastery of Baroque style. The fresco dominates the ceiling of the Palazzo Barberini, the estate of Pope Urban VIII’s family, and pays extravagant tribute to the family in a mass of allegorical and mythological figures. The central female figure, Divine Providence, reaches up towards the Barberini family coat of arms, the set of three bees, supported by the Fates. She directs Fame, who holds a starry crown. Other notable characters include the mythological Hercules and Minerva; Chronos, time personified; Immortality; Religion; and Good Government. The fresco places its myriad figures in a framework of painted stucco columns, but the rest of the image opens the ceiling to the heavens in an illusory extension of space.
Cortona’s work in this fresco indicates some of the technical innovations emerging particularly in Baroque ceiling painting. Earlier painters had utilized methods of trompe l’oeil, or “tricking the eye” as a way of manipulating a painting to blend with the wall on which it was displayed or extend a space backwards into the wall. Greater contrast in light and shadow and perspective techniques like foreshortening could be used to make a painted figure “project” outward towards the viewer. In this case, Cortona extends the space of the Palazzo Barberini upwards with the practices that came to be known as quadratura and di sotto in sù. Quadratura refers to the extension of architectural elements from the walls of a room into the painted ceiling; the addition of false columns or balustrades into the painted image increases the perceived height of the ceiling. Di sotto in sù, or “as seen from below” painting, was not quite at its height in Divine Providence but Cortona developed the technique further in his fresco in the nave of the Chiesa Nuova in Rome.
Cortona’s work in this fresco indicates some of the technical innovations emerging particularly in Baroque ceiling painting. Earlier painters had utilized methods of trompe l’oeil, or “tricking the eye” as a way of manipulating a painting to blend with the wall on which it was displayed or extend a space backwards into the wall. Greater contrast in light and shadow and perspective techniques like foreshortening could be used to make a painted figure “project” outward towards the viewer. In this case, Cortona extends the space of the Palazzo Barberini upwards with the practices that came to be known as quadratura and di sotto in sù. Quadratura refers to the extension of architectural elements from the walls of a room into the painted ceiling; the addition of false columns or balustrades into the painted image increases the perceived height of the ceiling. Di sotto in sù, or “as seen from below” painting, was not quite at its height in Divine Providence but Cortona developed the technique further in his fresco in the nave of the Chiesa Nuova in Rome.
Creator
Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669)
Source
Lavergnee, Arnauld Brejon de. "The great illusionists." UNESCO Courier, September 1987, 30+. Gale OneFile: CPI.Q (accessed October 12, 2021). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A6133957/CPI?u=duke_perkins&sid=summon&xid=e32d1bb3.
This source provides an overview of the most well-known practitioners of illusionistic painting in the Baroque period, touching on such notable figures as Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669); Giovanni-Battista Gaulli, known as Baciccia (1639-1709); and Andrea Pozzo (1642-1709). It traces the origins of Baroque style and how that style translated into the newly bold, dynamic ceiling frescoes of the period. Pietro da Cortona in particular is set apart as a trailblazer of Baroque painting, especially in his use of illusionary tactics including trompe l’oeil, di sotto in su, and quadratura.
This source provides an overview of the most well-known practitioners of illusionistic painting in the Baroque period, touching on such notable figures as Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669); Giovanni-Battista Gaulli, known as Baciccia (1639-1709); and Andrea Pozzo (1642-1709). It traces the origins of Baroque style and how that style translated into the newly bold, dynamic ceiling frescoes of the period. Pietro da Cortona in particular is set apart as a trailblazer of Baroque painting, especially in his use of illusionary tactics including trompe l’oeil, di sotto in su, and quadratura.
Publisher
Pietro, da Cortona, 1596-1669. 1633-39. Rome: Palazzo Barberini: Divine Providence, Glorification of the Reign of Urban VIII. https://library.artstor.org/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822000549095.
Date
1633-39
Contributor
Eliza Henne
Rights
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Format
Stucco/Fresco
Type
Ceiling fresco
Coverage
Palazzo Barberini, Rome, Italy
Files
Collection
Citation
Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669), “Divine Providence: Glorification of the Reign of Urban VIII,” ARTHIST 256 - Italian Baroque Art - Fall 2021, accessed October 22, 2026, https://baroque.dahvc.org/fall-2021/items/show/262.