The Great Hall
The Great Hall housed the largest display of portraits in del Monte’s palazzo, displaying around 270 paintings. This room served as a grand entrance into the residence, and visitors would find themselves encircled by portraiture, some decorated with ornate gilded frames, others with big black frames. The Great Hall favored portraits of important figures such as Popes, Emperors, Cardinals, and Dukes, paying homage to the Italian courts [1]. Del Monte’s display and tribute to political power upon the entrance to his home attempted to establish his position as one amongst many great men. He positioned his name in history alongside these powerful figures, as well as honored those who served in the courts before him. Additionally, he celebrated Roman history, singing its praises through portraiture and honoring its victories. However, the Great Hall was not simply a shrine to Roman History and political power that Cardinal del Monte sought to align himself with. In the Great Hall, del Monte also chose to display portraits of writers, poets, artists, and men of science [2]. These portraits of artists and other creative figures complimented del Monte’s appeal to political power, arguing for a serious treatment of art and connoisseurs of art. The eclectic portraits in the Great Hall establish Cardinal del Monte’s artistic pursuits as equally important to his political projects and honor a Roman history that celebrates artistic contributions to the Empire.
Andrea Sacchi, Allegory of Rome
Andrea Sacchi's Allegory of Rome pays tribute to the struggle and later grandeur of Rome at its founding. It is an apt example of Cardinal del Monte's celebration of roman history. The allegorical painting is triumphant, resounding with power, success, and the hope of an eternal-lasting empire. Sacchi illustrates the mythological characters present in the building of this great city. The figure with his back turned to the viewer is the river god of the Tiber, the two infants in the bottom right corner represent the founders of the city Romulus and Remus, and the magnificent female warrior represents Rome herself. Her stance is commanding, reflecting the might of the Roman military, and her billowing cape is as regal as the Roman empire [3].
Andrea Sacchi was another artist for whom Cardinal del Monte was a patron. He was a part of the Academia di San Luca, which the cardinal was involved with [4]. This painting, commissioned by Cardinal del Monte, exemplifies his desire to pay homage to Roman history. In commissioning this piece, although he is of Tuscan descent, he honors his place of residence and work, and the long political history that he writes himself into. Displaying a new rendering of this history within the walls of his home works to include him in a future grounded in that history, and he displays to his guests his celebration of the empire. Additionally, he showcases another one of his favored artists, for whom he was a regular patron, and demonstrates the talent of the artists educated in the artist guild. This painting thus serves a two-fold purpose: one of historical tribute, another of didactic desires. Now, a piece of art commemorating that history will forever have an attachment to Cardinal del Monte's name.
Caravaggio, The Fortune Teller
Although Caravaggio's The Fortune Teller is not a portrait of a man of the arts, as was repeatedly displayed in the Great Hall as a reminder of artistic importance alongside other histories, it is a reminder of the skillful artistry of Caravaggio, an artist Cardinal del Monte championed. This masterful painting would shine light both on Caravaggio's naturalistic forms and delicate tenebrism as well as Cardinal del Monte's important role as a patron, upholding the advancements of art alongside the advancements of Roman politics.
The 1595 rendition of The Fortune Teller was the second copy of the same imagery, with the original created a year before. The original had been sold for just 8 scudi, as the impoverished artist was forced to sell for a humiliatingly low price because of his impoverished state [5]. Cardinal del Monte's choice to display this painting in the Great Hall underscores his profound affinity for Caravaggio's work, as even though it is not the original piece but a copy of the original, it is still one of the first paintings shown to visitors of the palace [6].
References
[1] Zygmunt Wazbinski, Il Cardinale Francesco Maria del Monte 1549-1626. Edited by Leo S. Olschki. (Firenze: Accademia Toscana di Scienze e Lettere, 1994), 313.
[2] Zygmunt Wazbinski, Il Cardinale Francesco Maria del Monte 1549-1626.
[3] “Sacchi, Andrea. Allegory of Rome” Sotheby’s, December 10th, 2021, https://www.sothebys.com/content/sothebys/fr/auctions/ecatalogue/2019/old-master-evening-l19033/lot.26.html.
[4] Camiz, Franca Trinchieri. “Music and Painting in Cardinal Del Monte’s Household.” Metropolitan Museum Journal 26 (1991): 213–226.
[5] Spear, Richard E. “Scrambling for Scudi: Notes on Painters’ Earnings in Early Baroque Rome.” The Art Bulletin 85, no. 2 (2003): 312.
[6] Sharon Gregory, “Caravaggio and Vasari’s ‘Lives.’” Artibus et Historiae 32, no. 64 (2011): 176.