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Camerino Farnese Ceiling

The Camerino Farnese is a small room in the Palazzo Farnese in Rome, Italy. It is most famous for its decoration by the Italian Baroque painter Annibale Caracci in the early 17th century. The room was commissioned by Cardinal Odoardo Farnese, who wanted a private space to display his collection of art and antiquities and also serve as a statement of the glory of the Farnese family. The Camerino is on the first, or principal, floor of the Palazzo Farnese, and measures slightly more than fifteen by thirty feet. The Palazzo Farnese, which takes up a whole city block, is still Rome's biggest private residence.

History

Annibale Caracci was invited to Rome in 1594 to work for Cardinal Odoardo Farnese. Caracci was commissioned to decorate a small room, the Camerino Farnese, with mythological subjects, and then, in 1597, to paint the Farnese Gallery.

The Camerino Farnese Room

Impresa of Odoardo Farnese

The Camerino Farnese is located on the first floor of the palace upon the ceiling walls. The center painting is on canvas surrounded by stucco, a cement type material utilized in construction. At the end of the ceiling, there is a medallion of the impresa (personal device of Cardinal Odoardo Farnese (three purple lilies bound by a scroll with the motto GEOGEN AYEANOMAI [I grow by God's aid]) in place to provide sufficient prominence.) which was incorporated when Carracci faced challenges searching for decorative elements for the ceiling.

Six spandrels pierce the room's coved ceiling, which measures 4.8 x 9.4 meters and is decorated with allegorical figures and mythical images on the smaller surfaces above the two windows and four big panels. Small monochromatic Hercules scenes are painted on the two window sections. The areas between the artworks are filled with painted medallions that resemble reliefs, painted grisaille decoration, and a network of gilded stucco that connects the main picture fields.

The frescoes depict scenes from classical mythology, including the story of Hercules and his labors. One of the most notable works in the room is the portrayal of Hercules' Virtue and Vice. The frescoes depict Hercules' struggle between good and evil, with Virtue on one side and Vice on the other.

Based on the interpretation of John Rupert Martin (1956), the iconography of the fresco cycle is alluding to the virtue of young Cardinal Odoardo who is destined for the same glory and virtuous life that his father Alessandro won in the Battle of Flanders. The theme of the ceiling is Virtue, allegorically with various mythological scenes meaning “Immagini della Virtu”.  The works in this cycle include (from the center outward, and clockwise) The Choice of Hercules, Hercules Supporting the Globe, Hercules Resting, Perseus Beheading Medusa, Ulysses and Circle, Ulysses and the Sirens, and The Catanian Brothers.

The vast majority of the artworks of Hercules were often cited as role models for moral behavior. The young cardinal was supposed to be led by the complete ensemble throughout life. Odoardo, the younger son of Duke Alessandro, entered the Church not as a devoted follower but rather as an obedient descendant of an ambitious family seeking to advance itself by putting a member close to the seat of power. At age 18, he was elevated to the rank of cardinal. The creation for the Camerino ceiling was written by the Farnese family's librarian, Fulvio Orsini, a dedicated student of classical art and literature and a devoted antiquarian who had been preparing Odoardo for his future.

The Choice of Hercules (1596) by Annibale Carracci

The Choice of Hercules

The middle area is devoted to Hercules as a champion of virtue but tempted by vice where he must make a choice of character. Canvas painting representing the Choice of Hercules”which originates from another painting. In this work of art, Hercules and two women who are identities are represented as Virtue and Vice leading him through opposing destinies of life. The entire plan is anchored by Hercules' Decision. The boulder on which Hercules is sitting and the strong palm tree trunk that towers over him both emphasize his place in the center of the composition. He is separated from the figure of Virtue on the left, who is staring at him and pointing to the winged horse Pegasus who is waiting for him at the top of a rocky mountain. His lifted knee, his right arm encircling the length of his leg, and his somewhat averted head alludes to his pending decision. Though there is more room between Vice and Hercules than between him and Virtue, the left half of his body appears to be more exposed to Vice's alluring charms; still in contemplation.

Hercules Supporting the Globe

Hercules Supporting the Globe

This work depicts Hercules bearing the globe of Atlas. On the left is Ptolemy who represents astronomy with an armillary sphere, and on the right of Hercules is Euclid, who represents mathematics holding a compass and tablet. The depicted scene is based on the twelve labors of Hercules, focusing on the eleventh labor. Hercules holding up the world serves as a demonstration of the virtue's strength and the bravery of those who uphold it because, according to the poets, he subjected himself to the weight of ancient Atlas. He is pictured in the center, hoisting the heavenly globe with his right hand while bending his left shoulder to the earth with his left knee. His left side is bowed, and he is circling the world with his extended left arm. However, the globe appears to rest quite securely and firmly on his back due to the hardness and courage of his demeanor. Hercules represents the virtue and bravery attained by means of meditation on the highest and heavenly things, the knowledge of which leads to the knowledge of God, the object of the contemplative mind.

Hercules Resting

Hercules Resting

The artwork of "Hercules Resting" illustrates Hercules who is tired and worn out, exhales pride from his eyes and face. He turns to look at the valiant efforts at his feet—the Stag, the Boar, the Golden Apples, and the unbreakable weapons, the club, quiver, and bow—but is not entirely comforted by the blood of monsters and wild animals. The Greek proverb HONOC TOY KAARC HYXASEIN AITIOC, which means "labor gives rise to sweet repose," is inscribed on the summit of the Sphinx Tebana, which is linked to a stone that resembles a base.

As the other artwork of the same Hercules holding up the globe represents the contemplative life, this one embraces the active life that consists of acts through the use of so many of Hercules' wonderful labors. Both of them are appropriate for morality and human happiness, with one having the good and the other the truth as its ultimate goals. Additionally, they stood in for Hercules the Theban for knowledge and Hercules the Egyptian for strength. The following works of the ceiling depict Ulysses' myths, which uphold the same moral—namely, the cure and release from vice—as they do throughout.

[Other works of the Camerino Farnese]

Hercules bearing the globe

Hercules resting

Ulysses and Circe

Ulysses and the Sirens

Chastity

Intelligence

Security

Piety

Perseus and Medusa

Catanian Brothers

Justice

Temperance

Fortitude

Prudence

Annibale Caracci

Annibale Caracci was a prominent artist in the Baroque period, known for his use of color and dramatic compositions. He was commissioned by Cardinal Farnese to decorate the Camerino Farnese in 1595. Caracci worked on the room for over a decade, creating a series of frescoes that covered the walls and ceiling. It can be seen through the room that antique sculpture, statuary, and relief, were key to the art Carracci studied in Rome. On the request of Cardinal Odoardo Farnese, the younger son of Duke Alessandro Farnese, Annibale Caracci relocated to Rome in 1595. The Farnese dynasty had its origins in the eleventh century and ruled over a sizable portion of Emilia, which included the cities of Parma and Piacenza. When Cardinal Alessandro Farnese was elected Pope Paul III in 1534, their influence was at its height. He hired Michelangelo to paint the Crucifixion of St. John and the Conversion of St. Paul during his lengthy reign (he passed away in 1549). The continuation of patronage of the family follows through the the palace and is a pivotal aspect to the career of Annibale Caracci.

Gallery

• 
  Ulysses and Circe - - Annibale Carracci - 1597
• 
  Ulysses and the Sirens - Annibale Carracci - 1597
• 
  Perseus and Medusa - Annibale Carracci - 1597
• 
  Catanian Brothers - Annibale Carracci - 1597

Further reading

• Martin, John Rupert (1965). The Farnese Gallery. Princeton University Press.

Notes

Category:Mythological paintings by Annibale Carracci Category:Fresco paintings in Rome