DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19775#0072
VILLA BORGHESE,
ROME.
T
"^HE end of the sixteenth and beginning of A lady, whose daughter is shamefully ill-treated
the seventeenth centuries in Rome saw by her husband, appeals to him in heartrending
the creation of the greater part of the distress, another lays before him all the details of
modern aristocracy. With the one excep- a lawsuit, poets dedicate their works to him, ambas-
tion of the Farnese, no Pope of the Renaissance had sadors come to see his latest acquisitions. He was
founded a great family, but now came the period one of the earliest and most generous patrons of
of nepotism, and each successive Pope was ambitious Bernini, who has left us two splendid portrait busts
of founding a princely House. Great Roman of him, which are now in the Accademia in
families were established, and the magnificent Venice. Here we have the great prelate of the
palaces and villas required by these, with their seventeenth century, as he swept through the marble
unbounded taste for pomp and display, spread halls of his palace in robe and biretta of crimson
over vast sites, till then covered by mean build- silk : the urbane, pleasure-loving patron of the fine
ings or gardens and vineyards. The family of arts, the easy, courteous host. Here is his ample
Borghese was one of the earliest to rise into face and form, his dignified bearing ; the eyes are
splendour. It was in 1605 that Camillo Borghese small and piercing, yet good-tempered, the nose
was raised to the papal throne as Paul V., and the coarse, the mouth large and genial, the countenance
splendid patron of art to whom we owe the villa has a look of power and large kindliness,
was born in 1576. Scipione Caffarelli was the His first idea in making the villa seems to
Pope's nephew on his sister's side. He had been have been the wish to have a place of his own
brought up at Perugia, where his wit and versatility outside the city to which he could invite Court
raised the highest expectations, and immediately personages and distinguished foreigners. He had
on his uncle's accession he was sent for to the already acquired an estate at Frascati, and had there
Vatican. The Pope formally adopted him, giving built a superb villa ; but as Secretary of State, he
him the name and arms of the Borghese ; he was found it difficult to go there frequently, much more
created a Cardinal, and at once assumed the superin- so to transport there the ecclesiastics of the Sacred
tendence of the palace, the direction of politics and College, the Roman nobility, the foreign ambas-
management of State affairs. In April, 1608, the sadors, and the Court ladies who made up the
State archives notice that Cardinal Scipione Bor- society in which he delighted. He designed it
ghese intends to establish a grand villa outside also in a measure for the benefit of the Roman
Porta Pinciana, and in the following years we more people, to whom it was often opened,
than once find Pope Paul giving him "another Scipione Borghese died in 1633, leaving all his
vineyard " to add to it. possessions to his brother, Marc Antonio, who had
The nucleus was a small vineyard lying along been created Prince of Sulmona. In succeeding
the long western wall, called Muro Torto, which years there are continual records of vineyards and
had belonged to the family before Camillo's acces- pieces of land being bought and thrown into the
sion. In the vear 1612 the church benefices grounds. The Borghese princes always reserved
conferred on the Cardinal were computed to secure the right to close it on certain days, but about
him an income of 150,000 scudi. The Pope ■ 1828 it became looked upon almost as a public
loaded him with presents, jewels, vessels of silver, resort. In that year its owner complains of damage
and magnificent furniture. It is only fair to recol- done to the fountains, and it was closed for a time,
lect that he and the Pope rivalled one another in but was again opened at the urgent request of
acts of generosity and munificence towards others. Cardinal Aldobrandini. In 1832 permission was
Cardinal Scipione was deeply beloved. His given to open a restaurant, splendid public fetes
gentleness and courtesy, his kindness of heart, were held there, and by 1865 it was thrown open
gained him the title of " the delight of Rome." on six days of the week. When an attempt was
The gossiping archives of the time constantly made to close it in 1884 the public rebelled, and
mention instances of his goodness and his popularity. the papers declared that the populace, citizens,
( 62 )
ROME.
T
"^HE end of the sixteenth and beginning of A lady, whose daughter is shamefully ill-treated
the seventeenth centuries in Rome saw by her husband, appeals to him in heartrending
the creation of the greater part of the distress, another lays before him all the details of
modern aristocracy. With the one excep- a lawsuit, poets dedicate their works to him, ambas-
tion of the Farnese, no Pope of the Renaissance had sadors come to see his latest acquisitions. He was
founded a great family, but now came the period one of the earliest and most generous patrons of
of nepotism, and each successive Pope was ambitious Bernini, who has left us two splendid portrait busts
of founding a princely House. Great Roman of him, which are now in the Accademia in
families were established, and the magnificent Venice. Here we have the great prelate of the
palaces and villas required by these, with their seventeenth century, as he swept through the marble
unbounded taste for pomp and display, spread halls of his palace in robe and biretta of crimson
over vast sites, till then covered by mean build- silk : the urbane, pleasure-loving patron of the fine
ings or gardens and vineyards. The family of arts, the easy, courteous host. Here is his ample
Borghese was one of the earliest to rise into face and form, his dignified bearing ; the eyes are
splendour. It was in 1605 that Camillo Borghese small and piercing, yet good-tempered, the nose
was raised to the papal throne as Paul V., and the coarse, the mouth large and genial, the countenance
splendid patron of art to whom we owe the villa has a look of power and large kindliness,
was born in 1576. Scipione Caffarelli was the His first idea in making the villa seems to
Pope's nephew on his sister's side. He had been have been the wish to have a place of his own
brought up at Perugia, where his wit and versatility outside the city to which he could invite Court
raised the highest expectations, and immediately personages and distinguished foreigners. He had
on his uncle's accession he was sent for to the already acquired an estate at Frascati, and had there
Vatican. The Pope formally adopted him, giving built a superb villa ; but as Secretary of State, he
him the name and arms of the Borghese ; he was found it difficult to go there frequently, much more
created a Cardinal, and at once assumed the superin- so to transport there the ecclesiastics of the Sacred
tendence of the palace, the direction of politics and College, the Roman nobility, the foreign ambas-
management of State affairs. In April, 1608, the sadors, and the Court ladies who made up the
State archives notice that Cardinal Scipione Bor- society in which he delighted. He designed it
ghese intends to establish a grand villa outside also in a measure for the benefit of the Roman
Porta Pinciana, and in the following years we more people, to whom it was often opened,
than once find Pope Paul giving him "another Scipione Borghese died in 1633, leaving all his
vineyard " to add to it. possessions to his brother, Marc Antonio, who had
The nucleus was a small vineyard lying along been created Prince of Sulmona. In succeeding
the long western wall, called Muro Torto, which years there are continual records of vineyards and
had belonged to the family before Camillo's acces- pieces of land being bought and thrown into the
sion. In the vear 1612 the church benefices grounds. The Borghese princes always reserved
conferred on the Cardinal were computed to secure the right to close it on certain days, but about
him an income of 150,000 scudi. The Pope ■ 1828 it became looked upon almost as a public
loaded him with presents, jewels, vessels of silver, resort. In that year its owner complains of damage
and magnificent furniture. It is only fair to recol- done to the fountains, and it was closed for a time,
lect that he and the Pope rivalled one another in but was again opened at the urgent request of
acts of generosity and munificence towards others. Cardinal Aldobrandini. In 1832 permission was
Cardinal Scipione was deeply beloved. His given to open a restaurant, splendid public fetes
gentleness and courtesy, his kindness of heart, were held there, and by 1865 it was thrown open
gained him the title of " the delight of Rome." on six days of the week. When an attempt was
The gossiping archives of the time constantly made to close it in 1884 the public rebelled, and
mention instances of his goodness and his popularity. the papers declared that the populace, citizens,
( 62 )