On sunday at the museum:  the Doria Pamphilj Gallery

Doria Pamphilj Gallery in Rome. I’ve been very busy lately, and owing to the new release of my blog, I haven’t got any time to publish my posts about “On Sunday at the museum”.
I truly care about this topic: I have the chance to present and show you the most charming Italian museums, where I’m going to accompany you. I’m arranging events in Rome, in Milan and Venice. (the dates of our appointments are coming soon!)

I’ve already taken you on a virtual tour of Miramare Castle in Trieste, of the Museum of Oriental Art in Venice, and of Villa Pisani in Stra, on the banks of the river Brenta.
Now I’m taking you to the Doria Pamphilij Palace’s Gallery, in Rome. I really went into raptures over it, indeed!

The palace, still belonging to the Doria Pamphilj family, is situated along via del Corso, in Rome, and its Gallery houses a private collection of paintings, furniture and statues.
The Doria Pamphilj family had a lot of renowned members, who were the main characters of Italian history.
One of these was Andrea Doria. Thanks to him, in 1528 the Republic of Genoa became independent from the empire of Charles V.
Besides, in 1644 Giovanni Battista Pamphilj was elected Pope and took the name of Innocenzo X.
Velázquez, the famous painter, portrayed him in one of his masterpiece, which is displayed in the palace.
Over the ages, the Doria Pamphilj family built up a valuable collection of pieces of art, which is on public display.

Origins of the Doria Pamphilji art collection

In 1647 Camillo Pamphiliji renounced his title of cardinal, which had been offered him by his uncle, Pope Innocenzo X, three years before.
His rejection was due to love. He defied his powerful uncle and his frightful mother in order to marry Olimpia Aldobrandini.
In those days, that decision excluded him from the games of politics in Rome, and especially excluded him from those privileges deriving from that title.
However, Camillo and Olimpia joined the two most important families in Rome and, what is more, joined a huge inheritance. (but it wasn’t enough to ease the Pope).

Olimpia was the sole heir of Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini, Pope Clemente VIII’s nephew (1592-1605), and in 1638 she inherited the family’s palace together with the art collection. The collection included works of art by Titian Vecellio, by Raphael Sanzio and other very important pieces of Renaissance art.
Camillo, instead, began increasing the small Pamphilj collection, in order to emulate his wife’s, and he managed. The collection is still one of the most important in Italy. Camillo himself became a purchaser. He bought works of art by Bernini, Borromini, Pietro da Cortona and many others.
He developed a great passion for foreign painters, especially for Flemish painters.

Enjoy your visit to the gallery from different points of view: from Velázquez to Caravaggio; from Guido Reni to Rubens; from Parmigianino to Rembrandt; from Filippo Lippi to Tintoretto.
You may visit the rooms just to look at the works of art, otherwise you may discover the story of the Doria Pamphilj family, or the history of Rome.
Make your own choice!

This was my first visit, but I can’t help visiting again these rooms. Here every painting and every ceiling tells a story.

In this post there are the most beautiful images of my stay.
Have you ever been here? Are you planning a visit? If you have any comments, please send them to me!

Diego Velázquez, Papa Innocenzo X (1650).

Caravaggio, Riposo durante la fuga in Egitto, (1594-1595 ca.).

INFO
Palazzo Doria Pamphilj
Via del Corso, 305 – Roma
L’ingresso è situato a pochi metri da Piazza Venezia.

LINK
www.doriapamphilj.it