Wonder LoPvoewer
Under the patronage of: In collaboration with: Villa Farnesina Biblioteca dell’Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei e Corsiniana MiBACT-ISCR Bardi Edizioni srl Organization and communication: Audio guides Orpheo Group Patrizio Rossano Acknowledgements: Non-invasive diagnostic investigations: CNR / E-RIHS XGLab Srl, ENEA-SSPT, Laboratorio Fondazione Guido Donegani Diagnostica Beni Culturali Spoleto, Consorzio INSTM Centro SMAArt Università Data Stampa di Perugia Thanks to: Botanical and iconographical The staff of the Accademia Nazionale researches: dei Lincei Università Roma Tre, CROMA-Dip. Scienze Alitalia
Design and development of digital system: Art direction and graphics: VC Lab, ISTI-CNR Pisa Mirta Lancellotti and Marco Sauro
Photo by Federico Di Iorio
Villa Farnesina - Via della Lungara 230 - 00165 Rome species of www.lincei.it 17fr0uits and flowers Red | Orange | Yellow The scientific exceptionality VIS • Visible Green | Blue | Violet XRF • Mapping XRF Pink | Brown | White and Black of the festoons in the Loggia of Cupid and Psyche IRFC • Infrared False Colour IR • Infrared
The garlands designed by Raffaello and painted by intended to create the illusion of continuity between the by one, I will only say that there are all those around us borrowed from glassmakers and pottery technology has Giovanni da Udine for the Loggia of Cupid and Psyche in gardens and the villa, as well as being endowed with a produced by nature” ; commented Vasari on the been ascertained. Such a pigment is quite rare and its VIS XRF Agostino Chigi’s residence on the suburban side of the complex symbolic significance. Giorgio Vasari shows his exceptionality of this artwork from a botanical point of view. presence within the Loggia frescoes documents one of its Tiber constitute a unique document of the extraordinary admiration for the originality of this work, describing it as: “a The festoons, consisting of about 170 depicted species, earliest use in paintings ever. By XRF mapping an evident botanical biodiversity that had reached Rome from across border of large festoons right round the edges and show indeed an ever unmatchable painted biodiversity, pentimento has been disclosed on Ceres’ crown among the world. They also represent a powerful expression of squares of the vaulting, making there all the kinds of fruits, with not only flowers and fruits being represented but also the wheat ears: in the final version the painter covered with wonder and an unmistakable symbol of prosperity, being flowers, and leaves, season by season, and fashioning roots, bulbs, trunks, leaves and even mushrooms, with a the hair of the goddess, one of the ears which clearly the earliest documentation of American plant species that them with such artistry, that everything may be seen there plethora of diversification for every species. emerges from the XRF map. By means of infrared imaging had recently arrived in Europe shortly after the continent’s living and standing out from the wall, and as natural as Extraordinary is then the presence of rare and uncommon some technical peculiarities have been unveiled, as for discovery. reality […]. I dare to assert that Giovanni in this kind of species coming from every continent known at that time, example, in the sky area, the different plaster composition paintings did better than those who, within the same short after the discovery of the New World: the Loggia is between the giornate of the scenes and those belonging Fe Pb Ca This exhibition aims to promote this immense scientific and subject, reproduced the nature at its best; since even elder the most ancient document concerning their entry in to the vegetal frieze. These latter show a darker plaster, due cultural masterpiece through the study of its rich color and fennel flower, similarly to many other minor details Europe ( Zea mays L., Cucurbita pepo L., C. maxima to carbon addition, in order to emphasize the vegetal palette associated to selected fruits from the known are really wonderful” . Duchesne, C. moschata Duchesne and perhaps Phaseolus decorations. The infrared false color imaging aided in VIS XRF IR continents, presenting them as ‘the colours of prosperity’. vulgaris L.). Besides being a masterpiece, the Loggia underlining the different composition of the leaves on the The aim of festoons arrangement is to raise feelings of represents also a wide botanic catalogue, which can be festoons’ edges which are made up of green earth and The colours as the symbols of prosperity and richness, the Wonder, Power and Love by means of the wide variety of browsed and enjoyed by visitors of every time and place. black pigments differently from those within the inner part festoons as the most representative greetings elements botanic species. which were instead painted by glazing malachite a secco , and the extraordinary botanic diversity are the components Advances in technologies have made new instrumentations on a fresco’s coat layer. of this magnificent arbour, the entrance to a place of Wonder: as the immediate reaction of those who available that are able to operate non-invasively in situ wonder. could admire such an unmatchable pergola by entering the allowing a double advantage to be achieved: the non- To get closer to such beautiful and extraordinary paintings residence of the rich Sienese banker. invasive mode of analysis preserves the artworks integrity and to learn more about their meaning, their symbolism The exhibition itinerary articulates into the once private and the in situ operating ability avoids them having to be and about the results of the diagnostic campaign, an Cu Sb Ca rooms of this magnificent building and includes a video Power: expressed by the representation of every transported undergoing further risks. At the same time it interactive kiosk was designed which allows access to the room introducing the gardens of Villa Farnesina whose botanic species known at that time, included those never permits immovable objects -such as the Loggia of Cupid “digital Loggia”. The kiosk permits the visitor to navigate festoons constitute the perspective illusion thereof. Some seen before; furthermore, the prosperity illustrated by fruits and Psyche- to be investigated. freely through the high resolution view of the painted exemplars of 16th editions texts from the Biblioteca and vegetables, underlined the impression of abundance The non-invasive analyses campaign conducted in situ on ceiling and to admire it from a closer point of view. In this Nazionale dell’Accademia dei Lincei e Corsiniana, delineate and richness. the Loggia shed new light on the materials employed to way it is easier to appreciate the over 170 different species the artistic and scientific context from which originates the paint these extraordinary botanic representations. Being in painted within the festoons and to enjoy all those details masterpiece of Villa Farnesina. Love: such a suburban residence symbolized a place close proximity to the festoons with a set of portable barely observable from the floor distance (8 m). Within the full of love and delights as testified by the theme of Cupid instruments made it possible to acquire unprecedented kiosk some selected species of the panoramic image are The ‘festoon’ denote the festive nature of these floral and Psyche. The chosen plants consecrated to Venus and information about the execution technique of Giovanni da described with detailed reports in which the story, the arrangements and connects them to the classical tradition Juno as well as the pictorial tricks concerning erotic Udine and his palette. iconology and the scientific results are explained providing whereby fruits, flowers and leaves where bound together meanings enphasise such intention. On the vegetal festoons, an extensive X-rays fluorescence the visitor the chance to deepen his/her knowledge. with ribbons and hung around altars and on the walls of (XRF) mapping has been conducted in order to individuate Such an interactive kiosk is user-friendly and provides all temples and arches as a sign of religious devotion and as a Ornamental aims were achieved by development of the elements which compose the employed pigments. It the instructions needed for the navigation. symbol of prosperity and abundance. precise symmetries and spatial equilibria carried out on has been possible to analyse the vegetal frieze decorations It is available on touch screen display in the exhibition or Photo by Angelo Merante During the Renaissance this pictorial theme was used by shapes, colours and dimensions. by means of a tailor-made XRF scanner apparatus which freely accessible on the web at The colours of several prominent artists like Andrea Mantegna and Carlo Furthermore it must be noted that the Loggia paintings was adapted at every measurement to fit the Loggia’s