Carlo Maratti and the Barberini family: two paintings for churches in Palestrina by GIOVAN BATTISTA FIDANZA IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, Palestrina, about 40 kilometres east of Rome, was the main town of an important principal- ity, which in 1630 was acquired by the Barberini family from Francesco Colonna.1 It is not widely known that Carlo Maratti (1625–1713) painted two altarpieces for churches in Palestrina. One, which has not survived, was for the high altar of S. Rosa- lia, the other for the church of the Annunciation. The first of Maratti’s biographers to mention the S. Rosalia painting was G.P. Bellori (1613–96), who accurately describes its subject, S. Rosalia interceding for victims of the plague in Palestrina. He also states that the painting was commissioned by Prince Maffeo Barberini (1631–85), whose palace was attached to the church of S. Rosalia, to fulfil a vow made by the town council during an outbreak of plague in 1656, when the people prayed to S. Rosalia of Palermo, known for her protection from epidemics. Bellori adds that the painting had already been moved to Palazzo Barberini in Rome and replaced with a copy by Francesco Reale, whom Bellori de- scribes as a pupil of Maratti. According to Bellori, this transfer was made for reasons of conservation, above all because the can- vas was in direct contact with the rock on which the church was built.2 Regarding the date of the painting, Bellori writes only that it was executed after the epidemic. Of Maratti’s other biographers, Francesco Saverio Baldi- nucci (1663–1738), writing around 1725–30, adds no useful in- formation about the date of the altarpiece. He simply describes and praises the canvas, which he wrongly believed had been commissioned by Cardinal Antonio Barberini (1607–71).3 Lione Pascoli (1674–1744) believed that Maratti painted the altarpiece during the papacy of Alexander VII (reg.1655–67), while he was restoring an old painting in Palazzo Barberini and executing a series of paintings of the Apostles commis- sioned by the cardinal. The first of this series, St Peter, was the work of Andrea Sacchi, after whose death the commission was 4 12. S. Rosalia interceding for victims of the plague in Palestrina , by Carlo Maratti. continued by Maratti. Anna Lo Bianco has demonstrated that 1668. Canvas, dimensions unknown. (Formerly Palazzo Corsini, Florence, Maratti painted the majority of these canvases – St Paul, St destroyed; photograph 1934). James the Great, St James the Less, St Bartholomew, St Matthew the Evangelist and St Simon – between 1666 and 1671,5 but a further Pascoli’s contention that the Palestrina altarpiece and the Apos- two were painted later. According to Pascoli, Maratti executed tles were carried out for the Barberini family at the same time eleven Apostles in all, but does not give a precise date for them. could refer to the group painted in 1666–71. I would like to thank my friends and colleagues Nicoletta Marconi, Roberta Palestrina’, in idem, ed.: La chiesa di Santa Rosalia. La cappella dei principi Barberini Iacono and Luigi Cacciaglia. Thanks also to Sonja Brink, Sabina Marinetti, Agos- a Palestrina, Palestrina 2015, pp.15–17. tino Oliva, His Excellency Domenico Sigalini, Bishop of Palestrina, Fr. Ludovico 2 G.P. Bellori: Le vite de’ pittori, scultori e architetti moderni, ed. E. Borea, Turin Borzi, parish priest of the Cathedral of Palestrina, Monsignor Vito Cinti, Canon 1976, p.589. of the Cathedral of Palestrina, and Monsignor Felicetto Gabrielli. The technical 3 F.S. Baldinucci: Vite di artisti dei secoli XVII–XVIII, ed. A. Matteoli, Rome investigations were carried out by Emmebi Diagnostica Artistica of Rome: special 1975, p.298. thanks to Marco Cardinali and Maria Beatrice De Ruggieri for their valuable 4 L. Pascoli: Vite de’ pittori, scultori, ed architetti moderni, ed. A. Marabottini, Peru- advice. This research has been undertaken as part of the Smart Campus project, gia 1992, pp.204-05. supervised by the Vice-President of the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Profes- 5 A. Lo Bianco: Carlo Maratti e gli ‘Apostoli’ Barberini, in L. Barroero et al., eds: sor Maurizio Talamo, to whom I express my gratitude. Maratti e l’Europa, Rome 2015, p.229. 1 R. Iacono: ‘La chiesa di Santa Rosalia. La cappella privata dei Barberini a 6 L. Cecconi: Storia di Palestrina città del prisco Lazio, Ascoli 1756, p.375. Mezzetti 610 a u g u s t 2017 • c l i x • t h e b u r l i n g t o n m a g a z i n e LAY_FIDANZA_Maratti.indd 610 19/07/2017 16:55 CARLO MARATTI AND THE BARBERINI FAMILY 13. Annunciation, by Carlo Maratti and workshop. 1686. Canvas, 223.5 by 173 cm. 14. Ultraviolet photograph of Fig.13. (Cathedral of Palestrina). The dating of the S. Rosalia altarpiece (the church had only to unspecified undertakings), which shows that from 15th one altar) is resolved by documents in the Barberini archive. November 1657 to February 1660 just over 4,000 scudi had It was completed in October 1668, when Rugino Cappelloni, been spent on construction.8 Work on the church’s decoration Maffeo Barberini’s accountant, paid Maratti 300 scudi for the was in progress some years before the altarpiece was commis- painting (see Appendix 1 below). Pascoli’s reference to Alexander sioned. In 1666 Maffeo paid the considerable sum of 840 scudi, VII, who died in 1667, might therefore be connected to the date 35 baiocchi to the stonemason Giovanni Battista Borsella for the altarpiece was commissioned. Unaware of this document, work inside the church, which was overseen by its architect, scholars have generally dated the painting to around 1660, Francesco Contini (1599–1669). Maffeo also paid 150 scudi to thanks to a statement by a historian of Palestrina, Leonardo a certain Giuseppe Ceccolani for marble decoration for the Cecconi, that the church of S. Rosalia was completed in that high altar.9 This suggests that the structure that would house year.6 However, Cecconi states only that the first mass was Maratti’s picture was then undergoing a complete remodel- celebrated in the church on 7th November 1660, without ling, since the previous altar was made of wood and painted in saying that its construction had been completed or, more im- chiaroscuro in 1659.10 Maratti’s canvas replaced an altarpiece portantly, that Maratti’s painting was already above the altar. by Leonardo De Sanctis, who was paid 9 scudi, 23 baiocchi for According to another historian of Palestrina, Pietrantonio it by Maffeo on 31st October 1662.11 As well as being a medio- Petrini, S. Rosalia was completed in 1677,7 but its construction cre painter, De Sanctis was an art dealer, who in 1631 counted was begun in 1657, confirmed by the earliest evidence of pay- Taddeo Barberini (1603–47) among his clients.12 The need to ments connected to the building work (a final account relating provide a painting of higher quality than that by De Sanctis was the first to propose this date: A. Mezzetti: ‘Contributi a Carlo Maratti’,Rivista Computisteria, 373, Giornale BB 1658–1660 (Principe Maffeo Barberini), fol.202r. Ac- dell’Istituto Nazionale d’Archeologia e Storia dell’Arte 4 (1955), pp.265 and 323, which cording to Gampp, op. cit. (note 6), p.352, the first payments for the construction was accepted by Borea, op. cit. (note 2), p.589, and A.C. Gampp: ‘Santa Rosalia of the church are dated February 1658. in Palestrina. Die Grablege der Barberini und das ästhetische Konzept der “Mag- 9 BAV, Archivio Barberini, Computisteria, 373/B, Giornale DD 1665–1670 nificentia”’, Römisches Jahrbuch der Bibliotheca Hertziana 29 (1994), p.357. A date of (Principe Maffeo Barberini), pp.167 and 178. between 1657 and 1660 was proposed by L. Bortolotti: ‘Carlo Maratti (Maratta)’, 10 Gampp, op. cit. (note 6), p.352, with previous bibliography. Dizionario biografico degli italiani, Rome 2007, LXIX, p.445, which was accepted by 11 BAV, Archivio Barberini, Computisteria, 366, Libro Mastro del Principe Maffeo A. Fralleoni: ‘Francesco Reali e la pala d’altare di Santa Rosalia’, in Iacono, op. cit. Barberini (1661–1664), fol.217v. (note 1), pp.31–32. The only scholar to date the painting to the year of the plague 12 On Leonardo De Sanctis, see L. Calenne: ‘La poliedrica attività del “coloraro” was P. Collura: Santa Rosalia nella storia e nell’arte, Palermo 1977, p.81. Leonardo De Sanctis all’ombra del Cardinale Federico Sforza, ed alcune novità su 7 P. Petrini: Memorie Prenestine disposte in forma di Annali, Rome 1795, p.259. Agostino Verrocchi e sull’esordio romano di Mattia e Gregorio Preti’, in M. Gal- 8 Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (cited hereafter as BAV), Archivio Barberini, lo, ed.: I Cardinali e l’Arte. Rome 2013, II, pp.67–95, with previous bibliography. t h e b u r l i n g t o n m a g a z i n e • c l i x • a u g u s t 2017 611 LAY_FIDANZA_Maratti.indd 611 19/07/2017 16:56 CARLO MARATTI AND THE BARBERINI FAMILY painting was moved to Rome during the papacy of Clement X (1670–76), a suggestion that is supported by new document- ary evidence. On 22nd June 1675 Reale was paid 49 scudi by Maffeo for copying three pictures, including a S. Rosalia, which is almost certainly Maratti’s Palestrina painting (the others were a portrait of an unspecified king of Spain and a small painting whose subject is unknown).18 Baldinucci states that the purported bad state of the altar- piece was only a pretext for moving it to Palazzo Barberini.