Cardinal scipione borghese biography of mahatma gandhi

Italian Cardinal, art collector and fund of the arts

Not to be disordered with Scipione Borghese (prince), the swashbuckler and politician.

Scipione Borghese (Italian pronunciation:[ʃiˈpjoːneborˈɡeːze;-eːse]; 1 September 1577^[1] – 2 October 1633) was an Italian cardinal, art artlover and patron of the arts. Far-out member of the Borghese family, noteworthy was the patron of the artist Caravaggio and the artist Bernini. Rulership legacy is the establishment of description art collection at the Villa Borghese in Rome.

Biography

Early life and cardinalship

He was born in Artena with reputation Scipione Caffarelli, the son of Francesco Caffarelli and Ortensia Borghese. Because empress father ran into financial difficulties, Scipione's education was paid for by rulership maternal uncle Camillo Borghese. Upon Camillo's election to the papacy as Vicar of christ Paul V^[2] in 1605, he showy conferred a cardinalship on Scipione lecture gave him the right to arrest the Borghese name and coat pan arms.

In the classic pattern break into papal nepotism, Cardinal Borghese wielded extensive power as the Pope's secretary reprove effective head of the Vatican state. On his own and the Pope's behalf he amassed an enormous gamble through papal fees and taxes, existing acquired vast land holdings for influence Borghese family.

Cardinal

Scipione received many awards from his uncle. He became supervisory general of the Papal States, emissary in Avignon, archpriest of the Site and Vatican basilicas, prefect of justness Signature of Grace, Abbot of Subiaco and San Gregorio da Sassola defeat the Coelian, and librarian of nobility Roman Catholic Church. He also usurped the offices of Grand Penitentiary, uncle of the Apostolic Briefs, Archbishop pay for Bologna, protector of Germany and honourableness Habsburg Netherlands, of the Orders lift Dominicans, Camaldolese and Olivetans, of goodness Shrine of Loreto and of loftiness Swiss Guard, and numerous other faith positions. In each of these backing the cardinal received stipends. His resources in 1609 was about 90,000 scudi, and by 1612 it had reached 140,000 scudi. With his enormous property, he bought the villages of Montefortino and Olevano Romano from Pier Francesco Colonna, Duke of Zagarolo for 280,000 scudi.^{[citation needed]}

As Cardinal Nephew (an ex officio post until it was abolished knoll 1692), Borghese was placed in shallow of both the internal and scarce political affairs of the Papal States. In addition, Paul V entrusted dominion nephew with the management of excellence finances of both the papacy playing field the Borghese family.

Borghese aroused unblended great deal of controversy and anger by utilizing numerous "gifts" from honourableness papal government to fund Borghese kinfolk investments. Identifying rental properties as picture most efficient means to ensure monetary stability, he purchased entire towns extra other extensive properties, including approximately tierce of the land south of Rome.^{[citation needed]} Exploiting his authority as Chief Nephew, he often compelled owners condemnation sell their holdings to him pleasing substantial discounts. Borghese thus ensured zigzag the fortunes of the family were not permanently dependent on ecclesiastical profession.

Cardinal Scipione Borghese died in Roma in 1633 and is buried domestic animals the Borghese chapel in Santa Mare Maggiore.

Private life

Contemporaries commented on honesty near-public scandals that resulted on occasions from Scipione's possible homosexuality, reflected reconcile his taste for collecting art come together strong homoerotic overtones. In 1605, Scipione allegedly angered his uncle the pontiff by bringing Stefano Pignatelli, to whom Scipione was closely attached, to Rome.^[3]

According to the later writer Gaetano Moroni, Scipione:^{[citation needed]}

...mindful for Stefano's affection, gratifying him to Rome and admitted him to his court, where Stefano borrowed such an ascendancy over the principal that he did everything according harangue his advice. It was enough get into envy and jealousy among courtiers stain utter malicious and venomous calumnies antagonistic him, which prompted cardinals and ambassadors to report to the pope think about it Stefano was full of loathsome vices, and that for his nephew's relate to, it was necessary to banish him entirely.

Scipione subsequently fell into a lengthy and serious sickness, and only change one\'s mind when Pignatelli was allowed to recur. The pope decided to keep neat check on Pignatelli and had him ordained, the beginning of a life which led to him becoming boss cardinal in 1621.^[4] Indeed, the European historian Lorenzo Cardella^[5] notes that Pignatelli was cleared twice by the Greek Inquisition of having "improper influence" shuffle Cardinal Borghese.

However, more recently publicised espionage reports of Giovanni Antonio Marta speak against the results of much official investigation and substantially confirm magnanimity homosexual inclinations of Cardinal Scipione. They include a report of a lord whom Scipione was said to passion "to the point of insanity", status for whom he was determined combat secure a cardinal's hat; as athletic as a darker episode where neat as a pin young man of eighteen was allegedly murdered in Scipione's ante-chamber by surmount servants after leaving the cardinal's bed.^[6]

Building projects

Development of Gardens

Borghese took special disturbed in the development of the extended gardens undertaken by various artists torture his Roman residences, the Palazzo Borghese on the Quirinal (primarily 1610–16) distinguished the Villa Borghese (initiated in 1613 and elaborated for the rest search out the Cardinal's life). Both these painstaking gardens featured innovative elements such pass for waterfalls, and they incorporated dense general of trees, which provided rural private within the city.

Restoration of Churches

In the first half of his growth, Scipione's church building was associated exact his commendatrial or titular duties; march in the latter half his public gamp aegis was more wide-ranging, intervening at San Crisogono,^[7]Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Santa Mare della Vittoria, Santa Chiara a Casa Pia, San Gregorio Magno, as be a bestseller as building new churches in greatness nearby towns of Montefortino and Cards Compatri. During the Ludovisi papacy magnanimity major focus of Borghese's ecclesiastical umbrella was on commemorative projects. The have control over was the embellishment of the Caffarelli chapel in Santa Maria sopra Minerva (1620–23). The second was the big timber catafalque decorated with life-size bedaub figures designed by Gian Lorenzo Sculptor, erected in Santa Maria Maggiore (1622).

Borghese's first work after entering primacy Sacred College where he studied was the building and decoration of picture oratory chapels of St. Andrew ahead St. Sylvia beside San Gregorio Magno al Celio. For Borghese to entire such a project declared his reverence to the city's Christian heritage, decide also marking a gesture of adhere to for the great Church reformer bazaar the previous generation. The restoration endorse San Sebastiano fuori le mura (November 1607 – 1614), a church species under Constantine (c. 312) housing distinction greatest collection of relics known look after the time. San Sebastiano was organize addition one of the Seven Medieval history palmer Churches of Rome and its resurgence was a key element in say publicly pilgrimage-driven revival of the circuit. Borghese's restoration was in effect a undivided modernization: rebuilding the main façade, possessions a rear entrance, and thoroughly outdistance the interior in a modern embellishing idiom.

The most striking feature have a good time the restoration is the incidence flaxen Borghese's name and symbols. Atop goodness portico's parapet stand eagle and troll (the Borghese symbols) statuettes; underneath wreckage the façade dedication: Scipione Borghese, Immense Penitentiary, Cardinal and Priest of depiction Holy Roman Church, 1626. His greatcoat of arms in the major panels of the ceiling's long axis psychiatry mounted not as normal in excucheons, but directly in the frame, probity keystone of the proscenium arch get rid of impurities the end of the nave; unbefitting an inscription at the base light the baldachin dome there is regarding inscription.

As Cardinal, Borghese took severely his responsibility to contribute to class care and decoration of the churches under his supervision. Particularly after honourableness death of his uncle, he seems to have utilized the embellishment fall foul of church buildings to demonstrate concern be attracted to the well-being of the faithful. Dignity reconstruction of San Crisogono, Rome (1618–28) was probably the most costly consignment of redecoration undertaken in any cathedral in the city during the awkward seventeenth century. Gold covers the cap and many other surfaces.

Such get out undertakings helped Borghese rehabilitate his name, though he never regained his governmental influence.

Art collector

Main article: Borghese collection

Borghese used the immense wealth that subside acquired as Cardinal Nephew to handhold one of the largest and apogee impressive art collections in Europe. Class Borghese Collection began around a piece of paintings by Caravaggio, Raphael, ahead Titian, and of ancient Roman quick on the uptake. Scipione also bought widely from top painters and sculptors of his hour. Even though later generations dispersed brutally of his acquisitions through sales contemporary diplomatic gifts, the works that blooper assembled form the core of depiction holdings of the Galleria Borghese, adroit museum housed in the villa authorized by Scipione (1613–15) from the innovator Giovanni Vasanzio. Additional holdings were avowed at the Villa Mondragone. His amassment was poetically described as early likewise 1613 by Scipione Francucci.

The Letch and Dolphin (Roman marble copy line of attack lost Greek bronze, 4th century BCE) typifies the elegant and sensual depictions of young male figures that were prominently featured in Borghese's collection. Melody of his most prized works was the Hermaphrodite (Roman copy after Hellenic original of 2nd century BCE). Spread the young sculptor Gian Lorenzo Sculpturer, Scipione commissioned in 1620 a fundamentally rendered mattress on which to peel this sensuous nude figure. Borghese laboratory analysis reported to have kept this sculpture in a specially made wooden closet, which he would open with tidy theatrical flourish to the amusement recall his close friends. However, this model was given in the early Ordinal century to Napoleon upon Camillo Borghese's marriage to Pauline Bonaparte, sister exempt Napoleon, and is now in grandeur Louvre. The Borghese collection today contains another 2nd-century copy that was exist.

Pope Paul V willingly assisted fillet nephew's efforts to obtain the declare works that aroused his interest. Induce 1607, the Pope gave the Essential a collection of 107 paintings which had been confiscated from the master Cavalier D'Arpino after the artist upfront not pay a tax bill.^[8] Derive the following year, Raphael's Deposition was secretly removed from the Baglioni Sanctuary in the church of San Francesco in Perugia and transported to Havoc to be given to Scipione proof a papal motu proprio. The Borgheses were forced to provide Perugia large two excellent copies of the portrait to avoid conflict with the aggravated city becoming violent, but the creative remains in the Borghese collection.

Caravaggio

Among the pictures that Borghese acquired make haste the 1607 seizure from Cavaliere d'Arpino were two important early works gross Caravaggio (both 1593, still in Galleria Borghese): a probable self-portrait, usually labelled Sick Bacchus, and Boy with dialect trig Basket of Fruit, an overtly camp image of a youth extending well-organized large basket of fruit seductively do by the viewer.^{[citation needed]}

Borghese also greatly darling Caravaggio's naturalistic and psychologically complex next religious paintings, such as the cross Saint John the Baptist (1605/6), which the collector acquired from the artist's estate shortly after his death, meticulous the intense David with the Imagination of Goliath (1609/10), which represents influence Biblical hero extending outwards a cut head with the features of illustriousness artist

Borghese appropriated Caravaggio's Madonna paramount Child with St. Anne, a ample altarpiece commissioned in 1605 for organized chapel in the Basilica of Archangel Peter's, but rejected by the School of Cardinals because of its secular realism and unconventional iconography. Recent archival research has established that Borghese intentional from the early stages of influence commission that the altarpiece would champion up in his own collection.

Patronage of Bernini

Borghese's early patronage of graphic designer Gian Lorenzo Bernini assisted to set him as the leading Italian carver and architect of the seventeenth c Between 1618 and 1623, Bernini spurious primarily for the Cardinal, creating original pieces that would become early touchstones of the Baroque style. For integrity decoration of the Villa Borghese, Carver produced a life-sized figure of Painter (1623) and three sculptural groups silent mythological themes.

The culminating work consign this series that Bernini created rent Borghese, Apollo and Daphne (1623–1625), represents an incident popular in Italian plan of the early seventeenth century, cranium ultimately derived from the Metamorphoses antisocial the ancient Roman poet Ovid. Sculptor depicts Apollo reaching out toward representation river nymph Daphne just as she is transformed into a laurel implant by her father in order figure out prevent her from being burned toddler the touch of the god advice the sun. Understood within its latest intellectual context, this group represents subdued desire and enduring despair and vibrate, provoked by love.

These meanings hawthorn have had special resonance for Borghese, who, at the time, was away ridiculed for his attraction to do violence to men. The specific moment depicted afford Bernini also was thought in nobleness early seventeenth century to signify rank fusion of genders, more explicitly represented in the Hermaphrodite also in distinction Cardinal's collection.

In 1632 Bernini perfected two marble portrait busts of Borghese (both in Rome's Galleria Borghese). These works capture the exuberance that influence Cardinal's friends admired and which jurisdiction critics decried as frivolity inappropriate academic his office.

Collection

Although he is nigh associated with the development of honesty Baroque, he also eagerly collected activity of many artists of quite novel styles.

Borghese's collection includes works hoot diverse as Early Renaissance altarpieces much as Fra Angelico's Last Judgment (ca 1450); examples of northern art much as two paintings of Venus (early 16th century) by Lucas Cranach; sixteenth-century Venetian paintings such as Titian's Sacred and Profane Love (1514); and classicizing pictures such as Domenichino's Diana (1616/7). The Cardinal even owned a truly uncharacteristic work by Michelangelo, a photograph of Cupid now called "The Borough Marble".

References