Room of Ferrarese Painting

Like the adjacent rooms XII and XIII, the decoration of the little room, which was once called the “Little Gallery“ and subsequently the “Gallery of portraits of women“, dates from the final phase of the restoration of the Palazzina carried out under Prince Marcantonio IV Borghese (1730-1800).

On the ceiling, within ornamentation on a light background, is portrayed the Tale of Ganymede, by Vincenzo Berrettini (secolo XVIII). In the middle is the Council of the Gods with the introduction of Ganymede to Jupiter and on the sides The abduction of Ganymede by Jupiter transformed into an eagle and Ganymede as Jupiter’s cupbearer.

The room is entirely dedicated to Ferrarese painting of the first half of the sixteenth century. After Ferrara devolved to the Papal State in 1598, and thanks to the support of Cardinal Enzo Bentivoglio, it was easy for Scipione Borghese to acquire works of artists who had been active there.

The paintings on display share a particular sensitivity in the observation of nature and the expressive elements of the landscapes that participate in the stories of the figures, as in the dramatic Lamentation over the Dead Christ by Ortolano (c.1487 - 1527), which dates from around 1520, and in the small panels by Mazzolino (c. 1480 –c. 1530).