Located in the XVI-century Capodiferro Palace, one of the most magnificent mannerist buildings in Rome, Galleria Spada houses a great collection of art from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, being a great way to explore the differences and similarities between the Renaissance and Baroque in one place.
The Spada Gallery consists of four rooms decorated with Baroque furniture and pieces of art from the XVII century by Cardinal Bernardino and Fabrizio Spada. The Gallery is filled with works of art from Italian painters and sculptors such as Tiziano, Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi, Parmigianino e Jan Brueghel; but also international artists like Pieter Van Laer and Hendrick Van Somer or Valentin de Boulogne.
Perspective of Francesco Borromini
The most interesting aspect of Galleria Spada definitely resides in the forced perspective of Francesco Borromini. This part of the gallery, created by Francesco Borromini for Cardinal Bernardino Spada, is located in the gardens of the palace and it consists of a baroque perspective gallery as an almost interactive experience full of optic illusions.
Because of the inclination of the ceiling and the floor and its long columns, the forced perspective Gallery of Francesco Borromini looks like it’s circa 40 meters long when it’s only 9 meters long!
The progressive reduction of the elements contained in the room and the reduction of the space from the floor to the ceiling make this effect possible. At the end of the room, there’s a statue that is only 60 cm long but, because of this optical illusion, it looks like it’s normal in height.
Reasons why you should visit the gallery
Apart from its great optical illusions, visiting Galleria Spada is definitely worth it for all the art pieces from the XVI and XVII century that it contains. Here are some painters’ works that you will be able to find in this gallery:
- Tiziano Vecellio – Ritratto di Musico;
- Orazio Gentileschi – David con la testa di Golia;
- Guido Reni – Ritratto di Bernardino Spada;
- Gian Lorenzo Bernini – Lacoonte;
- Carlo Gignani – La Primavera;
- Il Guercino – La Morte di Didone;
- Bartolomeo Passerotti – Il Botanico;
- Jan Brueghel il Vecchio – Paesaggio con mulini a vento;
- Artemisia Gentileschi – Santa Cecilia;
- Lubin Baugin – Natura morta con candela;
Where you may have seen Galleria Spada
You may have seen Galleria Spada before… This Gallery is, in fact, part of the famous movie “La Grande Bellezza” (“The Great Beauty”) by Sorrentino. This movie, containing the forced perspective of Borromini, even won an Oscar!
Visiting Galleria Spada
If you’re interested in visiting Rome and the Spada Gallery and fully getting lost in its optical illusions, make sure to book a private tour with us!
