What to see – Galleria Borghese – Top 10
- Paolina Borghese is a masterpiece by Canova. Paolina was Napoleon’s sister and was married with the prince Camillo Borghese. She is depicted laying down as the Goddess Venus with the apple in the hand. It was a big scandal that she posed naked
- Apollo and Dafne by Bernini. It belonged to the personal collection of Scipio Borghese, the powerful nephew of Pope Paul V Borghese. It describes the transformation of the nymph Dafne into a laurel tree. Apollo falled in love with her and is following Dafne. She is refusing his love and prayed the Gods to transform herself into a laurel plant
- The rape of Proserpina by Bernini. The God of Afterlife Pluto falled in love with Proserpina, Cereres daughter. The statue is representing exactly the moment of the rape with the young girl crying and trying to escape from the God. The story is coming from the Metamorphosis of Ovidius.
- David by Bernini. It is the only religious subject of Scipio’s collection commissioned to Bernini. The David is represented exactly in the moment of throwing the stone. One of the most representative statues of baroque time.
- The deposition by Raphael. The painting is representing the deposition of Jesus body. It was stolen by a church in Perugia. Raphael
- Boy with a basket of fruit by Caravaggio. Caravaggio started a very realistic style in the 17th century. The movement of artists who followed this style are also called “Caravaggeschi”. In this painting you can notice the realistic threat of the fruit, the different tonalities of black are simply stunning.
- The hunting of Diana by Domenichino. This huge painting is representing Diana during a hunting challenge. Diana is the Godess of Hunting and is wearing the typical half-moon on her head.
- Amor Sacro Amor Profano by Titian. This masterpiece by Titian is full of simbolism and is representing the two aspects of Love: the sexual love and the pudic one (marriage).
- The mosaic with gladiators. Very important mosaic showing some names and the equipment of the ancient gladiators, the Holliwood stars of the ancient Rome.
- The Ermaphrodite. One of the two copies made from the original bronze by Policleto. The other one is at the Louvre, in Paris. Bernini restored the statue and transformed the marble beneath in a marble mattress. If you look at the statue from one side it seems to be a woman, but if you look from the other side it is a man.