Borghese Gallery

Borghese Gallery

The Borghese Gallery was originally a villa of the Borghese family, designed and built in 1605 by Flaminio Ponzio, the architect of Pope Paul V. It is a typical ancient Roman country mansion, with side rooms extending all the way into the garden. Cardinal Scipione (Cardinal Scipione Borghese) used this villa to entertain guests and showcase his collection of paintings and sculptures. Although not large in scale, its interior collections are truly remarkable, as for decades, general visitors were unable to enjoy the full scope of the collection. It wasn’t until 1998, after extensive renovations, that the gallery was fully opened to the public.

The original statues and paintings in the Borghese Gallery came from Cardinal Borghese’s collection. But over the three centuries following their acquisition, a series of events led to some additions and losses. Cardinal Borghese collected many masterpieces from antiquity and the Renaissance, including medieval paintings as well as ancient sculptures. Moreover, he commissioned the creation of new sculptures, especially marble groups, to rival his ancient sculpture collection.

The first floor of the Borghese Gallery consists of eight rooms arranged around a central hall. The ground floor mainly features sculptures, among which the most famous is “The Reclining Pauline Bonaparte,” created by the renowned sculptor Antonio Canova (1757–1822) between 1805 and 1808. The second floor displays paintings, with representative works including Raphael’s “The Entombment of Christ,” Titian’s “Sacred and Profane Love,” and Caravaggio’s “Danaë.”

Borghese Gallery

Reason to visit: One of Rome’s most renowned art galleries

Continent: Europe【Europe】

Country/Region: Italy[Italy]

Province/State: Lazio Region [Lazio Region]

City: Rome [Rome]