Ghigo Roli photographer

Giulio Romano

A pupil and main collaborator of Raphael, Giulio Romano was a great architect and painter of the Italian Renaissance and Mannerism. Sixteenth-century works: Palazzo Te in Mantua built for the Gonzaga family; the frescoes of the Loggia of Cupid and Psyche in Villa Farnesina in Rome, Palazzo d'Arco and Palazzo Ducale in Mantua.

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Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: view of the vault with the Marriage of Cupid and Psyche, the symbolic culmination of the entire cycle.Fresco by Giovan Francesco Penni on a Raphael's draft (1517-18).

Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: view of t...

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Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: view of the vault with the Council of the Gods, where the unjustly persecuted girl is finally received by the gods with divine complacence.Fresco by Giovan Francesco Penni on a Raphael's draft (1517-18).

Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: view of t...

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Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault pendentive depicting Mercurius.Fresco by Giulio Romano on a Raphael's draft (1517-18).

Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault...

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Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault pendentive depicting Mercurius.Fresco by Giulio Romano on a Raphael's draft (1517-18).

Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault...

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Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault pendentive depicting Mercurius.Fresco by Giulio Romano on a Raphael's draft (1517-18).

Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault...

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Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault pendentive depicting Cupids with Cerberus.Drafted by Raphael, the vault has been depicted by his workshop: Raffaellino del Colle, Giovan Francesco Penni, Giulio Romano, Giovanni da Udine ,(1517-18).

Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault...

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Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault pendentive depicting Mercurius.Fresco by Giulio Romano on a Raphael's draft (1517-18).

Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault...

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Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault pendentive depicting Mercurius.Fresco by Giulio Romano on a Raphael's draft (1517-18).

Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault...

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Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault pendentive representing Jupiter consoling Cupid.Fresco by Giulio Romano on a Raphael's draft (1517-18).

Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault...

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Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault pendentive representing Cupid and the Graces.Fresco by Giulio Romano on a Raphael's draft (1517-18).

Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault...

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Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault pendentive depicting Psiche together with Venus and Juno.Fresco by Giulio Romano on a Raphael's draft (1517-18).

Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault...

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Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault pendentive depicting Psyche submitting Venus the urn containing the beauty of Proserpine..Fresco by Giulio Romano on a Raphael's draft (1517-18).

Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault...

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Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault pendentive representing Psyche coming back from the underworld, carried by cupids.Fresco by Giulio Romano on a Raphael's draft (1517-18).

Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault...

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Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault pendentive depicting Venus on the cart, pulled by white doves.Fresco by Giulio Romano on a Raphael's draft (1517-18).

Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: one vault...

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Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: view of the vault.In the centre, two fictive tapestries include the concluding scenes: the splendid Council of the Gods, where the unjustly persecuted girl is finally received by the gods with divine complacence, and the Marriage of Cupid and Psyche, the symbolic culmination of the entire cycle.The Loggia takes its name from the decoration frescoed on the vault by Raphael and his workshop in 1517-18. The frescos represent episodes from the fable of Psyche, narrated in Apuleiu’s Golden Ass, which had already been used in the fifteenth century for nuptial imagery.To give the space a festive and theatrical feel to it, Raphael also transformed the vault of the Loggia into a pergola, adorned with magnificent hanging festoons, as though the greenery of the gardens had invaded the Villa itself. However, although the general layout of the cycle and planning of the individual scenes and figures are attributed to the intuitive genius of Raphael (proven by a number of autographic sketches), the actual completion of the designs into frescos was carried out by his numerous workshop assistants, including Giovanni Francesco Penni, Giulio Romano and Giovanni da Udine. The latter, in particular, was the creator of the exuberant triumphal festoons.

Rome, Villa Farnesina, Loggia of Cupid and Psyche: view of t...

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Rome, Villa Farnesina: view of the Loggia of Cupid and Psyche.The Loggia takes its name from the decoration frescoed on the vault by Raphael and his workshop in 1517-18. The frescos represent episodes from the fable of Psyche, narrated in Apuleiu’s Golden Ass, which had already been used in the fifteenth century for nuptial imagery.To give the space a festive and theatrical feel to it, Raphael also transformed the vault of the Loggia into a pergola, adorned with magnificent hanging festoons, as though the greenery of the gardens had invaded the Villa itself. In the centre he designed two fictive tapestries which depict the concluding scenes: the splendid Council of the Gods, where the unjustly persecuted girl is finally received by the gods with divine complacence, and the Marriage of Cupid and Psyche, the symbolic culmination of the entire cycle.However, although the general layout of the cycle and planning of the individual scenes and figures are attributed to the intuitive genius of Raphael (proven by a number of autographic sketches), the actual completion of the designs into frescos was carried out by his numerous workshop assistants, including Giovanni Francesco Penni, Giulio Romano and Giovanni da Udine. The latter, in particular, was the creator of the exuberant triumphal festoons.

Rome, Villa Farnesina: view of the Loggia of Cupid and Psych...

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Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence): EasternFaçade.

Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence): EasternFaç...

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Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence), Cortile d'Onore (the Courtyard of Honour): grotesque mask on the portal which leads into the garden.

Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence), Cortile d'O...

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Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence), Cortile d'Onore (the Courtyard of Honour): the portal which leads into the garden.

Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence), Cortile d'O...

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Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence), Cortile d'Onore (the Courtyard of Honour): detail of a tromp l'oeil fresco on the Northern side which represents a fake window.

Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence), Cortile d'O...

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Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence), Cortile d'Onore (the Courtyard of Honour): detail of a tromp l'oeil fresco on the Northern side which represents a fake window and a bird cage.

Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence), Cortile d'O...

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Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence), Cortile d'Onore (the Courtyard of Honour): detail of a tromp l'oeil fresco on the Northern side which represents a fake window.

Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence), Cortile d'O...

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Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence), Cortile d'Onore (the Courtyard of Honour): detail of a tromp l'oeil fresco on the Northern side which represents a fake window and a girl holding a vase of flowers.

Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence), Cortile d'O...

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Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence), Cortile d'Onore (the Courtyard of Honour): the Loggia of the Muses.

Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence), Cortile d'O...

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Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence): view of the entrance (West) in the Cortile d'Onore (Courtyard of Honour).

Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence): view of the...

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Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence): view of the Cortile d'Onore (Courtyard of Honour), towards the entrance (westwards).

Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence): view of the...

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Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence): view of the Cortile d'Onore (Courtyard of Honour), towards the entrance (westwards).

Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence): view of the...

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Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence): the Eastern Façade that faces the garden.

Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence): the Eastern...

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Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence), Easternfaçade : view of the he main entrance portal.

Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence), Easternfaça...

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Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence), Easternfaçade : view of the he main entrance portal.

Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence), Easternfaça...

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Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence): Western Façade.

Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence): Western Faç...

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Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence): detail of the Northern and Easterncorner.

Mantua, Palazzo Te (Gonzaga's Summer residence): detail of...