House for sale for half a billion euros, with a ceiling signed by Caravaggio

House for sale for half a billion euros, with a ceiling signed by Caravaggio

Jean Dubreil | Oct 25, 2021 2 minutes read 0 comments
 

Caravaggio adorned the Casino di Villa Boncompagni Ludovisi, also known as Villa Aurora, in around 1597.

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The entrance to Villa Aurora (Rome)

Buyers at the top of the market expect something special: a private beach, unobstructed views of the park, or even a rare Caravaggio painting? Such is the possibility given by a home in downtown Rome that will shortly go on the market for €471 million and includes a big picture of three Roman gods by Caravaggio, the world's only ceiling painting credited to the artist.

The Italian cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte erected the Casino di Villa Boncompagni Ludovisi, also known as Villa Aurora, as a hunting lodge in the late 16th century. It used to be part of the expansive country retreat Villa Ludovisi, which was named for the nobleman Ludovico Ludovisi, to whom Del Monte sold the land in 1620. The French writer Stendhal famously characterized the Villa Ludovisi as having "some of the most exquisite gardens in the world." In the late 19th century, the Ludovisi family surrendered almost the entire estate to the Rome city government, with most of the structures razed to make room for the prominent avenue Via Veneto, leaving just Villa Aurora as a remnant.

6176aa3d84d717.80576289_casino-di-villa-lodovisi-plate-189-giuseppe-vasi.jpeg Engraving by Giuseppe Vasi (1761) showing the Villa Ludovisi, and the Casino

In roughly 1597, Caravaggio was commissioned by Del Monte, one of his most important early clients, to paint Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto. The three titular gods are depicted in an allegorical scene relating to the cardinal's interest in alchemy, each identifiable by their respective beasts (Jupiter's eagle, Neptune's hippocamp, and Pluto's three-headed hound Cerberus). Caravaggio created his own versions of the gods' faces. Because the work was done using oil paint rather than water-based pigments on fresh plaster, it is a ceiling painting rather than a fresco, as is sometimes claimed.

caravaggio-jupiter-neptune-pluto.jpeg Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto, villa Aurora, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio

Other frescos and priceless pieces of art are incorporated in the architecture of Villa Aurora, the most notable of which is a ceiling painting in the central room by the Italian Baroque artist Guercino, which represents the goddess Aurora on her chariot and was painted in 1621. The house, which is 2,800 square meters, will be auctioned on January 18, 2019. Its sale is the result of an ongoing inheritance dispute following the death of its owner, Prince Nicol Boncompagni Ludovisi, in 2018. 

It's uncertain whether the Italian government, which has the first refusal on the property, will step in and buy it. The mansion and its many artistic treasures have been open to the public for private tours since 2010.


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