CORTONA, Pietro da
(b. 1596, Cortona, d. 1669, Roma)

Ceiling fresco in the Sala di Saturno

1663-65
Fresco
Palazzo Pitti, Florence

The Sala di Saturno (Hall of Saturn) is part of a cycle of five rooms in the Palazzo Pitti, each one illustrating a different planetary deity (the others are Venus, Apollo, Mars, and Jupiter), who allude to the virtues and merits of the Medici dynasty. The stuccoes are framed by real stucco ornament, which is clearly distinguished from the painted scenes, thereby creating a sumptuous and dazzling decorative effect between the frescoes and the white and gilded stucco figures. The work was executed by Cortona's pupil Ciro Ferri after Cortona's design.