COLONNA, Angelo Michele
(b. 1604, Rovenna, d. 1687, Bologna)

Glorification of Este Patronage

1649
Fresco
Palazzo Ducale, Sassuolo

The picture shows the ceiling decoration in the Salone delle Guardie in the Palazzo Ducale in Sassuolo

The Salone was transformed into a bombastic, theatrical glorification of the house of Este by the quadratura painters Angelo Michele Colonna and Agostino Mitelli. Coats of arms, painted fabrics, trophies, and simulated statues against the walls serve as a prelude to the ceiling painting in which Apollo and the nine Muses celebrate the Este as patrons of the various arts, documented in inscriptions accompanying the goddesses.




© Web Gallery of Art, created by Emil Krén and Daniel Marx.