Frescoes in the Borgia Appartments of the Palazzi Pontifici in Vatican
by PINTURICCHIO

Pope Alexander VI (Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia was elected pope in 1492) entrusted the decoration of the rooms in his apartment (now known as the Borgia rooms) to Pinturicchio. The paintings, which were executed between 1492 and 1494, drew on a complex iconographical program that used themes from medieval encyclopedias, adding an eschatological layer of meaning and celebrating the supposedly divine origins of the Borgias. The rooms are: Room of the Sibyls, Room of the Creed, Room of the Liberal Arts, Room of the Saints, Room of the Faith.

These frescoes are problematic in degree of workshop participation. For the vast enterprise, presumably done rapidly, the painter had a number of collaborators, although the overall style, the taste, and the program must have been Pinturicchio's responsibility. The busily elaborated ceilings with motifs all'antica and numerous classical references, coupled with constant allusions to the Borgia, are definitely from Pinturicchio's hand.

Preview Picture Data Info
Ceiling decoration
1492-94
Fresco
Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican


The Resurrection
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Fresco
Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican


The Resurrection (centre view)
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Fresco
Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican


The Resurrection (lower center view)
-
Fresco
Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican


The Arithmetic
1492-94
Fresco
Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican


The Arithmetic (lower centre view)
-
Fresco
Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican


The Arithmetic (lower left view)
-
Fresco
Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican


The Arithmetic (lower right view)
-
Fresco
Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican


Music
1492-94
Fresco
Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican


Vault decoration
1493-95
Fresco
Appartamento Borgia, Palazzi Vaticani, Rome


Vault decoration
1493-95
Fresco
Appartamento Borgia, Palazzi Vaticani, Rome


Susanna and the Elders
1493-95
Fresco
Appartamento Borgia, Palazzi Vaticani, Rome


St Catherine's Disputation
1492-94
Fresco with gold leaf
Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican


St Catherine's Disputation (detail)
1492-94
Fresco
Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican


St Catherine's Disputation (detail)
1492-94
Fresco
Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican



Summary of paintings by PINTURICCHIO
Baglioni Chapel in Spello
Piccolomini Library in Siena
Borgia Appartments in the Vatican
Various frescoes and panels



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