Portrait of Cardinal Pietro Maria Borghese, late 1620s–early 1630s
Pietro da Cortona (Pietro Berrettini)expand_more
Oil on canvasexpand_more
Anonymous gift of fundsexpand_more 65.39
On View in Gallery 313expand_more
This inquisitive-looking cardinal, with his intelligent gaze, plump waistline, fashionable goatee and moustache, and large ear, is Pietro Maria Borghese (1599–1642), grandnephew of Pope Paul V. The elaborate silver inkwell carries his family’s coat of arms, an eagle over a dragon. When Paul V died, Pietro Maria moved to Rome and was made a cardinal at age twenty-five by Pope Urban VIII, a member of the Barberini family.
Pietro da Cortona was a favorite of the Barberinis, great patrons of the arts who commissioned Poussin’s Death of Germanicus, also in this gallery. Cortona was famous for his magnificent frescoes and oil paintings in the High Baroque style. This rare portrait is one of just a handful he executed over his long, prolific career.
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Details
- Title
- Portrait of Cardinal Pietro Maria Borghese
- Artist Life
- Italian (Tuscany), 1596–1669
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 65.39
- Curator Approved
This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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