Learn about Renaissance Restorations of Ancient Roman Art at the Palazzo Altemps once you have transferred in Rome
Learning about ancient Roman art is easy with Rome Transfer’s drivers who will take you anywhere you want to go. When you picture sculptures from ancient Rome, you may con-jure up images of headless, armless, and legless statues. Certainly, very few sculptures survived completely intact, yet in Renaissance and you can discover the illusion of Baroque Rome (collectively called the Early Modern pe-riod) people felt that these valuable works should have their missing parts restored. It wasn’t un-til the mid 1800s that J.J. Winkelmann recognized the fragmented original as beautiful and wor-thy of study. Repairing ancient sculptures was a booming industry in Early Modern Rome. Sculp-tors such as Gianlorenzo Bernini, his great rival Alessandro Algardi, and many other lesser-known artists repaired these sculptures as part of their early training. Many sculptures were un-earthed during the numerous construction projects and beyond. Then they were transferred to the sculptors’ workshop to be repaired before being transferred to the palaces of the nobility of Rome.
Going to the Palazzo Altemps with Rome Trasfer
The Roman art aficionado should visit the Palazzo Altemps on any jaunt. The Palazzo Altemps, now one of the many art museums in Rome, provides an excellent context for the treatment of ancient art in Early Modern Rome. The sculptures’ have explanatory plaques with diagrams that show which parts of the sculpture are original, which parts are early modern additions, and which parts are modern repairs made to conserve the object. Ancient Roman art was often con-sidered the best template for artists to study. The possession of these art works showed the col-lector’s cultural sophistication, wealth, and could even alluded to a noble family’s ancient roman ancestors. As a result, ancient sculptures from many collections were sketched and published as books. Early modern sculptors often referred to these books as templates when faced with at-tempting to repair broken sculptures to their original form. Sometimes, the original form was relatively clear, as in the case of the Ludovisi Mars. Bernini restored the work by adding the sword pommel, foot, and cherub’s head. These restorations have a distinctive seventeenth-century style, but the positions are relatively accurate. The Torch Bearer, which Ales-sandro Algardi restored, was much more difficult. The original fragment was only a torso with the head and upper legs. Algardi added the arms, torch, and legs! As you wander around the mu-seum, look at how these pieces were restored. The audio guide will also give you tons of interest-ing information about these works displayed in a Renaissance Palace. Keep an eye open for other kinds of restored artworks as you travel in this beautiful city.
As you walk across the balcony, you will see several busts of Roman emperors. Early modern Romans liked to collect series, including the first twelve emperors of Rome, as outlined by Sueto-nius. If you couldn’t collect original ancient roman portraits for all twelve emperors, or even any, it wasn’t a problem. Sculptors could fill in the missing emperors’ portraits or create a whole se-ries imitating original ancient works, a style known as all’antica.
Transferring your ancestors to the palace chapel
If you have had a chance to visit the Catacombs of Callixtus on the Via Appia during your travels, you may remember the Crypt of the Popes. Explore the Appia Antica to see a part of Rome This was the original burial site for Pope Anicetus, who later was made a saint. Marco Sittico Altemps asked special permission to transfer the sa-cred remains of their ancestor from the catacomb to the fabulous chapel built on the piano nobile of the Palazzo Altemps in the second half of the sixteenth century.
When you have finished touring the palace, check out the fabulous gift shop for souvenirs! There are lots of interesting books, especially if you are curious about restoration practices. Much of today’s restoration techniques developed after the Arno flooded Florence in 1966. Did you know about that? Your Rome Transfer driver will help you transfer to your next destinations and di-scoveries, anywhere from Civitavecchia to Rome.
