The Palazzo Corsini is a prominent late-baroque palace in Rome, erected for the Corsini family between 1730 and 1740 as an elaboration of the prior building on the site, a 15th-century villa of the Riario family, based on designs of Ferdinando Fuga. It is located in the Trastevere section of the city, and stands beside the Villa Farnesina.

Palazzo Corsini
The rear entrance of the Palazzo Corsini
Map
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General information
LocationRome, Italy
Coordinates41°53′36″N 12°28′00″E / 41.893329°N 12.466586°E / 41.893329; 12.466586

Description

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During 1659–1689, the former Riario palace had hosted the eccentric Christina, Queen of Sweden, who abdicated, converted, and moved to Rome. Under her patronage, this was the site for the first meetings of the Roman Accademia dell'Arcadia.

In 1736, the Florentine Cardinal Neri Maria Corsini, nephew of Pope Clement XII (formerly Cardinal Lorenzo Corsini), acquired the villa and land, and commissioned the structure now standing. During the Napoleonic occupation of Rome, the palace hosted Joseph Bonaparte.

Today, the palace hosts some offices of the National Academy of Science (Accademia dei Lincei) and the Galleria Corsini. The gardens, which rise up the Janiculum hill, are part of the Orto Botanico dell'Università di Roma "La Sapienza", a botanical garden. This also, is not the sole Palazzo Corsini in Italy; there are a handful of palaces belonging to various lines of this Florentine family, which acquired and built this Roman palace, sometime referred to as Palazzo Corsini alla Lungara only upon the ascension of their family member to the papacy. Another Corsini palace of note include the Palazzo Corsini al Parione, facing the banks of the Arno in Florence.

Galleria Corsini

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View of Rome from the Gianicolo, di Giuseppe Vasi (al centro il palazzo Corsini)

The Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica di Palazzo Corsini or National Gallery of Antique Art in the Corsini Palace is a prominent art museum comprising the first floor of the palace. The national Arte Antica collections (typically post-year 1000 A.D.) in Rome consist of a number of sites, including Palazzo Barberini, Galleria Borghese, and the Palazzo Corsini.

The majority of the major works in the Corsini Gallery collection were donated by the Corsini family, and initially were gathered by the avid 17th century collector, the cardinal Neri Maria Corsini, and added to by other members and from collections of Pope Clement XII and his nephew. In 1883, this palace and its contents were sold to the state, and the collection is displayed in its original location. The collection encompasses the breadth of mainly Italian art from early-Renaissance to late-18th century. It has both religious and historical works, as well as landscapes and genre paintings.

Partial list of collection

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Painter Span Work Link
Beato Angelico Pentecost, Ascension, and Last Judgement [1]
Cavalier d'Arpino 1560–1640 Resurrection of Lazarus
Jacopo Bassano 1515–1592 Adoration of the shepherds [2]
Marco Benefial 1684–1786 Vision of Santa Catherine of Genoa
Annibale Carracci 1560–1609 St. Francis
Caravaggio St. John the Baptist, c. 1600 [3]
Marten van Cleef Rural festivity
Donato Creti 1671–1749 Adoration by the Magi
Donato Creti 1671–1749 Vision of Jacob
Cristoph van Der Lamen The rescue
Anthony van Dyck 1599–1641 Madonna della Paglia [4]
Marcantonio Franceschini 1648–1729 Ascension of the Magdalen
Francesco Francia 1450–1517 St. George and the dragon
Orazio Gentileschi 1563–1646 Madonna and child [5]
Luca Giordano 1634–1705 Christ before the doctors
Luca Giordano 1634–1705 Entry of Christ to Jerusalem
Guercino 1591–1666 Apollo and Marysas
Hans Hoffmann The Leper
Angelica Kauffman Portrait
Giovanni Lanfranco St. Peter and St. Agatha
Giovanni Lanfranco 1582–1647 Ascension of the Magdalen
Giovanni Lanfranco 1582–1647 Tamar and Judith
Master del Solomon's Judgement Denial by Peter
Carlo Maratta 1625–1713 Madonna with the Bambino
Carlo Maratta 1625–1713 Young St John the Baptist & Angels
Carlo Maratta 1625–1713 Trinity
Carlo Maratta 1625–1713 Martyrdom of St. Andrew
Carlo Maratta 1625–1713 Rebecca at the well
Carlo Maratta 1625–1713 Flight to Egypt
Agostino Masucci 1690–1768
Pier Francesco Mola 1612–1666 Homer
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo Madonna with the Bambino [6]
Giovanni Battista Piazzetta 1682–1754 Judith
Nicolas Poussin Triumph of Ovid
Mattia Preti 1613–1699 Tribute of gold
Mattia Preti 1613–1699 San Bartolomeo
Guido Reni 1575–1642 Portrait of Beatrice Cenci
Guido Reni 1575–1642 Magdalen
Guido Reni 1575–1642 Ecce Homo
Guido Reni 1575–1642 Salomè with head of the Baptist, St. Joseph and Christ crowned with thorns
Guido Reni 1575–1642 Herod
Guido Reni 1575–1642 St. Joseph
Jusepe de Ribera Venus and dead Adonis [7]
Giovan Francesco Romanelli 1610–1662 Adoration by the Magi
Giovan Francesco Romanelli 1610–1662 Adoration by the Shepherds
Theodor Rombouts 1597–1637 Concert
Salvator Rosa 1615–1673
Peter Paul Rubens 1577–1640 St. Sebastian healed by angels [8]
Giovanni Battista Salvi (Sassoferrato) 1605–1685
Andrea del Sarto 1486–1531 Madonna with the Bambino
Bartolomeo Schedoni 1578–1615
Johann Heinrich Schonfeld 1609–1683
Gerard Seghers 1591–1651
Massimo Stanzione 1585–1656
Nicolas Tournier 1590–1657
Francesco Trevisani Martyrdom of St. Lawrence
Francesco Trevisani Martyrdom of St. Lucy
Francesco Trevisani The Virgin grieving
Francesco Trevisani Magdalen
Lucas Van Uder 1595–1672
Gaspar Van Wittel 1595–1672
Simon Vouet Herod
Philips Wouwerman 1619–1668

Sources

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  Media related to Palazzo Corsini alla Lungara (Rome) at Wikimedia Commons

Preceded by
Palazzo Poli
Landmarks of Rome
Palazzo Corsini, Rome
Succeeded by
Palazzo Ruspoli, Rome