Palazzo Altieri

Palazzo Altieri is a palace in Rome, which was the home of the Altieri family in the city. The palace faces the square in front of the church of the Church of the Gesù.

The Altieri were one of the prominent families in Rome claiming descendancy from Roman nobility, and included Pope Clement X (reigned 1670-1676). Construction of the palace began in 1650, however, with the ascent of Clement in 1670, expansion was pursued under supervision of the pope's brother cardinal Giambattista Altieri, and the architect Giovan Antonio de' Rossi. By 1673, the grand salon was complete. Cardinal Camillo Massimo recommended Carlo Maratta as the artist, and Giovanni Bellori helped with the iconography. Clemency (punning with pope's name) is surrounded by Public Happiness and other cardinal virtues.

The building is now occupied by a bank; though the interiors still possess major works of art and decoration, including paintings by Luca Giordano, Bernardo Strozzi, Pieter Mulier, Domenico Maria Canuti, Fabrizio Chiari, Felice Giani, Vincenzo Camuccini, Francesco Zuccarelli, and Giuseppe Bonito.

References

• Haskell, Francis (1993). "Chapter 6". Patrons and Painters: Art and Society in Baroque Italy. 1980. Yale University Press. pp. p 158-161. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)