According to a new study, the Renaissance genius Raphael reshaped the ancient “Egyptian Blue” in his famous Galatea triumphal arch in Villa Farnesina in Rome. To achieve a strong blue sky and ocean.
The color is the oldest blue in history. It disappeared after the fall of the Roman Empire and was replaced by lapis lazuli. The study said that Raphael conducted a unique experiment in his studio and used the masterpiece colors on the walls of the luxurious Palazzo Chigi at the time. The research on the mural materials was led by Professor Antonio Sgamellotti, a member of the Lincei Academy.
It is carried out with ENEA, IRET-CNR, Spoleto Cultural Heritage Diagnostic Laboratory and XGLab-Bruker. Sgamellotti emphasized that this is the first time, “We discovered this pigment in Raphael’s work. The ancient world caused by his great interest in painting”.
This study to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the painter’s death will be held in the exhibition “Raphael in Villa Fanisina, Villa Galatea, and Villa Giese” curated by Sgamellotti and Virginia Lapenta from October 6 to January get on. June 6, 2021 in the residence designed by Baldassarre Peruzzi and decorated by Raphael and all other famous figures in his paintings of the time. The victory of Galatea is a mural, completed by Raphael around 1514.
Farnesina was built for Sienese banker Agostino Chigi (one of the wealthiest people of that era) and was originally called Villa Chigi. The Farnese family later acquired and renamed the villa, which was smaller than the more exaggerated palace on the other side of the Tiber. The frescoes are a series of fabulous scenes adorning the building’s open gallery, and this series was never completed, inspired by the poet Angelo Poliziano’s “Stanze per la giostra”.
In Greek mythology, the beautiful Nereid Galatea fell in love with the farmer shepherd Acis. Her companion, Cyclops Polyphemus, after stroking two lovers together, jumped to a huge pillar and killed Assis-Sebastiano del Pipombo (Sebastiano del Pipombo). Piombo) made a fresco of Polyphemus next to Raphael’s work.
Source : Ansa
