| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Design for the reconstruction of the Temple of Fortune at Palestrina (or Praeneste)
(popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Pen and ink and wash |
| Brief description | Pietro Da Cortona. Design for the reconstruction of the Temple of Fortune at Palestrina (or Praeneste), ca. 1636. |
| Physical description | Design for the reconstruction of the temple of Fortune at Praeneste |
| Dimensions | - From catalogue height: 47.6cm
- From catalogue width: 118.7cm
- Wood frame height: 835mm
- Wood frame width: 1405mm
- Wood frame depth: 60mm
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| Marks and inscriptions | - Templum Fortunae Virilis a Temple dedicated to Manly Fortune yis drawn by Cortone by ye order of Urban VIII taken partly from ye Remains of ye Temple (still to be seen in Palestrina belonging to ye Prince Barbarin, yis drawing is of ye same sise wh yt wc is in ye Cardinal's Palace & was drawn wh a design to have built such a Palace in Rome, but ye Pope dying they built yt Palace yt they hve in at present. (Inscribed in the hand of John Talman)
- An Old design by ye famous Pietro da Cortona Of ye Temple of Fortune att Palestrina (Inscribed on back probably in the hand of Francis St. John)
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| Credit line | From the collections of John Talman and Francis St. John. |
| Object history | This is probably the original drawing for this design. Cf. a similar but probably later drawing attributed to P. da Cortona in an album with Miscellaneous Architectural Drawings at Windsor Castle (10384) exhibited at the 17th Century Exhibition (No. 634) in January, 1938. There are three engravings after Cortona's designs for the reconstructed temple in Joseph Maria Suaresius' Praenesti Antigua, 1655 (see catalogue of 17th Century Exhibition, Burlington House, London, 1938). |
| Subject depicted | |
| Bibliographic references | - Victoria and Albert Museum, Department of Engraving, Illustration and Design and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1937, London: Board of Education, 1938.
- Ward-Jackson, Peter, Italian Drawings Volume II. 17th-18th century, London, 1980, p. 203.
The text is as follows:
CORTONA, PIETRO DA
Pietro Berretini (1596-1669)
A1
Conjectural reconstruction of the Roman temple at Palestrina (Praeneste)
Inscribed in ink in the hand of Talman 'Templum Fortunae Virilis a Temple dedicated to Manly Fortune yiS is drawn by Cortone by ye order of Urban VIII taken partly from ye Remains of r" Temple (still to be seen in Palestrina belonging to ye Prince Barbarin). yiS drawing is of ye same sise as y! w~ is in y~ Cardinal's Palace & was drawn as a design to have built such a Palace in Rome, but ye Pope dying they built the Palace y! they live in now'. Inscribed also on the back in a different hand 'An old design by ye: famous Pietro da Cortona of ye: Temple of Fortune att Palestrina'
Pen and ink and wash on brown paper; on ten or more sheets joined together
22 ½ X 46 (572 X 1168) 306-1937
LITERATURE R. Wittkower, Art and architecture in Italy, 1600-1750, 1958,
p. 354, no. 40; Blunt and Cooke, Windsor, p. 82; Briganti, p. 306
There are three engravings after Cortona showing a reconstruction of the temple at Palestrina in Joseph Maria Suarez's Praenestes Antiquae Libri Duo, Rome, 1655. This drawing corresponds in all important respects with the front elevation shown in one of the prints, and it may be the drawing on which the plate was based. But it is reasonable to assume that the other drawing of the same size which, according to the inscription, was in Cardinal Barberini's possession, was by Cortona himself, since the Barberini family owned the temple and doubtless commissioned Cortona to make the designs. This other drawing may have been a more finished product, based on our drawing.
Cortona's designs for the temple are discussed at length by Wittkower in an article in Adolph Goldschmidt zu seinem siebzigsten Geburtstag, Berlin, 1935, pp. 137-43. Wittkower was at that time apparently unaware of the existence of our drawing, but his argument is unaffected, since the drawing corresponds closely with the plate in Suarez, which he discusses. He suggests that Cortona drew up his designs for the temple in 1636, when he was working for Cardinal Francesco Barberini on the rebuilding of the church of San Pietro at Palestrina. There are three related designs for the reconstruction of the temple at Windsor Castle (nos. 1°382-1°384 in vol. 186 of the Albani Collection; Blunt and Cooke, Windsor, p. 82, nos. 634-36; Wittkower, loco cit., 1935, p. 140, pI. 30). One of them is an elevation similar to our drawing but modified in certain respects; while the other two comprise a ground plan and a corresponding elevation which differ considerably from Cortona's designs as reproduced in the engravings.
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