Aurora
by Guido Reni, 1614
Artwork Details
Details
- Year
- 1614
- Medium
- Fresco
- Size
- 280 cm × 700 cm
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Italian artist Guido Reni painted this Aurora in 1614 on the ceiling of the Casino adjacent to the Palazzo Pallavicini-Rospigliosi in Rome. The fresco shows the goddess of dawn in a billowing golden dress, leading Apollo's horse-drawn chariot across the sky. A chain of dancing female figures, the Hours, surrounds them while a torch-bearing putto (representing the Morning Star) hovers between Aurora and Apollo.
Cardinal Scipione Borghese, a major art patron, commissioned the work. The composition recalls Annibale Carracci's Triumph of Bacchus at the Farnese Palace, but Reni's version shows more classical restraint, with fewer figures and less emotional intensity. The Hours echo the Borghese Dancers, an ancient Roman relief from the Cardinal's collection.
The fresco remains in situ at the Casino dell'Aurora Pallavicini in Rome. The privately owned villa opens to the public on the first day of each month (except January), one of Rome's hidden treasures.
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About Aurora
The fresco remains at the Casino dell'Aurora Pallavicini in Rome. The privately owned villa opens to the public on the first day of each month, except January.
Cardinal Scipione Borghese, one of Rome's major art patrons, commissioned Reni for this ceiling fresco. The casino was part of his larger palace on the Quirinal Hill.
The ceiling fresco measures 2.8 x 7 meters. Reni painted it within a decorative frame, the quadro riportato technique.
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