Portrait of Cardinal Bernardino Spada

Guido Reni completed this portrait of Cardinal Bernardino Spada between 1630 and 1631 in Bologna, where the Cardinal served as papal legate. The oil on canvas measures 222 by 147 cm and remains at the Galleria Spada in Rome, the palace the Cardinal purchased in 1632.

Reni was the dominant painter of the Bolognese School and rarely produced portraits, making this work a significant exception. The Cardinal sits in his scarlet robes, illuminated against a dark background. Reni's virtuosic brushwork renders every texture: the delicate lace of the surplice, the heavy silk of the mozzetta, the soft sheen of the biretta.

Cardinal Spada was born in 1594 and served the papacy across three decades. He organized healthcare during Bologna's 1630 plague epidemic and became a noted art patron. After purchasing Palazzo Spada, he commissioned Francesco Borromini to create the famous forced perspective gallery in the courtyard. Spada died in 1661, leaving his collection to the public.