Piazza del Quirinale

Baur Johann Wilhelm

(Strasbourg 1607 - Vienna 1642)

The work forms part of a group of four round views, each depicting an important Roman square. The series was painted by the miniaturist Johann Wilhelm Baur of Strasbourg. They date to roughly 1636, during the artist’s stay in Italy. First mentioned in connection with the Borghese Collection in 1693, they probably entered into the family’s possession shortly after their completion.

Object details

Commentary

This view of Piazza del Quirinale is one of a series of four miniatures by the Alsatian artist Johann Wilhelm Baur. They have formed part of the Borghese Collection since the 17th century. They probably entered into the family’s possession shortly after their execution in about 1636, having either been purchased by Prince Marcantonio II Borghese or donated to him by the artist. Critics (Della Pergola 1959, p. 146, nos 200-203; Herrmann Fiore 1990, pp. 193-194, nos 67-68; Barchiesi 2002, p. 144, no. 15) base the dating of the series of Roman views on their affinity to the View of Villa Borghese, which also forms part of the Collection (inv. no. 519). Baur in fact painted this work, which bears the date 1636, using the same technique and support material, namely tempera on parchment.

The series appears in the 1693 Borghese inventory with an uncertain attribution. Later inventories – that of 1790 and the Inventario fidecommissario of 1833 – correctly ascribe the works to Baur.

The miniatures are mounted in pairs in double frames decorated with plant motifs. Piazza del Quirinale is coupled with Trajan’s Forum (inv. 481), while Capitoline Hill (inv. 482) and Piazza Colonna (inv. 489) share the other holder.

For his representation of Piazza del Quirinale, Baur chose an unusual viewpoint compared with most paintings and prints of the square: he approached it from the west, such that the group of the Dioscuri is visible on the right rather than more typically on the left, while the view of the Papal residence is cut off. The work captures the appearance of the square prior to the construction of the 17th-century structure of the Consulta, such that the palazzo belonging to Cardinal Guido Ferrero of Vercelli can still be seen. The scene is enriched by a long procession of people and carriages passing by the Dioscuri as they complete their walk through the square on the way to the entrance of the palazzo (Barchiesi 2002, p. 144). Here Baur demonstrates great attention to detail and a propensity for virtuosity with clear roots in northern European culture. These elements only become apparent through an enlarged vision of the miniatures, which have diameters of slightly less than ten centimetres.

Baur learnt the art of miniature painting in Strasbourg, his hometown, under the guidance of Friedrich Brentel. Later he travelled to Italy. According to our sources, (J. von Sandrart, L’Academia Todesca della Architectura, Scultura & Pittura, 1675, II, pp. 306-307; A. Houbraken, De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen, II, 1718, p. 333; N. Pio, Le vite di pittori, scultori et architetti [1724] 1977, p. 91; F. Baldinucci, Notizie de’ Professori del disegno da Cimabue in qua. Secolo V dal 1610 al 1670, 1728, p. 197), he stayed in Rome and Naples between 1631 and 1637, working for several important nobles, including the Duke of Bracciano, Marquis Giustiniani, Marcantonio Borghese and Ferdinando Colonna. In the last phase of his life Baur worked at the court of Habsburg Emperor Ferdinand III in Vienna.

In addition to the Borghese series, while in Italy the artist also painted two other miniatures, which are also circular but larger: the views of Piazza San Pietro and Piazza di Santa Maria Maggiore, which may also have had some connection with the Borghese Collection (Busiri Vici 1957, pp. 32-33; Della Pergola 1959).

Pier Ludovico Puddu