THE STORY OF THE ELEMENTS

The Water Room, 1658 – 1659

Guillaume Courtois, Guglielmo Cortese aka the Borgognone (Saint Hippolyte 1626 – Rome 1679)

An artist of French origin, Guglielmo Cortese settled in Rome in the years 1639-40 with his two brothers Giacomo and Francesco, who were also painters. His meeting with Pietro da Cortona, which was crucial for his development, took place around 1647. In fact, the solution of dividing the vault of the Water Room into scenes by means of a monochrome frame supported by angular telamons has its origins not only in the Carracci Gallery in the Farnese Palace, but even more so in the vault painted by his master in the Barberini Palace.

This type of spatial organisation, which we also find in the Earth Room and the Air Room originally painted by Mola, limits the continuity of the narrative. In fact, the scenes are disconnected and each represents separate characters or mythological episodes. Stylistically, this choice contrasts with the more open and daring solutions adopted by Cozza and Preti in the preceding rooms.

The central scene depicts cupids engaged in various activities: while one pours water from a bowl, another collects rain from the clouds. The others, armed with bow and arrows, shoot thunderbolts in the direction of the spectator.

On the side corresponding to the entrance, we see the magnificent figure of Poseidon, god of the sea, in triumph on a chariot surrounded by tritons, creatures of his retinue that were half human and half fish. With his left arm raised, he turns in the direction of a sky thick with clouds as if wanting to stop the lightning from striking.

On the opposite wall is his bride, Amphitrite, whose form and posture recall the Galatea painted by Raphael in the Loggia at the Villa Farnesina. Also depicted in triumph on a chariot amidst the waves of the sea, she is accompanied by nereids and tritons.

On the long side facing the square, we can see the myth of Acis and Galatea as told in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The episode focuses on different moments in the story. In the background in the middle of the scene, the two lovers are depicted on a small boat, while Polyphemus, whose love for Galatea is unrequited, spies on them from the top of a cliff. On the left in the foreground, the drama is completed: Galatea mourns her beloved, crushed to death by a boulder at the hands of the Cyclops. According to the myth, the Nereid had him transformed into the Sicilian river of the same name. The artist immortalises the very instant in which Acis’ metamorphosis takes place.

The most recent restoration work carried out on the vault has made many details that would otherwise have been lost visible again. This is the case, for instance, with the interesting still life that has come to light in the scene near the entrance door to the Earth Room. In a rippling sea, different varieties of fish and birds abound, while a Naiad offers red coral to Proteus, a minor deity to whom Poseidon had entrusted the custody of sea creatures.

The restoration has revealed the three different techniques Guglielmo Cortese used to execute the drawing: direct engraving (the drawing is engraved directly onto the fresh plaster with a sharp instrument); indirect engraving (the drawing is executed on cardboard and then transferred onto the fresh plaster by engraving the contours); and spolvero (the drawing is executed on cardboard and many small holes are made along the outlines; the cardboard is placed on the surface and the holes are ‘dabbed’ with black powder).