The Spada Gallery Rome [antikvár]

THE PALACE r EDO NOT KNOW exactly why this Palace was commissioned by the Apostolié Camera in 1550, during the reign of Popé Julius III, but it came to be known by the names of subsequent owners, Capodiferro and Spada That it may originally have been intended as an Embassy and not a priváté residence is suggested by a document of the first half of the sixteenth century which states that the French Ambassador lived in it; and alsó by the fact that the coat of arms of the French King is still in the courtyard, next to that of Popé Ciocchi del Monté The architect was Giulio Mazzoni of Piacenza, who designed the stuccoes on the faiadé and in the outer courtyard and alsó figures as a painter He was assisted on the sumptuous decoration of the interior by a crowd of artists, but we know the names of only two of them, Gerolamo Siciolante and Luzio Romano Work may not even have been completed when the building became the property of Cardinal Gerolamo Capodiferro (circa 1503-1559) in 1555, either by purchase or as a gift There are no grounds for rejecting the theory that the Cardinal (who was Papai Treasurer and, from 1541, Datary) may have been presented with it to compensate for the large sums of money he appears to have provided from his own pocket to meet the enormous expenses incurred by the Apostolic Camera in building this Palace and the Villa on Via Flaminia When he died in 1559, it was inherited by the Mignanelli family. They, in turn, sold it for the sum of 31,600 scudi to Cardinal Bernardino Spada in June or July 1632 Cardinal Spada went into residence in the early months of the following year Born at Brisighella in 1594 and educated by the Jesuits of the Román College, Bernardino Spada quickly made a name for himself through his exceptional qualities, great ability, an excellent memory and extraordinary physical strength His career was so rapid that by 1624, at the early age of thirty, he was given the delicate task of acting as Papai Nuncio to Francé and, on his return two years later, he was made a Cardinal In 1627 he was sent as Papai Legate to Bologna where he showed great skill and firmness in dealing with administrative and diplomatic problems He was unstinting in works of charity and welfare {especially