An electrician performing routine maintenance at Villa Farnesina in Rome stumbled upon a remarkable hidden treasure: vibrant 17th-century frescoes attributed to Baroque painter Carlo Maratta and his pupils, Girolamo Troppa and François Simonot.
Davide Renzoni discovered the frescoes concealed above a 19th-century vaulted ceiling whilst checking cables in the historic villa. “The first thing I saw was the landscape behind me and this ‘putto’ (cherub),” Renzoni explained. “When I turned on a lamp, out came this wonder, these frescoes.”
A Jewel of Renaissance and Baroque Art
Villa Farnesina, situated on the Tiber River, is renowned for its Renaissance frescoes by Raphael. The newly discovered frescoes, however, reveal a lesser-known layer of its history. They were painted on the original ceiling of the living room of Agostino Chigi, the wealthy banker who commissioned the villa in the early 16th century.
Related article: On this day in history: Agostini Chigi born
These Baroque frescoes had remained hidden since the 19th-century renovations added a new ceiling below them. After the discovery, Renzoni contacted Virginia Lapenta, curator of Villa Farnesina. “The surprise, as you can imagine, was accompanied by great emotion,” Lapenta said. She recognised the significance of a bas-relief of the Farnese coat of arms, linking the frescoes to the villa’s 17th-century history.
Carlo Maratta’s Hidden Masterpiece
Research suggests the frescoes were created during Maratta’s 1693 restoration of Raphael’s Cupid and Psyche. The discovery highlights Maratta’s involvement in areas of the villa previously overlooked, such as Agostino Chigi’s living room.
Due to the confined space, the frescoes remain inaccessible to the public. However, high-resolution photos and live camera feeds offer a glimpse of their beauty.
Exhibition: The Seventeenth Century in Villa Farnesina
The discovery has inspired a new exhibition, The Seventeenth Century in the Villa Farnesina, showing works influenced by Raphael in 17th-century Rome. Visitors can explore masterpieces like Pietro da Cortona’s Galatea.
The exhibition runs until 12 January 2025.
