Santa Maria del Popolo : Chigi Chapel (Rome, Italy) : Detail, depicting a scene in the frieze between pilaster capitals

Creator:

Raphael, 1483-1520

Published/Created:

Rome, Lazio, Italy
1513-1516 ; 17th century (alteration)

Date Depicted:

10/18/1998
1500 AD - 1699 AD

Materials:

fresco
marble
mosaic

Notes:

The banker Agostino Chigi's burial chapel in S Maria del Popolo, Rome, is the most complete example of an interior built to Raphael's design. In plan, elevation and structure it might have been designed by Bramante, and indeed it follows his scheme for the dome of St Peter's, but the treatment of the detail, most notably the Corinthian capitals and the frieze connecting them, is both original and erudite. The same applies to Raphael's use of many varieties of coloured and patterned marbles for the cladding of the walls (as well as the paving, where it would have been expected). Such cladding, which was unprecedented in the Renaissance, was directly inspired by Raphael's study of ancient Roman practice; indeed the materials were all recycled from Roman ruins. His interest in colour--a marked contrast with the taste of Perugino and Bramante, his previous models--is also well illustrated by the architecture in Raphael's later paintings, especially that of the tapestry cartoons. The use of coloured marbles in this way was to prove highly influential, not only in the later 16th century but even more so in the 17th century when continued interest in the Chigi Chapel was guaranteed by the respectful embellishments it received from Gianlorenzo Bernini.

Variant Titles:

Cappella Chigi

Topics:

Architecture -- Italy -- 16th century -- (YVRC)

Period/Style:

Baroque
Renaissance

Culture:

Italian

Accession Number:

1A2-I-R-SP-2-F4

Genre:

architecture (AAT)
churches (AAT)

Format:

Image

Content Type:

Sculptures, Models, & Architecture

Rights:

Copyright Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc
The use of this image may be subject to the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) or to site license or other rights management terms and conditions. The person using the image is liable for any infringement.

Access Restrictions:

Yale Community Only

Digital:

death or burial; decorative arts carving ; construction ; fresco painting (technique) building divisions; rooms and spaces; religious building spaces; chapels (rooms or structures); sepulchral chapels; visual works; mosaics (visual works); visual works; p

Source Creator:

Gilchrist, Scott

Source Title:

Archivision Module One

Source Created:

2878 Chamonix, Montreal QC
Archivision, Inc.
10/18/1998

Source Note:

Purchase, Visual Resources Collection, May, 2011; photographer Scott Gilchrist

Yale Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Digital Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Local Record Number:

4152

OID:

10112813

PID:

digcoll:1855094