Francesco Borromini

Sale: Sotheby's, New York, January 12, 1990, lot 19
Acquired at the above sale by A. Alfred Taubman

Maurizio Fagiolo Dell'Arco and Silvia Carandini, L’Effimero Barocco: Strutture della festa nella Roma del Seicento, Rome, 1978, illus. p. 199
Maurizio Fagiolo Dell'Arco, ‘La Sapienza di Borromini: un progetto per il Palazzo dell’Università,’ Storia dell’Arte, 1980, pp. 343-351
Paolo Portoghesi, Francesco Borromini, Milan, 1984, p. 158, pl. CLIII  

Window mounted. Repaired tears, top, centre and bottom of right side, and top left corner. Paper somewhat wrinkled down centre, from paper-making process. Light surface dirt throughout. Medium a little rubbed around central cartouche (perhaps by the artist). Otherwise good condition. Sold in a gilded wooden frame.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This rare and important drawing shows an unexecuted design by Borromini for the east façade of the Palazzo della Sapienza, Rome. After the death of Pope Innocent X, Pamphili in 1655, the church of Sant’Ivo (which is incorporated within the Palace) was left unfinished and no further work was undertaken on it until 1659, when the Chigi Pope Alexander VII (1655-1667) gave further grants for the church's completion. Borromini’s first idea, developed in this drawing was to continue the three storey elevation of the existing building along the east façade, omitting only the balustrade over the five central bays in order to leave visible the cupola which is sketched at the top of the present sheet. However, Borromini realized that this design would have concealed most of the view of the cupola, so he omitted the five central bays of the top story, replacing them with a balustrade, and leaving the end two bays as towers. Various devices are used by Borromini to emphasize the patron family's coat of arms. These include the extraordinary giant monti flanking the two doors with the uppermost monte used as a frame for the window of the piano nobile and surmounted by the eight-pointed star. The star reappears in the center of the façade, this time with the papal tiara and crossed keys, while at the corners we see the arms of two significant previous Popes: to the left, those of Clemente VIII, Aldobrandini (1592-1602) and to the right those of either Innocent X, Pamphili (1644-1655) or Paul V, Borghese (1605-1621).

Drawings by Borromini are extremely rare.  Most of those that are known are preparatory drawings made to explore ideas and solve problems connected with specific architectural projects, including the restoration and embellishment of existing buildings.  The present sheet appears to be a handsome presentation drawing, executed with Borromini's characteristic and minute handling of his preferred drawing medium, soft black lead, made for submission to his powerful patron, Pope Alexander VII, Chigi.
Francesco Borromini, whose real surname was Castelli, was, with Bernini, the leading figure of Baroque architecture in Italy.   A keen student of classical buildings and the ruins of Antiquity, Borromini developed an inventive and distinctive, if somewhat idiosyncratic architectural style. He employed a number of different materials, especially bricks, whilst creating new and inventive architectural forms, which make his architecture very recognizable.  He seems to have had a sound understanding of structures, perhaps more so than Bernini, who was principally trained in other areas of the visual arts.  Unlike Bernini, who easily won important patrons and commissions, Borromini was both melancholic and quick in temper, which resulted in his withdrawal from certain projects, with lasting adverse consequences for his career.