A private art collection that's second to none
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The Borghese Gallery in Rome is in the former 'Villa Borghese Pinciana', which is an incredible 17th century villa that was commissioned by the Cardinal Scipione Borghese, the nephew of Pope Paul V. The Borghese family owned the property until 1902 at which point the Italian government purchased it and then turned it into a public museum.
The Borghese Gallery is home to the former private art collection of the Borghese family, and was on of the largest private collections in the world. It includes paintings, sculptures and antiques. Purchased by the Italian state from the family in 1902, it has grown to become one of Rome’s most popular galleries.
The gallery has an incredible collection of works including ancient Roman pieces, Renaissance pieces as well as Baroque art. With masterpieces on show including:
It also includes an impressive collection of ancient mosaics, frescoes and decorative arts which were curated by the Borghese family, or ‘The House of Borghese’ as the family was known, a wealthy and noble family that moved to Rome in the 16th century.
They grew the collection to a point whereby it would no longer fit in their property which meant they had to move it and thus became the 'Galleria Borghese' which sits in Villa Borghese Park, which was part of their family estate.
Because of the location of the gallery it also has the added bonus of being surrounded by beautiful gardens which themselves attract the public and its common to visit the gallery and then go for a peaceful walk around the gardens after.
FUN FACT: The Borghese Family and Napoleon Bonaparte are related due to Napoleon's sister, Pauline Bonaparte marrying a member of the Borghese family.