Borghese
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Borghese is the surname of a family of Italian noble and papal background, originating in Siena where they came to prominence in the 13th century holding official offices under the commune. The head of the family, Marcantonio moved to Rome in the 16th century and there, following the election (1605) of his son Camillo Borghese as Pope Paul V who was an unabashed nepotist, they rose in power and wealth.
By virtue of the wedding of Olimpia Aldobrandini with Paolo Borghese in 1614, the Borghese claimed the name and the legacy of the rich and papal Aldobrandini for themselves; after extended court battles, they won this recognition in 1769. Many of Paul V's official inscriptions include ROMANUS after his name, to reinforce the family's new Roman connection. Paul bestowed on his nephew the title prince of Vivero on (November 17, 1609), and Philip III of Spain conferred an additional title of prince of Suimona the following year. As a group, the Borghese became some of the largest landowners of the Roman Campagna, increasing their wealth by their strategic direct control of their properties and a concerted policy of assuming monopolies of milling grain and rights to run inns [1] (http://www2.iisg.nl/esshc/programme.asp?selyear=6&pap=758).
The family seat Palazzo Borghese in Rome formerly housed the Borghese art collections, which since 1903 have been established as the Galleria Borghese, located in the family's former property Villa Borghese.
The Borghese Collection of statuary in the Louvre derives from works sold to Napoleon by Camillo Borghese in 1807.
In 1775, in homage to his Borghese ancestors, Prince Marcantonio IV Borghese and the architect Antonio Asprucci embarked upon renovations to Villa Borghese, which had always been a semi-public museum since the 17th century. Integrating the sculptures of the Borghese collection and existing vast Baroque ceiling decors, they created a spectacular monument to the Borghese family (Paul 2000).
Notable members of the Borghese family
- Galgano Borghese, papal nuncio Naples (1456)
- Camillo Borghese (1550–1621): Pope Paul V (1605–1621)
- Cardinal Scipione Borghese (1576–1633): artistic patron of Bernini and nephew of Pope Paul V
- Camillo Filippo Ludovico Borghese (1775–1832), made duke of Guastalla; second husband of Pauline Bonaparte
- Pauline Borghese née Bonaparte (1780–1825): sister of Napoleon
- Junio Valerio Borghese (1906–1974): Italian naval commander and politician
External link
- Encyclopædia Britannica 1911 (http://19.1911encyclopedia.org/B/BO/BORGHESE.htm) Borghese
References
- Paul, Carole, Making a Prince's Museum : Drawings for the Late-Eighteenth-Century Redecoration of the Villa Borghese, Oxford University Press, 2000