In 1617 there were rumours in the Farnese Dukedom of Parma about the passage of Cosimo II de Medici, on the way along his pilgrimage to San Carlo Borromeo’s tomb in Milan. This became a valuable opportunity for Ranuccio I Farnese to regenerate the innocence and serenity of his dukedom which had been seriously stained five years before by the torture and beheading he had applied to seven of his feudal lords, believing there was a conspiracy against him with the indirect support by the Gonzaga, Medici and Malaspina dukedoms. In and around the Dukedom of Parma the atmosphere was one of suspicion; forging new alliances became essential in order to restore and strengthen the affected power of Farnese. Cosimo II de Medici’s passage through Parma was the great occasion to arrange a marriage between Odoardo Farnese and Margherita de Medici. There were just a few months available to prepare ‘the most beautiful feast (*vision) ever seen in whole Europe’ to impress and gain the consent of Cosimo II. The city was transformed into a huge theatre perspective, a procession of wonder from outside the city in the morning and culminating inside its very core in the evening, on the stage of Teatro Farnese, with a wooden, light and suspended structure inside the bricks and massive first floor (L87 m x W32 m x H22 m) of Palazzo Farnese della Pilotta. Realized by Aleotti on the model of the Palladian Olympic, it was designed for the opening opera “In Defense of Beauty” meant to transpose Parma and the Farnese fictionally such that Discord is overcame through Beauty. Everything was ready but Cosimo II never arrived. This extraordinary project opened onto the era of Baroque wonder.
Political Power through Architectural Wonder
Pisciella
2014-01-01
Abstract
In 1617 there were rumours in the Farnese Dukedom of Parma about the passage of Cosimo II de Medici, on the way along his pilgrimage to San Carlo Borromeo’s tomb in Milan. This became a valuable opportunity for Ranuccio I Farnese to regenerate the innocence and serenity of his dukedom which had been seriously stained five years before by the torture and beheading he had applied to seven of his feudal lords, believing there was a conspiracy against him with the indirect support by the Gonzaga, Medici and Malaspina dukedoms. In and around the Dukedom of Parma the atmosphere was one of suspicion; forging new alliances became essential in order to restore and strengthen the affected power of Farnese. Cosimo II de Medici’s passage through Parma was the great occasion to arrange a marriage between Odoardo Farnese and Margherita de Medici. There were just a few months available to prepare ‘the most beautiful feast (*vision) ever seen in whole Europe’ to impress and gain the consent of Cosimo II. The city was transformed into a huge theatre perspective, a procession of wonder from outside the city in the morning and culminating inside its very core in the evening, on the stage of Teatro Farnese, with a wooden, light and suspended structure inside the bricks and massive first floor (L87 m x W32 m x H22 m) of Palazzo Farnese della Pilotta. Realized by Aleotti on the model of the Palladian Olympic, it was designed for the opening opera “In Defense of Beauty” meant to transpose Parma and the Farnese fictionally such that Discord is overcame through Beauty. Everything was ready but Cosimo II never arrived. This extraordinary project opened onto the era of Baroque wonder.
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