The Bridal Chamber, painted by Andrea Mantegna, is in Mantua’s magnificent Doge’s Palace which is Italy’s largest museum complex. It is also the 6th largest palace in Europe, with some 1,000 rooms, towers, courtyards and gardens.
The Palace belonged to the powerful Gonzagas
The palace was designed by Ludovico Gonzaga, the powerful ruler of Mantua, as a series of separate buildings and for some 400 years, from 1328 to 1707, it was linked to the Gonzaga family. In 1998, a hidden room was discovered and it is thought that it was used for performances of Monteverdi's music in the late 16th century.
Mantegna’s frescoes in the Bridal Chamber
The highlight of any visit to the many fascinating sections of the old palace is the Bridal Chamber (Camera degli Sposi) which is in one of the towers of the Castle of San Giorgio and is a masterpiece of Renaissance art. Decorated by Mantegna for Ludovico Gonzaga and his wife Barbara of Brandenburg, despite its name referring to a bridal chamber, Mantegna painted a room that was never meant to be a bedroom for newlyweds, as it had been designed as a reception room to receive important guests.
Mantegna was famous for his perspective
Andrea Mantegna was a celebrated and sought-after artist who was commissioned by high-profile clients such as the Gonzagas of Mantua and the Pope. He was most famous for his use of foreshortening and other perspective techniques and his imaginative frescoes inspired by episodes from his patron's life, make Mantua’s Doge’s Palace one of the most important and most priceless examples of Renaissance art.
Each figure in Mantegna’s portrait is recognizable
In the frescoes of court life on the walls of the Camera Picta (painted room) and, above the fireplace, one can see Ludovico Gonzaga, surrounded by his family members, as he receives the news that his son Francesco has been made a cardinal. The extraordinary thing is that each character is faithfully portrayed, and Ludovico, his wife Barbara and his children can be easily recognized. In the lunettes on the ceiling there are symbols of the Gonzaga family as well as mythological subjects and portraits of Roman emperors, all of which are intended to convey to the visitor the prestige and leadership of the lords of Mantua.
Mantegna’s extraordinary wow effect
But the most striking effect – or the wow effect as we would say today - is when you look up, because you see that Mantegna has created the illusion of breaking through the ceiling. In fact, through an oculus the viewer can see a blue sky with white clouds. Through this charming opening little cherubs, female figures and even a black figure wearing a turban, peer down, almost as if they are asking us what we are doing down below.
For information: https://mantovaducale.beniculturali.it/en/camera-picta
