FERRI, Ciro - b. ~1634 Roma, d. 1689 Roma - WGA

FERRI, Ciro

(b. ~1634 Roma, d. 1689 Roma)

Italian painter, sculptor, architect and draughtsman. He was the most gifted pupil of Pietro da Cortona, and his style, in frescoes, easel paintings and drawings, remained a remarkably true interpretation of the latter’s Roman Baroque. The work of the two artists is at times so close that attributions, especially among their drawings, have often been confused. In his designs for sculpture, architecture and decorative ornament, Ferri was indebted to both Cortona and Bernini. Ferri’s art was important in spreading the decorative style of the Roman Baroque to Florence and to other cities.

Ceiling Fresco in the Hall of Saturn

The Hall of Saturn is part of a cycle of five rooms in the Palazzo Pitti, each one illustrating a different planetary deity (the others are Venus, Apollo, Mars, and Jupiter), who allude to the virtues and merits of the Medici dynasty. The stuccoes are framed by real stucco ornament, which is clearly distinguished from the painted scenes, thereby creating a sumptuous and dazzling decorative effect between the frescoes and the white and gilded stucco figures. The work was executed by Cortona’s pupil Ciro Ferri after Cortona’s design.

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Ceiling painting

The picture shows the ceiling painting in the Sala di Saturno in the winter quarters on the piano nobile of the Palazzo Pitti. The painting represents The Hero’s Death and Apotheosis.

The other rooms in the winter quarters were decorated by Pietro da Cortona.

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Madonna and Child with the Infant St John

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The Reconciliation of Jacob and Laban

The present work is a repetition by Ciro Ferri of a composition by his master Pietro da Cortona, the prime version of which is in the Mus�e du Louvre, Paris. The successful composition was repeated both by Cortona and by Ciro Ferri a number of times.

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View of the Hall of Saturn

Pietro da Cortona designed the frescoes and stuccoes in this opulent room of the Palazzo Pitti. The work was carried out by Cortona’s pupil, Ciro Ferri. This regal room houses several of the Pitti’s masterpieces by Raphael.

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