The Gonzaga Family in Adoration of the Holy Trinity (also, The Trinity Adored by the Gonzaga Family or The Gonzaga Trinity) is a painting by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens, housed in the Ducal Palace in Mantua, Italy. The work was commissioned by Duke Vincenzo I Gonzaga for the Jesuit church in Mantua, while Rubens was his court painter.
The work represents the central part of a triptych, of which the two side panels were the Transfiguration and the Baptism of Christ. During the 19th-century French occupation of northern Italy in the Napoleonic Wars, the work was split, and some portions were lost.
Location of the Rubens cycle in the Church of the Holy Trinity, Mantua
The painting was commissioned by Duke Vincenzo I Gonzaga as the culminating work of a large cycle that comprised two other large canvases in the main chapel of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Mantua.[1]:84 The two other paintings depicted The Baptism of Christ and The Transfiguration and were located on the side walls of the chapel, while the Gonzaga Trinity was placed on the middle wall as the center of the triptych. The work was made between 1604 and 1605 and was inaugurated on the occasion of the Feast of the Trinity of 1605.[2]
The Church of the Holy Trinity was built to welcome the Society of Jesus to Mantua. The settlement of the Jesuits in the Gonzaga duchy was favored, above all, by the offices of the cardinal Ercole Gonzaga but their great benefactor was also Archduchess Eleanor of Austria, wife of the Duke Guglielmo Gonzaga. The Archduchess was most devoted to the Society (her personal confessor was a Jesuit) and promoted the construction of the Mantuan church of the Trinity, for which the Rubens cycle was created.[3] The same church was chosen by Eleonor of Austria as the place of her burial: her remains were placed under its main altar, right in front of the presbytery chapel adorned by the Rubens paintings.[3]
The whole Rubens cycle, consistent with the dedication of the church that holds it, references the Catholic divine Trinity. It is clearly the theme of the Gonzaga Trinity but it is also recalled by the side paintings in the triptych. According to Catholicism, both the baptism of Christ and his transfiguration were moments of divine manifestation in which the divine nature of Christ as the "Son of God" were revealed, that is, as a member of the Trinity. In that way, the iconography of the Mantuan chapel corresponds to those of the Church of Jesus in Rome—an important Jesuit church. There the central altarpiece depicts the Trinity, flanked by Christ's baptism and transfiguration.[4]
The Mantuan triptych
Rubens, Baptism of Christ, 1604-1605, Anversa, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten
Rubens, The Gonzaga Family Worshipping the Holy Trinity
Rubens, Transfiguration, 1604-1605, Nancy, Musée des beaux-arts
The three Rubens paintings remained in their original places up to the Napoleonic occupation of Mantua in 1797.[1]:84 In the period of Napoleonic looting, the Church of the Holy Trinity was sacked and the Flemish paintings were removed by the commissioner Etienne-Marie Siauve.[1]:84 The side canvases were taken over the Alps, where they can be found today (The Baptism at Anversa and The Transfiguration at Nancy).
Reconstruction of The Gonzaga Family in Adoration of the Holy Trinity as it is displayed at the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua
The central painting, the Gonzaga Trinity, had a more unfortunate fate. It was cut into several sections by soldiers: sections in which the sons of Vincenzo Gonzaga and Eleonora de' Medici appeared along with several court guards were subdivided into various fragments, which mostly contained the portrait's faces and many of which are lost. The center of the composition was cut in two, horizontally. These two parts have been, as much as possible, reassembled and are now in the Ducal Palace of Mantua. Several of the partial fragments that can't be reintegrated into the rest of the painting are also kept there.
Description and style
The painting depicts an open-air scene in a gallery with, on the side, two rows of richly historiated, twisted columns and a balustrade in perspective. At the center of the gallery, on the left, are Vincenzo Gonzaga and his father Guglielmo Gonzaga behind him. On the right, on the first floor, is Vincenzo's wife Eleonora de' Medici. Behind her is the mother of the duke, Eleonora d'Austria. Both Guglielmo Gonzaga and his wife Eleonora were already dead by the time of the painting's making.
As much as it's possible to reconstruct the composition, the children of the ducal couple were represented on the sides (almost below the colonnade). The male children to the left, and to the right the female. On the left, therefore, were Francesco Gonzaga of Ferdinando Gonzaga and Vincenzo II Gonzaga, while on the right Margherita and Eleonora Gonzaga were depicted. Always on the sides of the painting were included some halberdiers, of the Swiss guards. One of them is a self-portrait of Rubens.[1]:84
When the painting was cut apart, the side sections were removed and reduced to pieces to extract the portraits of the children as paintings in their own right. These portraits where all divided (they are now found in various different places) with the exception of Eleonora Gonzaga. The only fragment referring to the future empress Eleonora is that of the little dog, which the girl was caressing (as testified in old descriptions of the work). Among the other identified fragments, there is also one of the halberdiers, although it is not the self-portrait of Rubens.
The entire family group is kneeling in prayer, while the Holy Ghost appears above. The composition's depiction of the ducal family is similar to sculpture groups by Leone and Pompeo Leoni at El Escorial that represent the family of Carlo V and Philip II of Spain. Rubens could have seen those sculptures during his diplomatic voyage to Spain in 1603 for Vincenzo Gonzaga.[2]
The choice of this resemblance is not casual, but is an explicit homage to the Spanish crown to reiterate the loyalty of the Gonzagas to the Hapsburg monarchy. The family also wears clothes of Spanish style, such as the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece worn by the Duke—an important honor conferred by the Hapsburgs as heirs of the Dukes of Burgundy. The presence of the Swiss guards are also ultimately references to the pro-Hapsburg stance of the Gonzagas.[2]
In the painting's stylistic plan, however, Rubens draws on 16th century Venetian traditions. A little before beginning the cycle for the Jesuit church, Rubens had in fact completed a study trip to Venice. His composition recalls, in particular, so many group portraits of aristocratic Venetian families in prayer. One good example is the family Vendramin by Titian. Rubens's painting also shows the influence of Paolo Veronese and Tintoretto. The chromatic ranges, the effects of the light, the open atmosphere, and the facial anatomy all refer to their precedents.[2]
The Healing of the Lame Man, Raphael, 1515
Nor does the painting lack references to Raphael: indeed, educational trips to Rome were one of the fundamental steps of the young Rubens. The twisted columns of the gallery are clearly examples of Raphael's drawing The Healing of the Lame Man[it]. Their twisted design recalls those of the legendary Temple of Solomon, which according to ancient belief were brought to Rome and used to build the Basilica of Saint Peter.[1]:85 The reproduction of these columns in the painting might allude to how the coming of Christ is the improvement and verification of the Old Testament (since they symbolize the Solomonic columns).[2]
Near the top of the composition, a group of angels unrolls a golden tapestry on which the Holy Trinity is represented. This compositional choice has a single reason, it is a meditation in line with the severe dictates of the Council of Trent for religious depictions. According to those, a direct appearance of the divine to the laity would be inappropriate. Still, the Christ on the tapestry points to his father with his hand and the Duke clearly reacts to that gesture. In that way, the self-celebration of the work is revealed, as it divinely legitimizes Gonzaga's role as a sovereign.[5]
Finally, just beyond the balustrade, an ivy branch that seems to almost touch Eleonora d'Austria is visible. The branch is a tribute to the mother of the Duke and is linked to the intended location of the painting: the ivy appears, in the enterprise of the Archduchess of the Hapsburgs, as a symbol of conjugal devotion (since this plant can't live if separated from the tree to which it is attached). The tribute to the deceased mother of the Duke adds, perhaps, to the idea that her female virtues are an example to all the women of the Gonzaga family, united in adoration.
Preparatory drawings
There are three known preparatory drawings for The Gonzaga Family in Adoration of the Holy Trinity. Two studies of Ferdinand and Francesco Gonzaga are stored together in the Nationalmuseum of Stockholm, and one study of a halberdier is in the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels.
For the decorative plan of the chapel at the Church of the Holy Trinity, there is also a beautiful drawing for The Baptism at the Louvre. Rubens's studies for the Mantuan cycle are among his oldest that are known, with relatively certain dating.
Study for the portrait of Ferdinand Gonzaga
Study for the portrait of Francesco Gonzaga
Study of a halberdier
Study for The Baptism of Christ
Related Research Articles
The House of Gonzaga is an Italian princely family that ruled Mantua in Lombardy, northern Italy from 1328 to 1708. They also ruled Monferrato in Piedmont and Nevers in France, as well as many other lesser fiefs throughout Europe. The family includes a saint, twelve cardinals and fourteen bishops. Two Gonzaga descendants became empresses of the Holy Roman Empire, and one became queen of Poland.
Federico II of Gonzaga was the ruler of the Italian city of Mantua from 1519 until his death. He was also Marquis of Montferrat from 1536.
Frans Pourbus the Younger or Frans Pourbus (II) (Antwerp, 1569 – Paris, 1622) was a Flemish painter, specialised in portrait painting. He was the third generation of a prominent family of religious and portrait painters.
Eleonora Gonzaga, was born a princess of Mantua as a member of the House of Gonzaga, and by marriage to Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, was Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia.
The Duchy of Mantua was a duchy in Lombardy, northern Italy. Its first duke was Federico II Gonzaga, member of the House of Gonzaga that ruled Mantua since 1328. The following year, the Duchy also acquired the March of Montferrat, thanks to the marriage between Gonzaga and Margaret Paleologa, Marchioness of Montferrat.
Vincenzo Ι Gonzaga was the ruler of the Duchy of Mantua and the Duchy of Montferrat from 1587 to 1612.
Guglielmo Gonzaga was Duke of Mantua from 1550 to 1587, and of Montferrat from 1574 to 1587. He was the second son of Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Margaret Palaeologina of Montferrat. In 1574, Montferrat was elevated to a Duchy and Guglielmo became its first duke. He was succeeded as Duke of both duchies by his son Vincenzo.
The Palazzo Ducale di Mantova is a group of buildings in Mantua, Lombardy, northern Italy, built between the 14th and the 17th century mainly by the noble family of Gonzaga as their royal residence in the capital of their Duchy. The buildings are connected by corridors and galleries and are enriched by inner courts and wide gardens. The complex includes some 500 rooms and occupies an area of c. 34,000 m2, which make it the sixth largest palace in Europe after the palaces of the Vatican, the Louvre Palace, the Palace of Versailles, the Royal Palace of Caserta and the Castle of Fontainebleau. It has more than 500 rooms and contains seven gardens and eight courtyards. Although most famous for Mantegna's frescos in the Camera degli Sposi, they have many other very significant architectural and painted elements.
Ferdinand I Gonzaga was Duke of Mantua and Duke of Montferrat from 1612 until his death.
Eleonora Gonzaga, was by birth Princess of Mantua, Nevers and Rethel from the Nevers branch of the House of Gonzaga and was Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia by marriage to Emperor Ferdinand III.
Vincenzo II Gonzaga was Duke of Mantua and Duke of Montferrat from 1626 until his death.
Eleanor de' Medici was a Duchess of Mantua by marriage to Vincenzo I Gonzaga. She served as regent of Mantua 1595, 1597 and 1601, when Vincenzo served in the Austrian campaign in Hungary, and in 1602, when he left for Flanders for medical treatment. She was a daughter of Francesco I de' Medici and Joanna of Austria and the sister of Marie de' Medici, Queen of France.
Margherita Gonzaga was Duchess of Lorraine from 1606 until 1624 by marriage to Henry II, Duke of Lorraine. She was an agent of Pro-French and anti Protestant policy in Lorraine, and is most known for her support of her daughter Nicole's right to the Duchy of Lorraine. She also claimed her right to Monferrato during the Mantuan war of succession.
Charles II Gonzaga was the son of Charles I, Duke of Mantua, and Catherine de Lorraine-Guise. He was the Duke of Nevers and Rethel, together with his father.
Giovanni Maria Bacchini was an Italian castrato, composer, writer on music, and Roman Catholic priest who flourished during the late 16th century and early 17th century.
Isabella Gonzaga, was an Italian aristocrat. She was Lady Consort of San Martino dall'Argine by marriage to Ferrante Gonzaga, Lord of San Martino dall'Argine, and Duchess consort of Mantua and Montferrat by marriage to Vincenzo II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua. She served as regent of San Martino dall'Argine during the minority of her son Scipione between 1605 and 1613.
Descent from the Cross is an oil-on-canvas painting of 1600–1602 by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens. It was his first major commissioned work made for the private chapel of Eleonora de’ Medici Gonzaga (1567–1611), duchess of Mantua. The painting remained somewhat obscure until 2001, when it was discovered by German art historian Justus Müller-Hofstede, a specialist on Rubens' early work.
The Basilica Palatina di Santa Barbara is the Palatine Chapel of the House of Gonzaga in Mantua, Italy.
The Fasti of the Gonzagas or Gonzaga Cycle is a 1578-1580 cycle of oil on canvas paintings commissioned from Tintoretto and his workshop by Guglielmo Gonzaga to hang in two of the new rooms he had added to the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua. They celebrate the history of the Gonzaga family, particularly its military triumphs in the 15th and 16th centuries, and remained in the city until being taken to Venice in the early 18th century by the tenth and final Gonzaga duke Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga. There they were bought in 1708 by Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria for his collection in Munich, where they still hang in the Alte Pinakothek.
1 2 3 4 5 Huemer, Frances (1977). "Portraits Painted in Foreign Countries". Corpus Rubenianum Ludwig Burchard. pp.26–33.
1 2 Grendler, Paul F. (2009). The University of Mantua, the Gonzaga, and the Jesuits, 1584–1630. pp.24–53.
↑ Bertelli, Paolo (2017). "Sparsa animae fragmenta recolligam. I ritratti della Pala della Trinità di Rubens e la fortuna dei loro modelli iconograici". Ricostruendo Rubens. La famiglia Gonzaga in adorazione della Trinità. Mantua. p.13.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
↑ Zamperini, Alessandra. "Modelli filoasburgici, celebrazione dinastica e "pietas gonzaghesca" nella Pala della Trinità. Questioni di genere e di potere". Ricostruendo Rubens. La famiglia Gonzaga in adorazione della Trinità. pp.29–37.
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Rubens, Baptism of Christ, 1604-1605, Anversa, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten
Rubens, The Gonzaga Family Worshipping the Holy Trinity
Rubens, Transfiguration, 1604-1605, Nancy, Musée des beaux-arts
