An exhibition in Mantua to learn about autographs documenting Rubens' Mantua period

Until January 6, 2024, it will be possible to visit in Mantua, in the Sacristy of the Holy Trinity in Via Dottrina Cristiana 4, the exhibition Rubens. A Free Genius at the Court of the Gonzaga, curated by art historian Paolo Bertelli and Mantua State Archives director Luisa Onesta Tamassia, with the collaboration of Paola Artoni. The exhibition, which is part of the relevant events of 2023 dedicated to Pieter Paul Rubens, ongoing at Palazzo Te and Palazzo Ducale in Mantua, aims to deepen the knowledge of a nucleus of seventeen autographs preserved in theState Archives of Mantua that document Rubens’ Mantuan period. These documents are important for understanding the artist’s activity during his youthful formation.

A section of the exhibition is devoted to the commissioning and events of Rubens’ three large canvases: the Gonzaga Family in Adoration of the SS. Trinity (now in Mantua, Ducal Palace), the Baptism of Christ (now in Antwerp, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten) and the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor (now in Nancy, Musée des Beaux-arts), which from 1605, the year of their inauguration, to the end of the 18th century adorned the apse of the Jesuit church of the Holy Trinity, now the main repository of the State Archives.

In this context, asite-specific installation was conceived thanks to the collaboration with the Liceo Artistico “Giulio Romano” high school in Mantua. The students, led by teacher Vincenzo Paonessa, created a sort of scale model of the apse of the Holy Trinity church, evoked by a light metal structure used to display reproductions of the three large paintings. Accommodating this reconstruction is the scarsella of the Holy Trinity sacristy, characterized by fine stucco decoration.

Alongside the documents, paintings and prints are displayed, commenting on and complementing the archival papers. It is thus possible to explore certain themes, such as the acquisition of Caravaggio’s Death of the Virgin (made possible by Rubens, who worked on behalf of Vincenzo I Gonzaga), or the failure to acquire the first version of the Madonna of Vallicella (now in the Grenoble Museum).

Accompanying the exhibition is a volume from the “Percorsi” series of the State Archives directed by Luisa Onesta Tamassia, which re-presents not only the essays, transcriptions and descriptions of the works on display, but also the layout of this reconstruction.

In-depth lectures are also scheduled during the exhibition. In particular, thanks to the collaboration with Ca’ Foscari University Venice (Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage), it will be possible to witness non-invasive analysis of the works on display, carried out by Giulio Pojana and Paolo Bertelli. The investigation, which will be open to the public, is intended to be both an informative moment, to allow the general public to learn about the cutting-edge techniques that will be used, and a scientific one, with the acquisition of data that may have important implications related to the understanding of the work and the attribution of the paintings.

The exhibition is organized by the Mantua State Archives with the fundamental support given by important business entities, such as Pontek srl, Ance Mantova, Assindustria Mantova, and the Friends of the Mantua State Archives.

On the occasion of Paper Sunday, the exhibition will be open to the public, with free admission, on Sunday, October 8, 2023 from 3 to 7 p. m. (visits on other dates only by reservation at 0376/324441). On the same day, at 4:30 p.m. Paolo Bertelli will present his volume Un ritratto ritrovato di Vincenzo I Gonzaga. New Notes on the Iconography of the Fourth Duke of Mantua, published by Publi Paolini, with an essay by Alice S. Legé. This is the first volume in the series Gonzaga Iconography.

An exhibition in Mantua to learn about autographs documenting Rubens' Mantua period

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