"Whoever gifted this painting to Donna Olimpia must have known her intimately to present her with a work so resonant with her personal aesthetic and ambition/' GUERCINO'S ERMINIA A Gifted Painting's Story of Italian Power Culture KATHERINE WILLIAMSON O AMIDST T H E DECADENCE OF BAROQUE ROME, PRESENTING ROMANITAS ( l.E. "ROM AN-N ESS") WAS ESSENTIAL TO B E C O M I N G PART OF T H E CITY'S G O V E R N I N G ELITE. ESTABLISHING ART C O L L E C - T I O N S AND PICTURE G A L L E R I E S WAS A MEANS FOR AMBITIOUS FAMILIES TO DISPLAY THEIR S O C I O - E C O N O M I C STATUS, SOPHISTICATION, AND WORTHINESS TO ASSUME A ROLE AMONG T H E FORE- MOST ROMAN FAMILIES. LIKE MANY ROMAN NOBLES I N TH E S E V E N T E E N T H CENTURY, T H E PAMPHILJ FAMILY AMASSED A C O L L E C T I O N , SOME OF W H I C H SURVIVES IN T H E GALLERIA DOR IA-PAM PHI LJ IN ROME. A L T H O U G H T H E PAMPHILJS USED T H E ACCUMULATION O F ART TO DRIVE THEIR FAMILIAL AMBITION, THIS FAMILY AND THEIR RELATION TO T H E PONTIFICATE WERE UNUSUAL DUE TO T H E STATUS OF DONNA OLIMPIA MAIDALCHINI PAMPHILJ, SISTER-IN-LAW O F POPE I N N O C E N T X. T H E SELF-APPOINTED MATRIARCH F A S H I O N E D H E R S E L F INTO A WOMAN OF I N F L U E N C E , AND WAS C O N - S I D E R E D BY S O M E TO BE T H E REAL POWER B E H I N D T H E PAMPHILJ PAPACY. T H E STUDY OF G U E R C I - NO'S ERMINA FINDS THE WOUNDED TANCRED, A PAINTING FROM T H E PAMPHILJ C O L L E C T I O N WITH TIES TO DONNA OLIMPIA, S H E D S LIGHT UPON T H E COMPLEXITY OF HER POWERFUL ROLE IN ROME AND ELUCIDATES T H E ROLE OF ART IN T H E BAROQUE PERIOD. o I N T R O D U C T I O N Guercino's p a i n t i n g Erminia Finds the Wounded Tancred is nearly six feet w i d e by five feet h i g h and current ly hangs i n the Dor ia Pamphi l j Gallery's Galleria A l d o b r a n d i n i . But th is was n o t its o r i g i n a l h o m e ; i f the o r i g i n a l owner were s t i l l alive, there is l i t t l e doubt she w o u l d be vexed by its cur- rent locat ion. A c c o r d i n g to m e m b e r s o f the Doria-Pam- p h i l j family, the w o r k was presented as a gift to D o n n a O l i m p i a M a i d a l c h i n i P a m p h i l j , the wi fe o f P a m p h i l i o P a m p h i l j , sister-in-law o f Giovanni-Battista P a m p h i l j , and a person o f s tanding i n the pontif icate o f Pope Innocent X . T h o u g h the p a i n t i n g first appears i n the Pamphi l j records i n the 1657 inventory o f the v i l la at San M a r t i n o al C i m i n o . t h e r e is n o conclusive evidence regarding the cir- cumstances s u r r o u n d i n g this generous gi f t . 1 A c i r c u m - stantial f r a m e w o r k may be pieced together to i l l u m i n a t e the possible ident i ty o f the benefactor and the occasion o f his grat itude. Due to the seventeenth-century's part icular gift cu l ture , the p r o m i n e n c e o f the artist and his patrons, and the pa int ing ' s subject matter , i t is probable that Er- minia Finds the Wounded Tancred was presented to D o n n a O l i m p i a as a gift by one o f Rome's c u l t u r a l l u m i n a r i e s . The practice o f gift g i v i n g has always played an integra l role i n western cu l ture . Since ant iqu i ty i t has been a com- m o n c u s t o m to present precious i tems to figures o f au- thori ty , whether k ings or gods, i n order to gain approval or appease the i r sense o f just ice . 2 I t was n o t u n t i l the M i d d l e Ages, however, that a gift economy developed, thus stan- d a r d i z i n g the practice o f bar ter ing goods for favors. 3 U n - l ike a payment , the gift acquired an altruist ic pretense that bestowed benevolence o n the giver and magnif icence u p o n the receiver, thus c o m m e n d i n g b o t h parties involved i n the exchange. 4 The practice o f purposefu l g i f t -g iv ing c o n t i n u e d to be a m a j o r part o f European cul ture , and i n the seventeenth-century—due to the part icular c l imate o f conspicuous c o n s u m p t i o n — g i f t - g i v i n g became an obliga- tory f o r m o f r i t u a l exchange. 5 As the practice evolved, there was s ignif icantly less emphasis o n m a i n t a i n i n g an appear- ance o f a l t r u i s m because cor rupt dealings were c o m m o n practice, a Machiavel l ian necessity for an i n d i v i d u a l to ob- t a i n a favorable outcome f r o m a f igure o f author i ty . 6 D O N N A O L I M P I A ! A W O M A N OF I N F L U E N C E " T h o u g h D o n n a O l i m p i a M a i d a l c h i n i was n o t i n a pos i t ion o f f o r m a l authority , she (like her brother- in- law Giovanni Battista) was perceived as a c o n d u i t to cur ia l , cardinal , a n d eventually, papal power. She exploited her u n i q u e pos i t ion v as G iovanni Battista's p r i m a r y consort i n order to ga in power and prestige i n the papal city. D o n n a O l i m p i a was a p r o m i n e n t figure i n seventeenth-century Rome, causing great scandal and i n t r i g u e t h r o u g h o u t the d u r a t i o n o f her tenure i n the city. H a i l i n g f r o m Viterbo, she came to Rome as a y o u n g w i d o w a n d proceeded to m a r r y i n t o one o f the city's oldest famil ies i n 1612, b r i n g i n g much-needed l i q u i d assets to the u n i o n . 7 I n exchange, "The y o u n g w o m a n gained a stage that was m o r e suited to her w o r l d l y a c u m e n t h a n her unsophist icated h o m e t o w n . " 8 H e r previous mar- riage left her w i t h a sizable dowry that she used strategi- cally to p r o m o t e herself, and the Pamphi l j family, a n d to fur ther the ecclesiastical career o f her brother- in- law (later Pope Innocent X ) . 9 Accord ing to contemporary sources, D o n n a O l i m p i a financially supported the future Pope dur- i n g his t i m e as papal n u n c i o , a n d i t is r u m o r e d that she used her monetary inf luence to secure h i m this p o s i t i o n . 1 0 After the death o f her husband , Pamphi l io , i n 1639, G iovanni Battista "placed D o n n a O l i m p i a i n charge o f the Pamphi l j pa t r imony , g r a n t i n g her an official role i n over- seeing the fami ly . " 1 1 Th i s part icular role gave her the op- p o r t u n i t y b o t h to m a i n t a i n and to contro l the family 's fi- nances and publ i c image. By delegating th is responsibi l i ty to her, G iovanni Battista pub l i c ly acknowledged his t rus t i n her intel l igence a n d j u d g m e n t and assured her p r o m i - n e n t p o s i t i o n i n his l i fe and w i t h i n the Pamphi l j family. U p o n Giovanni 's election to the papacy i n 1644, O l i m p i a received an endless stream o f courtiers seeking her good- w i l l ; nobi l i ty , fore ign ambassadors, a n d min i s te r s o f the palace called o n her to gain her ear and favor. 1 2 There is n o — n o r can there be any—expl ic i t direct evidence con- c e r n i n g the extent to w h i c h D o n n a O l i m p i a in f luenced the decisions o f Pope I n n o c e n t X , b u t she d i d occupy an enor- m o u s l y power fu l p o s i t i o n at the papal court , g r a n t i n g of- fices and benefices to those w h o best cur r i ed her favor. 1 3 , 1 4 A c c o r d i n g to a w r i t t e n account by the Venet ian ambassa- dor: Donna Olimpia . . . the only object of political favors, who holds the sum of authority, is a woman of genius and virile spirit and makes one know woman only as prideful and ava- ricious, whence it is necessary for the pretenders at Court to give her incessant homage and favors.1^ H e r p r o m i n e n c e i n Innocent ' s pontif icate made her the de facto cardinal nephew, a pos i t ion scandalous for a w o m a n to h o l d , for i t was reserved for a t rus ted male relative and entai led overseeing m a n y o f the m o s t v i ta l elements o f pa- pal a d m i n i s t r a t i o n . Generally, D o n n a Ol impia ' s presence E L E M E N T S : : F A L L 2 0 1 0 9 ERMINIA FINDS THE WOUNDED TANCRED BY G I O V A N N I F R A N C E S C O G U E R C I N O . ta in ly w o u l d have been after spending just a few m o m e n t s i n the noble chambers and her audience r o o m . T h o u g h the re lat ionship between D o n n a O l i m p i a a n d Pope Innocent X was scandalous, i t was n o t w i t h o u t prece- dence. A n n a Colonna Barber in i played a d ip lomat ic role d u r i n g her brother- in- law's—that is, Pope U r b a n V I I I ' s — r e i g n as pope; D o n n a O l i m p i a greatly a d m i r e d A n n a Bar- b e r i n i , and looked to her as a personal role m o d e l . 2 0 D o n - na O l i m p i a M a i d a l c h i n i , however, d i d n o t serve i n a d ip lomat ic pos i t ion , rather t a k i n g a place as Innocent X's p r i m a r y consort, p u s h i n g gender roles to the l i m i t i n a t r a d i t i o n - b o u n d government and city. T h o u g h she faced J was resented i n a papal government that was "by def ini- t i o n restr icted to celibate male ecclesiastics." 1 6 H e r i n f l u - ent ia l p o s i t i o n i n the papal court is re inforced i n the reno- vated Palazzo Pamphi l j o n the Piazza Navona, w h i c h was constructed u n d e r her d i rec t ion between 1644 and 1650. 1 7 The n e w palace "prov ided her w i t h a suitable sett ing for her central role i n the Pamphi l j pontif icate and aggran- dized her presence to v i s i tors . " 1 8 She exalted herse l f u s i n g pa inted imagery i n the chambers o f the p iano nobi le , w h i c h references her b o t h indirect ly and directly. These al- lus ions to her underscore her p r e e m i n e n t p o s i t i o n i n the palace.' 9 I f callers were not previously aware o f D o n n a Ol impia ' s stature before they entered the palace, they cer- C U E R C I N O ' S ERMINIA serious c r i t i c i s m for her close re lat ionship w i t h Giovanni Battista, she acted i n the age-old t r a d i t i o n o f the i n f l u e n t i a l w o m e n b e h i n d the m a n . I f fore ign ambassadors and local n o b i l i t y often courted royal wives i n order to ga in favor w i t h , or receive benefits f r o m , other rulers , w h y not the Pope h i m s e l f . 2 1 Gifts were a p r i m a r y avenue to curry the favor o f these w o m e n . D o n n a O l i m p i a was an exception- ally p r o m i n e n t w o m e n , so i t is reasonable to presume that Guercino's p a i n t i n g entered the col lect ion as a gift to the Pamphi l j m a t r i a r c h . G U E R C I N O : A M A S T E R H I G H L Y P R I Z E D Guercino's Erminia Finds the Wounded Tancred w o u l d have made an appropriate gift for the Pamphi l j m a t r i a r c h . Due to the p r o m i n e n c e o f the artist , the pedigree o f h is patrons, and the subject matter o f the p a i n t i n g , the p ic ture w o u l d have appealed to D o n n a O l i m p i a . Guercino's w o r k was h i g h l y coveted i n early seventeenth-century Italy. B o r n i n Cento, a smal l village between Bologna a n d Ferrara, i n P O R T R A I T O F P O P E I N N O C E N T X, D E P I C T I N G T H E B R O T H E R - I N - L A W O F D O N N A O L I M P I A . "Donna Olimpia may have identified with the story of Erminia, since both the poem and the painting advocate female empowerment according to her beliefs and tastes/' 1591, the artist showed remarkable talent at a y o u n g age and apprenticed b o t h w i t h Benedetto Gennar i Sr. i n Cento a n d w i t h the perspective painter Paolo Zagnone i n Bolo- gna before the age o f t w e n t y - t w o . 2 2 After leaving Zagnone, Guerc ino earned h i g h praise f r o m his fe l low a r t i s t s — i n - c l u d i n g the famed Carracci b r o t h e r s — a n d attracted wealthy and i n f l u e n t i a l patrons that i n c l u d e d b o t h papal famil ies a n d local n o b i l i t y . 2 3 By 1617 he h a d already w o r k e d o n o i l pa int ings for Cardinal Alessandro Ludovis i (later Pope Gregory XV) a n d for Cos imo I I de M e d i c i , G r a n d D u k e o f Tuscany. 2 4 Moreover, between 1619 a n d 1620 he produced five pa int ings for Jacopo Serra, Cardinal Legate o f Ferrara. Guerc ino was k n i g h t e d "as he was i n M a n t u a i n 1620 for the works he h a d pa inted for Ferdinando Gonza- ga, D u k e o f M a n t u a . " 2 5 By the age o f twenty-eight , Guerci- n o h a d established a reputa t ion that extended beyond the local r eg ion and was k n o w n to the m o s t p o w e r f u l a n d wealthy famil ies i n Italy. After the election o f Ludovis i to the papacy i n 1621, Guer- c ino was called to Rome to pa int the Benedict ion Loggia o f Saint Peter's . 2 6 T h o u g h th is part icular project never came to f r u i t i o n , the artist gained i n t e r n a t i o n a l fame as w e l l as m a n y high-prof i le patrons associated w i t h the papacy, i n - c l u d i n g the Borghese and the Barber in i f ami l i e s . 2 7 Be- tween 1621 and 1623, Guerc ino became fur ther entrenched w i t h Rome's c u l t u r a l elite, p a i n t i n g decorative cycles i n the Casino Ludovis i , Palazzo Lancelott i , and the Palazzo Pa- t r i z i . 2 8 H e was even c o m m i s s i o n e d by Cardinal Scipione Borghese to decorate the ce i l ing o f the C h u r c h o f San Cr i sogno . 2 9 But Guercino's t i m e i n Rome was b r i e f and, after the death o f Pope Gregory X V i n 1623, the artist left the papal city. 3° E L E M E N T S : : F A L L 2010 Guercino's popular i ty became so great and his pa int ings so coveted that w h e n he r e t u r n e d to his native Cento, h is w o r k was solicited n o t only by h i s previous R o m a n pa- trons , b u t also by nobles across the globe. 3 1 For example, the k ings o f b o t h England and b o t h France sought, unsuc- cessfully, to purchase his pa int ings and to acquire his ser- vices as a court painter. Given his n e w f o u n d prestige and high-regard for his w o r k , the presence o f one o f Guercino's pa int ings i n the Pamphi l j art col lect ion w o u l d have been an accompl i shment for the family, w h i c h - u n t i l G iovanni Battista gained his cardinal hat i n 1626 - h a d n o t yet fu l ly secured its place a m o n g the foremost R o m a n fami l i e s . 3 2 D o n n a Ol impia ' s a m b i t i o n for the Pamphi l j f ami ly and for G iovanni Battista i m p e l l e d her to make tangible , visible connections to these papal famil ies . Establ ishing an art col lect ion that w o u l d measure u p m i g h t have been an ef- fective means o f accompl i sh ing this goal. Th i s postulate is strengthened by the fact that D o n n a O l i m p i a h a d w o r k e d to establish the Pamphi j f ami ly as a collector o f p r o m i n e n t art. Pr ior to her marr iage i n t o the f ami ly i n 1612, the fam- i ly h a d n o t collected art at a l l . 3 3 As such, i t is reasonable to presume that she took part icular care i n selecting w h i c h pa int ings the f ami ly acquired a n d presented to the publ ic , for these works w o u l d have c o m m u n i c a t e d ostensibly the family 's social r a n k and sol idi f ied the i r c laims to R o m a n her i tage. 3 4 T H E G I F T ! C O N T E N T A N D I N T E R P R E T A T I O N Guerc ino pa inted Erminia Finds the Wounded Tancred be- tween 1618 and 1619, p r i o r to the artist 's R o m a n so journ , and exemplifies his younger, m o r e dramatic style. The m o - saicist Marcel lo Provenzali or ig ina l ly c o m m i s s i o n e d the w o r k , a n d i t was given subsequently to Stefano Pignate l l i . 3 5 The p a i n t i n g depicts arguably the m o s t dramat ic scene i n Torquato Tasso's epic p o e m Jerusalem Delivered. Erminia Finds the Wounded Tancred is rooted i n Canto X I X , where E r m i n i a - a m a i d e n w h o falls i n love w i t h a hero i n the First Crusade n a m e d Tancred and betrays her people to help h i m - encounters her w o u n d e d beloved. T h r o u g h o u t the p o e m E r m i n i a has sacrificed her safety i n an effort to pursue and a id Tancred, even t h o u g h her love has gone u n r e q u i t e d . Th i s p a i n t i n g depicts the episode after the noble Vafr ine, another w a r r i o r i n the Crusade, has entreat- ed Erminia ' s assistance to heal Tancred, and she is over- come by passion and sorrow at the s ight o f her i n j u r e d love: The misadventurous girl had stopped to peer At the fierce soldier, a little ways apart, When the sound of his sad voice came to her ear: It was arrow through her loving heart. The name of Tancred was enough for her; Madly or drunkenly she came, she caught Sight of the handsome face, its color gone. She didn't dismount, she leapt from the horse—and upon His body let pour forth a ceaseless flow Of tears, and words she uttered mixed with sighs: "Into what misery Fortune leads me now! How sad and bitter a spectacle meets my eyes! So much time, so much pain I took to find you, Tancred—I see you, but you can't recognize Me—I am here, and you cannot see, I find you, and I lose you eternally?6 Guerc ino captures the o v e r w h e l m i n g sense o f shock a n d h o r r o r described by Tasso, e m p l o y i n g a dark palette a n d theatr ical gestures to express the drama o f the scene. Th i s T O R Q U A T O T A S S O P E N N E D JERUSALEM DELIVERED, O N W H I C H G U E R C I N O ' S ERMINIA IS B A S E D . G U E R C I N O ' S ERMINIA is a h i g h l y u n u s u a l depict ion o f the poetic scene, for n o t only is the viewer t h r u s t i n t o the m i d d l e o f the act ion, b u t also Argantes—the source o f Tancred's near-fatal wour ids — i s absent. Compared to pa int ings o f th is very scene by Guercino's near-contemporaries, such as the French aca- demic painter Nicolas Poussin, Guercino's w o r k is far m o r e theatrical , ant ic ipat ing the style o f m a n y mid-seven- teenth-century I ta l i an artists a n d also recal l ing great mas- terpieces o f artists such as Caravaggio. Guercino's style s ignif icantly changed w h e n he r e t u r n e d to Cento i n 1623. H i s art gradually m o v e d away f r o m the dramatic gestures and chiaroscuro o f the Baroque, b e c o m i n g m o r e classical as his career pro- gressed. As part o f the Pamphi l j art col- lect ion, the early Er- minia Finds the Wounded Tancred w o u l d have visual ly signaled that the Pamphi l j h a d ac- q u i r e d Guercino's w o r k before he re- t u r n e d to Cento, thus suggesting that they were i n league w i t h famil ies such as the Borghese and Barber in i , w h o were the p r i m a r y patrons o f Guercino's b r i e f s t int i n Rome. Con- sequently, this pic- ture w o u l d have act- ed as a s ignif ier o f the Pamphi l j ' s no- ble status i n the pa- pal city's social hierarchy. Th i s p a i n t i n g w o u l d have made a perfectly f i t t i n g gift for D o n n a O l i m p i a M a i d a l c h i n i , since b o t h the pa int ing ' s subject matter a n d provenance accord w i t h her f a m i l i a l ambi t ions . I t w o u l d have h e l d enormous appeal for the Pamphi l j m a t r i a r c h i n part icular because she was attracted to portrayals o f s t rong w o m e n . I n the renovated Pamphi l j palace, she had her audience rooms decorated w i t h fres- coes o f the O l d Testament heroines Judith, Esther, a n d Abiga i l . The visual spectacle i n her camera grande is argu- ably the m o s t c o m p e l l i n g , for the "display o f female leader- ship was especially germane i n th is r o o m where [she] exer- A W I N G O F T H E T H E D O R I A P A M P H PART O F D O N N A O L I M P I A ' S C O L L E C T I cised her author i ty by receiving visitors and m e t i n g out favors to the fo r tunate . " 3 7 Extending i n t o her o w n quarters, th is imagery served to a u g m e n t her persona i n the p o n t i f i - cate o f Innocent X and to p r o m o t e visual ly her m a x i m that the power o f w o m e n should n o t be underes t imated . 3 8 D o n - na O l i m p i a may have ident i f ied w i t h the story o f E r m i n i a , since b o t h the p o e m and p a i n t i n g advocate female empow- e r m e n t according to her beliefs and taste. Tasso and Guerc ino are noted for depic t ing m o n u m e n t a l w o m e n i n the i r respective m e d i u m s . 3 9 Tasso's epic p o e m is often cited for its p r o m i n e n t and positive portrayal o f w o m e n ; his female characters, i n c l u d - i n g E r m i n i a , play an integra l role i n the story, shaping the arch o f the p o e m outside o f the purgatory o f side plots where poets typical ly relegated female characters. I n his p a i n t i n g , Guerc ino taps i n t o Tasso's sp i r i ted portrayal o f w o m - en, present ing Er- m i n i a as a m o n u - m e n t a l figure. She is physically very large, n i g h statu- esque, a n d b o t h the theatr ical l i g h t i n g a n d p o s i t i o n i n g o f the other figures draws the viewer's gaze directly to her. The w o u n d e d Tancred a lmost disap- pears f r o m sight, eclipsed by Erminia ' s flowing drapery and dramat ic gesture. Whoever gifted this p a i n t i n g to D o n n a O l i m p i a m u s t have k n o w her i n t i m a t e l y to present her w i t h a w o r k so resonant w i t h her personal aesthetic and a m b i t i o n . T H E G I V E R ! ALL SIGNS P O I N T TO P I G N A T E L L I T h o u g h the ident i ty o f the pa int ing ' s benefactor is official- ly u n k n o w n since there are n o w r i t t e n documents to p i n d o w n its t r a i l f r o m Guercino's h a n d to D o n n a O l i m i p i a ' s , i t is probable that Stefano Pignatelli 's was his benefactor ILJ GALLERY, W H I C H T O D A Y H O U S E S O N . E L E M E N T S F A L L 2010 given his acquaintance w i t h the Pamphi l j f ami ly and f r i endsh ip w i t h D o n n a O l i m p i a . Pignatel l i was connected to the p a i n t i n g i n quest ion i n t w o s ignif icant ways: n o t only was he the last k n o w n owner o f the p a i n t i n g before i t entered the Pamphi l j col lect ion, b u t he also was involved i n the architectural plans o f the Casa Pamphi l j i n 1615. Pig- nate l l i was a s ignif icant player i n Rome's cu l tura l m i l i e u ; a m e m b e r o f the " in te l l ec tua l l y -minded" Accademia degl i U m o r i s t i , he pat ronized wr i ters , collected pa int ings a n d scientific i n s t r u m e n t s , a n d had a part icular penchant for a rch i tec ture . 4 0 H e was a close f r i e n d and t rusted advisor o f Cardinal Scipione Borghese and was made cardinal h i m - self i n 1621. 4 1 The Pamphi l j f ami ly had close ties to the Borghese family, a n d the Pamphi l j s may have made Pig- natell i 's acquaintance t h r o u g h this c o n n e c t i o n . 4 2 Never- theless, i n 1615 G iovanni Battista P a m p h i l j — w h o at th is t i m e was serving i n the curia as auditor o f the t r i b u n a l o f the Rota—and his brother, Pamphi l io , were i n the process o f renovat ing the i r homestead. 4 3 A l t h o u g h the i r unc le Gi- r o l a m o had served as a cardinal i n the pontif icate o f C lem- ent V I I I , he had neglected to re furb i sh the i r h o m e i n keep- i n g w i t h his status as a pr ince o f R o m e . 4 4 After Girolamo's death, the Pamphi l j brothers took i t u p o n themselves to refashion i t i n l ine w i t h the i r f a m i l i a l a m b i t i o n s . 4 5 I n 1615, three years after D o n n a O l i m p i a h a d m a r r i e d i n t o the Pamphi l j family, Pignatel l i created a floor p l a n for the Casa P a m p h i l j . D o n n a Ol impia ' s interest i n the last ing architec- ture probably drew her to play a p r o m i n e n t role i n the physical re fashioning o f the Pamphi l j res idence. 4 6 Pig- nate l l i may have taken a l i k i n g to D o n n a O l i m p i a because she was wide ly k n o w n for her intel l igence and preference for the company o f m e n , or he may have seen parallels between Erminia ' s sp i r i t and that o f D o n n a Ol impia ' s . Even so, t h o u g h m a n y probable causes exist and t h o u g h the c i rcumstant ia l evidence is c o m p e l l i n g , the motives and, indeed, whether Pignatel l i actually presented the Pamphi l j m a t r i a r c h w i t h Guercino's Erminia Finds The Wounded Tancred w i l l never be k n o w n w i t h certainty so l o n g as the absence o f w r i t t e n evidence persists. T H E G I F T I N P E R S P E C T I V E Guercino's p a i n t i n g is valued because the h a n d o f a h i g h l y sought-after artist created i t . The subject matter i t s e l f w o u l d not have made th is p a i n t i n g u n i q u e or part icular ly s ignif icant i n seventeenth-century Rome. I n fact, the p o e m was so u b i q u i t o u s that i t may have been considered a stan- dard subject a m o n g collectors. Tasso's epic p o e m was or ig- inal ly pub l i shed i n 1581 and enjoyed enormous popular i ty t h r o u g h o u t the I ta l i an peninsula i n b o t h the sixteenth and seventeenth-centuries. Scholars have suggested that the reading o f a n d fami l i a r i ty w i t h Jerusalem Delivered i n the seventeenth-century "presumably involved l i t t l e m o r e t h a n the reading o f Robinson Crusoe i n the t w e n t i e t h . " 4 7 There are several peculiarit ies , however, that m a k e the p a i n t i n g u n i q u e to the Pamphi l j family. I n 1657 the p ic ture was housed i n D o n n a Ol impia ' s private residence at San M a r t i n o al C i m i n o , near her h o m e t o w n o f V i terbo . She purchased th is property short ly after G iovanni Battista as- cended to the papacy—at w h i c h t i m e he raised the fief to a pr incipal i ty , m a k i n g D o n n a O l i m p i a the principessa d i San M a r t i n o . 4 8 The fact that she kept Guercino's p a i n t i n g i n this part icular residence suggests that the w o r k as- s u m e d a special m e a n i n g for her. After D o n n a Ol impia ' s death the fami ly kept the p a i n t i n g , t h o u g h the m a j o r i t y o f the art col lect ion was later deacces- s i o n e d . 4 9 T h o u g h the work ' s endurance i n the col lect ion may be a t t r ibuted to the p r o m i n e n c e o f the artist and his R o m a n patrons, the subject i t se l f may have played an i m - portant role. Accord ing to the Pamphi l j family 's 1666 i n - ventory, the i r p a i n t i n g col lect ion contained three addi t ion- al works related to Jerusalem Delivered, a l l o f w h i c h n a m e E r m i n i a as the p r i m a r y figure.50 G iovanni Francesco Ro- manel l i ' s Erminia con il Vecchio pastore, for example, was acquired i n 1648. 5 1 The n u m b e r o f ' E r m i n i a ' pa int ings i n the 1666 Pamhi l j col lect ion suggests that the f ami ly had a part icular aff inity for the love-struck hero ine , and t h o u g h pictures depic t ing E r m i n i a f r o m various episodes o f Jeru- salem Delivered were c o m m o n i n seventeenth-century Rome, m o s t famil ies had at m o s t one or two examples, n o t four . 5 2 A l t h o u g h i t cannot be def init ively established that the Pamphi l j ' s E r m i n i a col lect ion is directly connected to D o n n a O l i m p i a M a i d a l c h i n i , the c i rcumstant ia l evidence, namely the liveliness o f the fictional and his tor ica l w o m e n , suggests a h i g h l y plausible correspondence. I f th is shared ident i ty d i d i n fact exist, i t w o u l d infer that D o n n a O l i m p i a l i teral ly embedded herse l f i n the family 's pat r imony , fur- ther ar t icu la t ing her power for posterity. Guercino's Erminia Finds the Wounded Tancred r emains one o f the m o s t s ignif icant pictures i n the m o d e r n Doria- Pamphi l j art col lect ion. I t is a d m i r e d because o f its subject and the genius o f Guercino's artistry. The p a i n t i n g n o t only speaks to the artist's talents, b u t also reveals some- t h i n g o f the i n n e r w o r k i n g s o f the Pamphi l j f ami ly i n the seventeenth century and its g rand m a t r i a r c h , D o n n a O l i m - pia M a i d a l c h i n i . T h o u g h the picture's precise pedigree cannot be def init ively de te rmined , the p r o m i n e n c e o f the artist and his patrons, as w e l l as the pa int ing ' s part icular ; J G U E R C I N O ' S ERMINIA iconography, serve to fur ther substantiate the pr imacy o f D o n n a Ol impia ' s role i n Rome and her c o n t i n u i n g pres- ence w i t h i n the Pamphi l j art col lect ion. The Pamphi l j ma- triarch's re lat ionship to Erminia Finds the Wounded Tancred suggests that the p ic ture s t i l l has m u c h to offer art h i s tor i - ans o n b o t h a b iographica l and iconographical level. De- finitive answers regarding this connect ion m a y only be unear thed by uncover ing a n d analyzing Stefano Pignatel- li 's w i l l , or by discovering previously u n k n o w n correspon- dence between D o n n a O l i m p i a and Pignatel l i . These docu- ments , i f they indeed exist, w o u l d surely shed l i g h t o n the re lat ionship between these two indiv idua ls and the i r shared interest i n Guercino's p a i n t i n g . For now, al l that may be concluded is that the Pamphi l j ' s be l i e f that Erminia Finds the Wounded Tancred entered the i r family 's col lect ion as a gift to D o n n a O l i m p i a is qui te c o m p e l l i n g , and may w e l l be the t r u t h . E N D N O T E S 1. "Erminia Finds the Wounded Tancredi." doriapamphilj.it. Galleria Doria Pamphilj. 2. Mauss (i) 3. Goldthwaite (152) 4. Bischoff (19) 5. Ibid. 6. Bischoff (20*21) 7. Leone (95) 8. Ibid. 9. Ibid. 10. Ibid. 11. Leone (107) 12. Leone (155-56) 13. Currently, scholars are not aware of any written documents that detail what specific power the Pamphilj matriarch wielded i n the papal court, cf. Leone. 14. Leone (145) 15. Ibid. 16. Leone (145) 17. Leone (213) 18. Leone (156) 19. Ibid. 20. Leone (157) 21. Bischoff (21) 22. Mahon (118), Prasad (12) 23. Prasad (22) 24. De Grazia (44) 25. Ibid. 26. Mahon (47) 27. Ebert-Schifferer (99) 28. De Grazia (47) 29. Ibid. 30. Ibid. 31. Notably, the cardinals who most often requested paintings V from h i m i n Cento were the "creatures" of Pope Urban V I I I (a member of the Barberini family). 32. Levillain (801) 33. Stephanie Leone. "Collecting i n Renaissance Florence: The Medici". Boston College, Chestnut H i l l , MA. 28 Sep 2009. 34. In order to ascend Rome's social ladder, one had to evidence one's Roman ancestry; generally, this could be accomplished through the acquisition of property and material wealth, cf. Leone, "Collecting i n Renaissance Florence: The Medici". 28 Sep 2009. 35. "Erminia Finds the Wounded Tancredi." doriapamphilj.it. Galleria Doria Pamphilj. 36.. Tasso (104-105) 37. Leone (217) 38. Ibid. 39. Waterhouse (20-21) 40. Ehrlich (32), Leone (88) 41. Ehrlich (32) 42. Leone (88) 43. Levillain (801) 44. Leone (88) 45. Ibid. 46. Stephanie Leone, "Pamphilj Patronage and Art Collecting, Part I . " Boston College, Chestnut H i l l , MA. 14 Sep. 2009. 47. Ebert-Schifferer (106) 48. Donna Olimpia purchased was purchased the property i n 1645. Cf. 101. Ibid. 49. Stephanie Leone, "Pamphilj Patronage and Art Collecting, Part I . " Boston College, Chestnut H i l l , MA. 14 Sep. 2009. 50. The other paintings are: Pietro da Cortona's Erminia che giunge dalpastore and Romanelli's Erminia che si presenta al pastore. Capitelli (75) 51. The assertions made here are based on research using the Getty Institute's Provenance Index Database to explore the inventories of other major seventeenth-century Roman art collections. R E F E R E N C E S Bischoff, Cordula. "Presents for Princesses: Gender i n Royal Receiving and Giving." Studies i n the Decorative Arts. Fall/ Winter 2007-2008: 19-45. Burke, Jill and Michael Bury. Art and Identity in Early Modern Rome. Burlington, VT : Ashgate, 2008. Capitelli, Giovanna. I capolavori della collezione Doria Pamphilj da Tiziano a Velasquez. Milan: Skira, 1996. De Grazia, Diane. "Guercino as Decorator." Guercino: Master Painter of the Baroque. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 1992. 41-73. Ebert-Schifferer, Sybille. '"Ma c'hanno da fare i precetti deli'oratore con quelli della pittura?' Reflections on Guercino's Narrative Structure." Guercino: Master Painter of the Baroque. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 1992. 75-110. E L E M E N T S : : FALL2010 http://doriapamphilj.it http://doriapamphilj.it Ehrlich, Tracy L. Landscape and Identity in Early Modern Rome: Villa Culture at Frascati in the Borghese Era. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2002. "Erminia Finds the Wounded Tancredi." Galleria Doria Pamphilj. 27 Oct 2009. doriapamphilj.it. Goldthwaite, Richard A. Wealth and the Demand for Art in Italy, 1300-1600. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University.Press, 1993. Gough, Melinda J. "Tasso's Enchantress, Tasso's Captive Woman." Renaissance Quarterly 54.2 (2001): 523-52. Guide to the Doria Pamphilj Gallery. Rome: Art i Doria Pamphilj, 1997. Print. Lee, Rensselear W. Poetry into Painting: Tasso and Art. Middlebury College. Middlebury, Vermont: Middlebury College, 1970. 15 fan 1970. John Hamilton Fulton Memorial Lectureship i n the Liberal Arts. Leone, Stephanie. The Palazzo Pamphilj in Piazza Navona : Constructing Identity in Early Modern Rome. London: Harvey Miller Pub., 2008. —. "Collecting i n Renaissance Florence: The Medici." Boston College, Chestnut H i l l , MA. 28 Sep 2009. —. "Pamphilj Patronage and Art Collecting, Part I . " Boston College, Chestnut H i l l , MA. 14 Sep 2009. . Levillain, Philippe. Ed. " Innocent X." The Papacy: Gaius-Proxies. Vol 2. New York: Routledge, 2002. 801-803. Mahon, Denis. Guercino: Master Painter of the Baroque. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 1992. Mauss, Marcel. The Gift: The Form and'Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies. 2nded. London: Routledge, 1990. Prasad, Shilpa. Guercino: Stylistic Evolution in Focus. San Diego, C.A.: Timken Museum of Art, 2006. Safarik, Eduard A. Galleria Doria Pamphilj Masterpieces: Paintings. Florence, Italy: Scala, 1993. Stone, David. Guercino: Catalogo Completo Dei Dipinti. Florence, Italy: Cantini, 1991. Tasso, Torquato. Jerusalem Delivered. Trans. Anthony M . Esolen. Baltimore, M,D.: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000. Print. Waterhouse, Ellis. "Tasso and the Visual Arts." Italian Studies 3-4.8 (1947): 147-62. G U E R C I N O ' S ERMINIA http://doriapamphilj.it