Renaissance man wears trimmed scarlet hat or cap in portrait medallion flanked by fierce-looking dolphins on wooden ceiling panel in the Magno Palazzo or Grand Palace, former residence of the Prince-Bishops of Trent at Trento, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy. The palace was founded in 1528 in the Castello del Buonconsiglio fortress by Cardinal Bernardo Clesio or Cles, prince-bishop from 1514-39 and also Chancellor of the Holy Roman Empire. Its interior decoration blends mythological subjects with historical scenes and imperial motifs such as portraits of Hapsburg emperors.


Trento, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy: a Renaissance man wearing a trimmed scarlet hat or cap faces right in a portrait medallion flanked by fierce-looking dolphins in this artwork decorating a panel of a wooden ceiling within the imposing Magno Palazzo or Grand Palace, former residence of the Prince-Bishops of Trent or Trentino. The Magno Palazzo was built within the Castello del Buonconsiglio fortress complex by Cardinal Bernardo Clesio or Cles (born 1484), prince-bishop from 1514 to 1539 and also Chancellor of the Holy Roman Empire. The palace, begun in 1528, stands beside the 13th century Castelvecchio or Old Castle and has four wings surrounding a central courtyard with a frescoed Venetian loggia on the south side. Inside, the decorative scheme is complex, with many motifs aligned with Cardinal Clesio’s humanist beliefs. The artworks mix mythological, allegorical and imperial themes, with scenes inspired by ancient Roman history as well as portraits and coats of arms of the Hapsburg emperors. The Castello del Buonconsiglio was home to the prince-bishops from the 13th century to 1802. The Castelvecchio is dominated by a cylindrical medieval tower, while the Magno Palazzo is built in Renaissance style and the late 17th century Giunta Albertiana wing is Baroque. At the south of the complex stands the Torre Aquila, which houses the Cycle of the Months, a masterpiece of Gothic fresco art offering a fascinating secular view of both noble and peasant daily life in the late Middle Ages.


Size: 3966px × 2634px
Location: Castello del Buonconsiglio, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

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