Guercino's Roman Decade Explored in Dual-Venue Exhibition at Scuderie del Quirinale and Casino dell'Aurora

A major exhibition titled 'Guercino. L’era Ludovisi a Roma' opens at the Scuderie del Quirinale and the Casino dell'Aurora in Rome, running until January 26. Curated by Raffaella Morselli and Caterina Volpi, the show traces Guercino's activity between 1616 and 1625, focusing on his Roman sojourn (1621–1623) under Pope Gregory XV (Alessandro Ludovisi). Featuring 122 works from institutions that lent without exchange, it includes exceptional loans such as Domenichino's 'Peccato Originale' (1621–23) and Guercino's recently attributed 'Moses' (1618–19) from the Rothschild Foundation. The exhibition juxtaposes Guercino with contemporaries Domenichino and Guido Reni, notably comparing their large altarpieces: Reni's 'Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini' and Guercino's 'Crocifissione'. At the Casino dell'Aurora, visitors can see Guercino's ceiling fresco 'Aurora' (1621–22), painted in oil on the vault, where he ingeniously integrated the chariot of the goddess into Agostino Tassi's architectural framework. The show also presents Guercino's graphic works and a portrait of Pope Gregory XV in intimate attire, using only five colors. The exhibition originated from diagnostic investigations on the 'Aurora' fresco in 2009.