Prado Reunites Fragments of Annibale Carracci's Last Masterpiece
The Museo del Prado in Madrid has opened a landmark exhibition that reunites for the first time 16 of the 19 surviving fragments of Annibale Carracci's fresco cycle for the Herrera Chapel, his final masterpiece. Painted between 1604 and 1605 for the church of San Giacomo degli Spagnoli in Rome (now Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore), the cycle was commissioned by wealthy Spanish banker Juan Enríquez de Herrera and depicts the life of Saint Diego of Alcalá. Carracci, assisted by Francesco Albani, Giovanni Lanfranco, and Sisto Badalocchio, completed the work despite his failing health. In 1833 the frescoes were torn from the walls by Pellegrini Succi, a skilled papal master, and later split between Barcelona and Madrid. Nine fragments are held by the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) and seven by the Prado, which restored and studied its pieces for years. The exhibition, curated by Prado deputy director Andrés Ubeda, also includes loans from the Thyssen Museum and drawings from the collection of Queen Elizabeth. It will travel to MNAC in July and to Palazzo Barberini in Rome in autumn. Two tondi and an oval are considered lost.
Key facts
- Exhibition at Museo del Prado reunites 16 of 19 fragments of Annibale Carracci's Herrera Chapel frescoes.
- Frescoes were painted between 1604 and 1605 for San Giacomo degli Spagnoli in Rome.
- Commissioned by Spanish banker Juan Enríquez de Herrera.
- Carracci was assisted by Francesco Albani, Giovanni Lanfranco, and Sisto Badalocchio.
- Frescoes were detached in 1833 by Pellegrini Succi.
- Nine fragments are at MNAC in Barcelona, seven at the Prado.
- Exhibition curated by Andrés Ubeda, deputy director of the Prado.
- Exhibition travels to MNAC in July and Palazzo Barberini in autumn 2022.
- Two tondi and an oval from the cycle are lost.
- Includes loans from Museo Thyssen and drawings from Queen Elizabeth's collection.
Entities
Artists
- Annibale Carracci
- Francesco Albani
- Giovanni Lanfranco
- Sisto Badalocchio
- Pellegrini Succi
- Antonio Solà
- Donald Posner
- Andrés Ubeda
- Federica Lonati
- Domenichino
- Bernardo Rossellino
- Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane
- Alessandro VI Borgia
- Andrés Úbeda de los Cobos
- Daniele Benati
- Patrizia Cavazzini
- Ignacio Fernández
- Paz Marquès
- Mireia Mestre
- Ilaria Miarelli Mariani
- Maria Cristina Terzaghi
- Aidan Weston-Lewis
- Mariasole Garacci
- Ludovico Carracci
- Guido Reni
- Titian
- El Greco
- Velázquez
- Murillo
- Pompeo Leoni
- Leone Leoni
- Juan Enríquez Herrera
- Francisco Boccanera
- David García Cueto
Institutions
- Museo del Prado
- Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya
- Palazzo Barberini
- Museo Thyssen
- Real Accademia de Bellas Artes de San Jordi
- Chiesa di San Giacomo degli Spagnoli
- Chiesa di Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore
- Santa Maria in Monserrato
- Artribune
- Reial Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi
- San Giacomo degli Spagnoli
- Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore
- British School at Rome
- American Academy
- Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya
- Università di Bologna
- Università Roma Tre
- Università degli Studi Gabriele d’Annunzio di Chieti
- National Galleries of Scotland
- Escorial
Locations
- Madrid
- Spain
- Barcelona
- Rome
- Italy
- Bologna
- Piazza Navona
- Vatican City
- Catalonia
- Corso Rinascimento
- Sant’Andrea della Valle
- Palazzo Madama
- Sala Marmi
- Palazzo Barberini
- Cappella Herrera
- Chiesa di San Giacomo degli Spagnoli
- Chiesa di Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore
- Santa Maria in Monserrato
- Palencia