Vatican Museums

The series was commissioned by Cardinal Francesco Barberini, with the intention of commemorating and celebrating the life and work of his uncle Maffeo Barberini (1644), who ascended to the papal throne with the name Urban VIII in 1623. The tapestries, which illustrate key moments in his life, interweaving biographical data and celebratory allegories, were produced between 1663 and 1679 at the Barberini factory, founded in Rome in 1627 at the behest of Francesco himself. The preparatory drawings were made by artists linked to the Barberini circle, including Pietro Lucatelli (1637-1710), Lazzaro Baldi (1624-1703), Antonio Gherardi (1638-1702), Giacinto Camassei (active between 1648 and 1683), and Giuseppe Belloni (active in the seventeenth century), who in turn based their work on the drawings of the great Baroque artist Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669) and his pupil Ciro Ferri (1634-1689). The weaving was entrusted to two expert tapestry makers from the factory, Maria della Riviera and Anna Zampieri. The series of tapestries depicts: Maffeo Barberini receiving his doctorate from the University of Pisa (cat. 43918), Maffeo Barberini regulating the outflow of Lake Trasimeno (cat. 43919), Maffeo Barberini created cardinal by Paul V (cat. 43920), Maffeo Barberini elected Pope, Urban VIII consecrates Saint Peter’s Basilica (cat. 43923), Urban VIII promotes peace in the Papal States (cat. 43924), Urban VIII has the walls of Rome built (cat. 43926), and Urban receives the homage of the nations (cat. 43948).