Tag Archives: pope Urban VIII

thirty long years

The world lives in fear of the “incident” that will ignite the next great conflict, but it is men and not events that determine the fate of nations… The Thirty Years War (1618-1648) was Europe’s most meaningless and, until the … Continue reading

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bernini: rockin’ on with the counter reformation

Pope Urban VIII took a fatherly interest in his gifted protege. When Bernini fell ill, the pope visited him twice a day in his palazzo near the Piazza di Spagna and once came with sixteen cardinals, whose collective blessing was … Continue reading

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bernini: it ought to rock him

Bernini: behold the roots of heaven. They are made of stone… In 1623 Cardinal Barberini became Pope Urban VIII and, according to a probably apocryphal anecdote, told Bernini: “it is your great good luck, Cavaliere, to see Maffeo Barberini pope. … Continue reading

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VASE OF ANTIQUITY AND INIQUITY

Genie out of the vase. It is an enigmatic urn. During the artistic rape of Europe in the eighteenth century, the ransack that is now known as the Grand Tour, England was flooded with spoils of her wandering noblemen. Paintings, … Continue reading

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