ruins of the baths of Constantine and those of the
temple of Sol. The Aldobrandini palace contains
the proudest monument of ancient painting—the
Aldobrandine Wedding, a fresco purchased by Pius VII.,
in 1818, in which the design is admirable. The
great Farnese palace, begun from the designs of Sangallo,
and completed under the direction of Michael Angelo,
is celebrated both for its beauty and its treasures
of art. The Caracci and Domenichino have immortalized
themselves by their frescos in its gallery. The
Farnese Hercules, the masterly Flora, and the urn
of Caecilia Metella, formerly adorned the court; and
in the palace itself was the beautiful group of the
Farnese bull. But when the king of Naples inherited
the Farnese estate, these statues, with other works
of art, were carried to Naples, where they now adorn
the palace degli Studi. Not far off is the palace
Corsini, where queen Christina lived and died in 1689.
It contains a valuable library and gallery. The
palace Giustiniani also had a gallery adorned with
numerous valuable statues and works of sculpture;
its principal ornaments were the celebrated statue
of Minerva, the finest of that goddess now known, and
the bas-relief of Amalthaea suckling Jupiter.
These treasures were nominally bought by Napoleon,
and are now in Paris. The paintings are chiefly
in the possession of the king of Prussia. In the
palace Spada is the statue of Pompey, at the foot
of which Caesar fell under the daggers of his murderers.
We have yet to mention the palace Costaguti, on account
of its fine frescos; Chigi, for its beautiful architecture,
its paintings and library; Mattei, for its numerous
statues, reliefs, and ancient inscriptions; the palace
of Pamfili, built by Borromini, for its splendid paintings
and internal magnificence; that of Pamfili in the
square of Navona, with a library and gallery; Rospigliosi,
upon the Quirinal hill, etc. Among the palaces
of Rome, which bear the name of villas, is
the Villa Medici, on the Pincian mount, on which were
formerly situated the splendid gardens of Lucullus:
it once contained a vast number of masterpieces of
every kind; but the grand dukes Leopold and Ferdinand
have removed the finest works (among them, the group
of Niobe, by Scopas) to Florence. This palace,
however, is yet worthy of being visited. Under
the portico of the Villa Negroni are the two fine
statues of Sylla and Marius, seated on the sella
curulis. In the extensive garden, which is
three miles in circuit, some beautiful fresco paintings
have been found in the ruins of some of the houses.
The Villa Mattei, on the Coelian mount, contains a
splendid collection of statues. The Villa Ludovisi,
on the Pincian mount, not far from the ruins of the
circus and the gardens of Sallust, is one and a half
miles in circuit, and contains valuable monuments
of art, particularly the Aurora of Guercino, an ancient
group of the senator Papirius and his mother (or rather
of Phaedra and Hippolytus), another of Arria and Paetus,