BORROMINI AND MICHELANGELO, III: THE DOME OF SANT'ANDREA DELLA VALLE
Author(s): Frances Huemer
Source: Source: Notes in the History of Art , Summer 2001, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Summer
2001), pp. 23-29
Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of the Bard Graduate Center
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/23206733
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BORROMINI AND MICHELANGELO, III:
THE DOME OF SANT'ANDREA DELLA VALLE
Frances Huemer
Carlo Maderno's dome of Sant'Andrea of Borromini, "Gia nel 1621-22 eseguiva
della Valle (Fig. 1) has been regarded da as solo
the disegni per la cupola di Sant'
first to be modeled on that of St. Peter's.1 Andrea della Valle, sotto la direzione del
The lantern of Sant'Andrea della Valle, Maderno e nei primi mesi del 1623 ne di
however, has been attributed to Borromini segnava la lanterna nella sua forma típica
on the basis of a payment made on May 11, mente personale."5 According to Hibbard,
1623, for "li disegni fati per il lanternino," the dome was then vaulted, and late in 1622
for which he received 10 scudi. In 1620, a and early 1623 Borromini and Pietro
workman had been paid for a model of the Caporale carved the travertine decorations.
dome.2 By the end of the year, payments If it is clear that after the model of the
were recorded for the cornice of the drum dome was completed in 1620 and work
and for capitals. On March 13, 1621, went ahead on the cornice of the drum by
Borromini received his first recorded pay the end of that year, why, then, was Aberto
ments for four capitals, and eight other asked to make a drawing of the profile of
payments were made for capitals that same St. Peter's in May 1622? Obviously, a
year, presumably on the drum. However, on change in thinking had occurred.
May 22, 1622, a Ms Aberto was paid "per There is a good description of the dome
fare un disegno della cupola di S.Pietro con by Steinberg:
la sagoma che sta a S.Paolo .60." There
fore, by May 1622, the model seems to Called by Carlo Maderno to design the
have been abandoned and the dome still to lantern of S. Andrea della Valle, he
be designed because a study of the profile [Borromini] rethinks the whole articu
of the dome of St. Peter's was requested. In lation of dram, dome, and lantern and
July, Borromini received two payments takes it up where Michelangelo left it.
connected to the cupola designs. A pay At St. Peter's, the ascending energy of
ment of July 11, 1622, records "per una the coupled drum columns is transmit
tavola de antano per fare una centina da ted, through the membering of the attic
disegnare la cupola su nel muro da mastro (and small Peretti monti), to the ribs of
Francesco Castello [Borromini] .12/2 (fol. the dome. The ribs, being deeply
23 v)"—that is, a template for drawing the grooved, may be seen as single or dou
cupola on the wall.3 On July 20, 1622, ble. But at the lantern the ascent bifur
"pagato a mastro Francesco Castelli cinque cates at the concave apex in single ribs
piastre Florentine per le sue fatiche di aver densely clustered. Now Borromini
disegnato in grande li 2 disegni della cupo seems to be asking himself how such
la, scudi 5,30."4 To quote Hibbard speaking transformations of energy come about,
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24
Fig. 1 Dome of Sant'Andrea della Valle
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how the twins of the drum become one Valle, is similar to Maderno's early dome
on the cupola, become two again, of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini (Fig. 3), and
become one. His lantern design, like although he does not date the drawing, he
Michelangelo's, resumes the paired places it close to the San Giovanni dome.
column motif of the drum. But at the In the Stockholm drawing, the interior of
junction of dome and lantern it dramathe dome has a similar articulation to the
tizes what at St. Peter's is barely sugexecuted interior of the earlier church,
gested. Great single volutes, creatingespecially the ribs; the drawing is also sim
the ribs of the dome, rear up at theilar to San Giovanni in the alternating nich
colonnettes to break wave-like against es and windows in the drum (an indication
their bases. It is as though the impact of they would have been the same on the exte
these breakers had momentarily split rior), and in the lantern with volute but
the colonnettes into two along the tresses. The drawing of the dome exterior
length of their shafts. But then they differs from San Giovanni's dome in that
half merge again, for their garlanded the drawing has column buttresses on the
Ionic capitals are united by single drum as they were to be built, apparently
cherubs whose winged embrace makeclose to the wall, but there is no indication
it doubtful whether the capitals are of the decorative windows and conches;
indeed two, or one running capital overMaderno's earlier domes are without such
two columns. Inevitably, the systemarticulation.
culminates in flaming torches, one If the early scheme for the dome of
flame over each pair of colonnettes.6 Sant'Andrea della Valle was similar to the
dome of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini, it is
In 1623, five more payments are made tointeresting to compare the executed drum
Borromini as follows: and dome of Sant'Andrea della Valle with
that of St. Peter's, which it supposedly imi
• January: 'per 2 archi, cioe finestre
tates. The octagonal drum has fewer bays
della cupola s.40"
and is taller in proportion—closer to that of
• April: "per saldo di 4 capitelli, per San Giovanni dei Fiorentini. The powerful
il lanterino s.32" projections—compare the window pedi
ments—are missing. The windows follow
• May: 'per li disegni fati per 11
the alternating gables of St. Peter's but are
lanterino s.10" (As Hibbard indi
taller. Instead of the great buttresses of the
cates, they must have been made
paired columns with the deep blocks with
earlier.)
passageways of Michelangelo, the paired
• May: "a conto de monti coronati e columns are spread apart and adhere to the
leoni s.20" angle of the wall. They have Ionic capitals
with garlands instead of the Corinthian
• July: "per saldo de' monti e leoni
capitals used at St. Peter's. The cornice is
della cupola s.30"7
sharper, more angular, like that of San
Hibbard points out that a drawing in Giovanni dei Fiorentini, and is repeated in
Stockholm (Fig. 2), which is an early the horizontal lines at the base of the dome.
scheme for the church of Sant'Andrea della The attic, unlike St. Peter's, is low, and the
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26
Project for Sant'Andrea della Valle. Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, Cronstadt 2075
blocks with side scrolls in the attic area that curve of St. Peter's, but instead of sixteen
hold Peretti monti seem like crowns to the
ribs there are eight, and two travertine
entablature of the paired columns. The ornaments instead of three in the bays
monti are much larger than Delia Porta's between. Unlike the sharp metallic ribs of
and form a bridge from the drum, overlap Delia Porta's St. Peter's and the tight com
ping onto the cupola. The angularity of the pactness of the dome, the eight ribs of
entire drum contrasts with St. Peter's, Sant'Andrea are more massive. The ribs,
where the circular element of the hemicy with their broader bases, seem to recede
cle dominates, despite the projections. One rapidly upward and yet, by their physical
would have to conclude that Maderno's projection, appear to clasp and enclose the
drum is a conservative rendering of dome. The Peretti monti are proportionally
Michelangelo's architecture, still retainingmuch larger than in St. Peter's, and so are
elements that he, Maderno, had learned the windows and the conches on the dome;
from Domenico Fontana.8 and they move out from the surface into the
The cupola of Sant'Andrea has the risingsurrounding air. There is not only a greater
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27
Fig. 3 Carlo Maderno, dome of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini
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28
intimacy in the proportionally larger cupo to the ribs and into the lantern. I believe
la travertine decorations, but something that the change that occurred between the
astonishingly new and liberated in their end of 1620 and the payment for the
relation to the "Michelangelesque" profile. Borromini drawings of 1622 was the
There is no question that the forms of the "Michelangelism" of Borromini. No one
drum are Carlo Maderno's, but in the inter comprehended the innovations of Michel
lude between the completion of the drum angelo's architecture better than Borro
and the profile drawing, some kind of mini, and at St. Peter's Borromini spent all
change occurred. The reason for the of his spare time making drawings after
change, I think, was the presence of Bor Michelangelo while others denigrated the
romini and his devotion to Michelangelo. architecture of the sixteenth-century mas
Indeed, since the payment for the lantern to ter. According to one source, it was those
Borromini has been acknowledged, we drawings that brought him to the attention
now can also acknowledge and understand of Maderno in the first place. From the very
the payments for the cupola. I see major beginning, Maderno turned over important
differences between the drum and the projects to Borromini. Hibbard, in his
cupola/lantern. The latter two mergechronology
to of Maderno, under the year
gether clearly, but, as Steinberg saw,
1622 says: "May/July New designs for
dome of Sant'Andrea della Valle (with
Borromini was able to pull the entire dome
complex together organically as he re Borromini)."9 That may be, but to my mind
thought the whole articulation of drum, it was Borromini's attitude to Michelangelo
dome, and lantern. The lantern does repeat
that changed things around and created the
invasive unity. The approach to Michel
the tall proportions of the drum, and the
capitals and flaming urns have the same
angelo in the drum is conservative. The
bold inventiveness as the travertine orna
approach to Michelangelo in the cupola
ments of the cupola. Even more importantand lantern, unlike that in the Stockholm
is the continuous upward movement fromdrawing, is bold and liberated.
the columns of the drum through the attic
NOTES
1. The payments are recorded by N. Caflisch,
sul Borromini, 2 vols. (Rome: De Luca Editore,
Carlo Maderno (Munich: 1924), p. 141, n. 102;
1967) 1, p. 499.
Marcello Del Piazzo, Ragguagli Borrominiani 6. L. Steinberg, Borromini's San Carlo alle
(Rome: Archivio di Stato di Roma, 1968), pp. 75-76; Quattro Fontane (New York and London: 1977), pp.
H. Hibbard, Carlo Maderno (London: 1971), p. 151. 365-367.
2. H. Hibbard, "Maderno, Michelangelo, and Three studies on a sheet in Berlin (Staatliche
Cinquecento Tradition," in Stil und Überlieferung in Museen zu Berlin, Kunstbibliothek, Hdz.3828) for
der Kunst des Abendlandes, 3 vols. (Berlin: Mann, the bell tower of the facade of St. Peter's, dated
1967), II, p. 34, n. 3. between 1621 and 1626, show the influence of
3. Ragguagli Borrominiani, p. 76. Michelangelo's lantern: "Die Zweite, mit kreis
4. Ibid. formigem Grundriss, bezieht sich eindeutig auf den
5. H. Hibbard, "Borromini e Maderno," in Studi Entwurf Michelangelos ftir die Láteme eben dieser
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29
Basilika, von dem sich auch das Schema fur die cled by crowns, picking up the motif of the Peretti
Laterne von S.Andrea della Valle ableitet." The sheet arms at the base of the dome ribs. But the July pay
is reproduced in Borromini, Architekt im Barocken ment cannot be for the cupola since there are no lions
Rom: Ausstellung zum vierhundertsten Geburtstag there. They, therefore, must be for the lion base of the
des Architekten, Wien, Albertina in Akademiehof 12 monti on the lantern.
April-25 Juni 2000 (Milan: Electa, 2000), p. 311. 8. Hibbard (1971), p. 57, points out Fontana's
7. Ragguagli Borrominiani, p. 76. A little confus dome of the Cappella Sistina of Santa Maria
ing is the interchange of the terms "cupola" and Maggiore.
"lanterino." The "monti coronati" must refer to the 9. Ibid., p. 241.
monti at the apex of the lantern where they are encir
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