Built by Domenico Tibaldi and Floriano Ambrosiani 1577-1592. The room of honour illustrates a great achievement for the young Carraci artists Ludovico, Annibale and Agostino whose cycle of frescoes represents the ‘History of Rome’ in mythical figures. Carlo Cesare Malvasia praised their unselfish efforts in working together.

Palazzo Magnani – Room of Honour Photos

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About Palazzo Magnani – Room of Honour

This splendid coat of arms belongs to the Magnani family who rose to prominence in the 16th century.

The grand palazzo was commissioned by Lorenzo Magnani to behove his family’s social and political ambitions. The architecture Domenico Tibaldi worked on it from 1577 until his death in 1583. His mantle was taken up by Floriano Ambrosiani and completed in 1592.

Upstairs on the first floor is the ‘Room of Honour’ and quite easily one of the most spectacularly decorated rooms in Bologna. At the end of 1580s the young Carraci artists, Ludovico, Annibale and Agostino were commissioned to paint what was to become a legendary frieze of fresco paintings concerning the ‘History of Rome’ and patterned on the Latin texts by Livy and Plutarch.

This magnificent fireplace was designed by Ambrosini with ornamentation by Gabriele Fiorini. The painting above it is called ‘Lupercalia’ by the Caracci school.

At the moment this room is used for conferences by the Uni Credit Bank, who owns the building. In fact, its previous owner in 1996 was also a bank called Rolo Bank 1473.

The Carraci cycle of frescoes relating to mythical figures from Rome illustrates the equilibrium of man and nature that informed the works of Classical Antiquity.

The canon Carlo Cesare Malvasia noted that the three painters achieved another significant victory here and that was that each of their contribution was executed subtly and without seeking individual acclaim for specific areas. In effect, he was lauding their simple effort to work as a team.