The Oculus in the Camera Degli Sposi
This was fun to read up on! I never cease to be amazed at the breadth of art out there. If anyone gets to see this room in person, please let me know how it is!
This beautiful fresco painting is the Oculus of the Camera Degli Sposi room in the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua, Italy. It was painted by the Italian Renaissance artist, Andrea Mantegna. In 1464, Mantegna was commissioned by the Marquis of Mantua, Ludovico III Gonzaga to paint this bridal chamber room. It took Mantegna nine years to complete and was finished in 1473. It is the only fresco by Mantegna that remains in its original location.
This room remains one of Mantegna’s most famous accomplishments. He filled the walls and ceiling with stunning artwork known for its perspective and illusionist qualities. The bridal chamber is a perfectly square room that Mantegna painted to look as if it was an outside pavilion, with its pillars reaching from the walls, up the vaulted ceilings, to the oculus. The walls contain portraits of various members of the Gonzaga family attending court. He even painted a self-portrait among the detailed decorations. Mantegna painted curtains in a way to give the illusion of a gentle breeze. The room was semi-private, meant to inspire awe to those who were granted the privilege to see it.
The oculus is a painted dome ceiling that gives the impression of a skylight reaching outside and revealing the blue sky above. Painted figures, including cherubs, birds, and people, look down to the room below. Looking up, it looks as if they are looking back at you. Mantegna painted architectural details that appear to be present on the ceiling, though they are just depictions. Though it is a two-dimensional painting, Mantegna used the newly discovered laws of perspective to create the illusion of three dimensions.
During the late fifteenth century, the Palazzo Ducale was owned by the prestigious Gonzaga family who ruled over the imperial city state of Mantua for centuries. At the time this was painted, the habitants were deep in the Renaissance. This magnificent period saw an arts race, of sorts. Wealthier families were inspired to become great patrons of the arts, hiring notable artists and workshops to decorate their structures as a testament to their greatness and wealth. In an effort to compete with families such as the Medici’s of Florence and the city state of Ferrara which was becoming a cultural center known for its arts, the Gonzaga family commissioned grand projects of their own, including this room in their palace.
In 1460, Mantegna became court artist to Marquis Ludovico III Gonzaga, the ruler of Mantua, and was paid a considerably high salary for that position. It was in Mantua that Mantegna created his first masterworks and really established himself as an artist.
The Oculus can be viewed in person in its original location in the Camera Degli Sposi room at the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua, Italy.
For more on Andrea Mantegna, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
