Villa Medici: History and Gardens

Overview

• The Villa Medici is a 16th-century Italian Mannerist villa located on the Pincian Hill in Rome, Italy.
• It features a 7-hectare Italian garden and is adjacent to the Borghese gardens.
• The Villa Medici has housed the French Academy in Rome since 1803.
• It promotes artistic creation in all fields and welcomes winners of the Rome Prize.
• The Villa Medici is within the historic district of Rome, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980.

History

• The Villa Medici site was once part of the gardens of Lucullus in ancient times.
• In 1564 the nephews of Cardinal Giovanni Ricci acquired the abandoned site, which had been used for viticulture.
• Annibale Lippi was commissioned to continue improvements to the villa.
• Cardinal Ferdinando de' Medici acquired the property in 1576 and completed the structure.
• The Villa Medici became the first Medici property in Rome, meant to assert their presence and elevate their status.
• Roman bas-reliefs and statues were incorporated into the villa's design, turning it into an open-air museum.
• Grand gardens were created, reminiscent of botanical gardens in Pisa and Florence.
• Jacopo Zucchi completed fresco decorations in 1576 and 1577 in a studiolo.
• The villa housed a collection of Roman sculptures, including pieces from the Capranica and della Valle collections.
• Famous sculptures included the Niobe Group, the Wrestlers, and the Arrotino.
• The Medici lions were completed in 1598, and the Medici Vase and Venus de' Medici also joined the collection.
• In the 18th century, the Medici sculptures were moved to Florence, forming the nucleus of the Uffizi's antiquities collection.
• The fountain in front of the Villa Medici features a red granite vase from ancient Rome, designed by Annibale Lippi in 1589.

Ownership and the French Academy

• After the Medici line died out in 1737, the villa passed to the house of Lorraine and later to the Kingdom of Etruria.
• Napoleon Bonaparte gained possession and transferred it to the French Academy in Rome.
• The Villa Medici housed winners of the Prix de Rome.
• Napoleon moved the French Academy to the Villa Medici in 1803 to preserve it.
• Auguste-Henri-Victor Grandjean de Montigny renovated the villa and its gardens.
• Benito Mussolini confiscated the villa in 1941, but the Academy returned in 1945.
• Balthus carried out a restoration campaign between 1961 and 1967, adding contemporary decor.
• The Prix de Rome was abolished in 1968, and the Académie des Beaux-Arts lost guardianship to the Ministry of Culture.
• Residencies expanded to include various artistic fields, and artists are selected by application.

Current Status

• The Villa Medici hosts young artists for residencies, known as pensionnaires.
• The villa has guest rooms open to the public.

Architectural Influence

• The Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, was designed in the style of the villa
• The Swannanoa mansion in Rockfish Gap, Virginia, was also inspired by the villa
• The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, was modeled after the Villa Medici.
• The Medici lions inspired the bronze lions at the Lejonbacken in Stockholm.