Francesco Borromini

Sale, New York, Sotheby's, 26 January 2002, lot 40 (with two others)

Recto: There are areas of brown staining and the sheet is quite foxed. The black chalk is fairly strong. The pen and ink of the verso is visible on the recto. There are a few brown ink stains. Verso: is less foxed and the image is more clear, there is a small brown stain beside the pencil attribution.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano is Rome's Cathedral.  Despite the present baroque appearance of the church, the core of the structure is that built by the Emperor Constantine in the early 4th century A.D.  Paid for by the state, it is one of Rome's most historic churches with rich layers of decoration of many periods.  By the middle of the 17th century, the Basilica was in poor condition, despite restorations following an earthquake in the 9th century, a general refurbishing in the early 15th century and work done in the early 1600s under Clement VIII.  As the Jubilee Year of 1650 approached, Pope Innocent X (1644-1655) decided to restore and embellish the cathedral, wishing to contrast in architectural terms the hegemony of Catholicism, its history and long tradition with the rootlessness and youth of Protestantism.  In April 1646 he engaged Francesco Borromini to do this and Borromini's solution was to enclose the old building in new work, in a way that left it partly visible, and to embellish it with decorative elements.  

The present drawing shows alternative plans for the western two bays of the nave, the narthex and the west front.  In the event, Borromini's proposals for this part of the basilica were not carried out and the present narthex and west front were built in the 1730s by Alessandro Galilei (1691-1737).  A number of studies relating to Borromini's proposal survive in the Vatican Library and in the Albertina in Vienna.  The media and technique of the present sheet are identical to these.¹

This drawing was included in the 2002 sale with two others for the same project, formerly part of one sheet, showing Borromini's proposed narthex at the west end of the building, together with the south side of the nave.  These relate to a plan of the nave only, now in the Vatican Library.²  One bore an inscription in Borromini's own hand giving the Pope's instructions that as much of the original structure was to be preserved as possible.

1.  H. Thelen, 'Sui disegni di Borromini', Borromini e l'universo barocco, Milan 2000, pp. 70-73 

2.  P. Portoghesi, Francesco Borromini, Venice 1984, pls. LVII-LIX