CARDINAL PIETRO OTTOBONI (1667–1740) IN AMERICA

When Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni died in 1740 after fifty years in Rome as Vice-Chancellor of the Church, he had assembled in his galleries more than 500 paintings, sculptures, tapestries and medals including those that he had inherited from his great-uncle. Pope Alexander VIII (d. 1691). The Cardinal's collection was dispersed soon after his death to pay his many creditors. An analysis of Cardinal Ottoboni's inventory makes possible the identification and location of a number of works in collections scattered throughout the world. This study considers his works in American collections in an effort to analyse his taste and patronage, and as a preliminary attempt to reconstruct his collection. It examines the origins and scope of his patronage, the nature of his relationship with his resident artists, and his taste in art in terms of subject and style.