Being the Court Painter of a Cardinal in Baroque Rome: Chronicle and History of Carlo Maratti for Antonio Barberini the Younger

Based mainly on unpublished documents, in particular, payment records and letters from the Barberini Archives now in the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, this study investigates the role of Carlo Maratti (1625–1713) as court painter of Cardinal Antonio Barberini’s household from 1661 to 1671. Maratti, at the time a highly successful painter in demand from the most important and influential patrons in Rome, Italy, and Europe, served Cardinal Barberini, managing the cardinal’s artistic affairs: he executed paintings, supervised the making of works by other artists, and oversaw decorative projects and restorations. Maratti’s notable accomplishments include designing a silent night clock, much praised by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, that Cardinal Barberini presented to Louis XIV, King of France, as a diplomatic gift. The historical contextualization of the primary sources used for this study offers an original snapshot of the Maratti’s secondary activity, with implications for both his professional status and social visibility.