Abstract

On October 22, 1524—following days of travel and two years of artistic courtship by Federico Gonzaga, duke of Mantua—Giulio Romano arrived in the Lombardian city. Welcomed with warmth, Romano was immediately put to work by the Gonzaga, transforming Mantua into a realm of sumptuousness and splendor. The crown jewel among such architectural beauties lay just beyond the city in the form of Palazzo del Te, a most unusual but beautiful palace.

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Distinct from its palatial colleagues due to its aesthetic playfulness, Palazzo del Te has long drawn Art Historians and critics to hold the assumption that Giulio’s famed palace was a masterwork of mannerism; a work of architecture intentionally anti-classical to the core. New scholarship, however, has suggested that while Giulio did intend to create a humorous structure, his supposed intentional mannerism was accidental.

This presentation will continue this argument, proposing that it is perhaps much more beneficial to label Te as a Renaissance building that, like many works of the era, looked and attempted to emulate classical design and principles—specifically through means of humor. In fact, this argument will specifically argue Romano’s being influenced by the Grotesque, as Giulio’s intentional play on humor —one created through distorting classical vocabulary— lended the palace, both interior and exterior, to adopt a Grotesque quality.

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We will begin by addressing the history of Te, as well as Giulio’s own artistic upbringing. We will then move on to analyze the exterior and interiors of the home, focusing on the palace’s facade as well as the Room of the Giants/Sala dei Giganti. Through this, we will gain a new understanding of Te and what it, as an architectural work, stands to represent.

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Essay