Ciriaco Mattei (died 1614) was an Italian nobleman of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and of the

House of Mattei 200px, Cortile Mattei di Giove The House of Mattei was one of the most powerful noble families of Rome during the Middle Ages and early modern era, holding high positions in the papal curia and government office. The family amassed significant a ...

and one of the most prolific art collectors of his time.

Family

Mattei was the son of Alessandro Mattei and Emilia Mazzatosta. He was the brother of

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, ...

Girolamo Mattei Girolamo Mattei (8 February 1547 – 8 December 1603) was an Italian Cardinal from the House of Mattei. Biography Mattei was born 8 February 1547, the son of Alessandro Mattei and Emilia Mazzatosta. He was the younger brother of Ciriaco Matt ...

and

Asdrubale Mattei Portrait of Asdrubale Mattei di Giove by students of Caravaggio (c. 1615). Asdrubale Mattei (died 1638), Duca di Giove, was an Italian nobleman of the House of Mattei, an avid art collector and a patron of Caravaggio. Family Mattei was the thir ...

, '' Marquis di Giove'' (an avid art collector himself). He married Giulia Matuzzi, daughter of Pietro Matuzzi and Isabella, an illegitimate daughter of

Pope Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI ( it, Alessandro VI, va, Alexandre VI, es, Alejandro VI; born Rodrigo de Borja; ca-valencia, Roderic Llançol i de Borja ; es, Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja, lang ; 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Churc ...

and they had two sons, Giovanni Batista Mattei and Alessandro Mattei.

Art collection and residences

Mattei and his extended family took up residence at the

Palazzo Mattei A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

where they kept portions of their extensive art Collection. He became ''Conservatore di Roma'' and in 1582 he began construction on the

Villa Celimontana The Villa Celimontana (previously known as Villa Mattei) is a villa on the Caelian Hill in Rome, best known for its gardens. Its grounds cover most of the valley between the Aventine Hill and the Caelian. Location The Villa Celimontana is situat ...

in Rome. Mattei was a close friend and patron of

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of hi ...

and commissioned a number of works including the ''Supper at Emmaus'', ''John the Baptist (Youth with a Ram)'' and ''The Taking of Christ'' (for which Mattei and his brother paid 125

scudi The ''scudo'' (pl. ''scudi'') was the name for a number of coins used in various states in the Italian peninsula until the 19th century. The name, like that of the French écu and the Spanish and Portuguese escudo, was derived from the Latin '' ...

Berkshire Review:
Giove). He also supported artists such as

Domenico Fiasella Domenico Fiasella (12 August 1589 – 19 October 1669) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, mainly active in Genoa. He was nicknamed ''Il Sarzana'', after his birthplace. Biography He was born in c, the son of Giovanni Fiasella, a silver ...

. Mattei left his vast collection to his two sons but they both died before he did. In 1610 he restructured his will''Fountains, statues, and flowers: studies in Italian gardens of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries'' by Elisabeth B. MacDougall (1994) to allow for the dissemination of his collection to his nephews and nieces. He added an

entail In English common law, fee tail or entail is a form of trust established by deed or settlement which restricts the sale or inheritance of an estate in real property and prevents the property from being sold, devised by will, or otherwise alien ...

though, stating that no part of the furniture or furnishings considered to be a part of the

Villa Mattei The Villa Celimontana (previously known as Villa Mattei) is a villa on the Caelian Hill in Rome, best known for its gardens. Its grounds cover most of the valley between the Aventine Hill and the Caelian. Location The Villa Celimontana is situa ...

should be removed so as to ensure the villa would remain as it had been while he was alive. However, future generations had the entail broken (by

Pope Benedict XIV Pope Benedict XIV ( la, Benedictus XIV; it, Benedetto XIV; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758. Pope Be ...

) and the villa's contents were eventually divided and sold.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mattei, Ciriaco Date of birth unknown Year of birth unknown Date of death unknown 1614 deaths C Italian nobility Italian art collectors