Muzio Mattei (died 1596) was an Italian nobleman 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 ...

. He helped the Mattei rise to prominence by supporting political and cultural initiatives of the Pope and the

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Ch ...

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 ...

Political activity

Mattei and his family were

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

but lived in the part of

which became the

Roman Ghetto The Roman Ghetto or Ghetto of Rome ( it, Ghetto di Roma) was a Jewish ghetto established in 1555 in the Rione Sant'Angelo, in Rome, Italy, in the area surrounded by present-day Via del Portico d'Ottavia, Lungotevere dei Cenci, Via del Progress ...

; the portion of the city which housed the Roman

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

population. When

Pope Paul IV Pope Paul IV, born Gian Pietro Carafa, C.R. ( la, Paulus IV; it, Paolo IV; 28 June 1476 – 18 August 1559) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 May 1555 to his death in August 1559. While serving as pap ...

decided to build a wall around the Ghetto in 1555 and imprison the Jewish population, Mattei was given a key to the gate.''Fontana delle tartarughe, the iconography of a Roman fountain'' by Anne Kristine Tagstad

Fontana delle Tartarughe

Between 1580 and 1585, Mattei commissioned one of the most famous fountains in Rome; the

Fontana delle Tartarughe Fontana may refer to: Places Italy *Fontana Liri, comune in the Province of Frosinone *Fontanafredda, comune in the Province of Pordenone *Fontanarosa, comune in the Province of Avellino *Francavilla Fontana, comune in the Province of Brindisi * ...

(Turtle Fountain) in front of his residence. In an original plan of 1570 a new fountain was to have been placed near the

Theater of Marcellus The Theatre of Marcellus ( la, Theatrum Marcelli, it, Teatro di Marcello) is an ancient open-air theatre in Rome, Italy, built in the closing years of the Roman Republic. At the theatre, locals and visitors alike were able to watch performances o ...

in the Piazza Giudea, the site of a market in the Jewish ghetto. Mattei had been appointed to the committee which would select the site, though, and used his influence and money to have the fountain location changed to the small Piazza Mattei, in the block where the members of his family lived. Mattei also offered to pay to have the piazza properly paved to ensure the sculpture would be well protected; ''"che il signor Mutio Matthei si obblighi a far mattonare"'' ("...that Mr Muzio Matthei undertakes to make paved"). A popular

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

legend suggests Mattei, ruined by gambling, ordered the fountain to be built overnight in order to impress the wealthy father of a woman he wished to marry. The next morning he opened the window of his palazzo and showed his future father-in-law the fountain. The father, suitably impressed, allowed the marriage to go ahead, and Mattei, to remember the event, had the window overlooking the fountain closed up. A window closed by brick still overlooks the fountain.The legend is recounted in Georgio Carpaneto, ''Le famiglie nobili romane'', Rome, 2000 pg. 254, cited by Anne Kristine Togstad.

Other projects

It seems Mattei played a role as financier or "project manager" for a number of projects commissioned by

Pope Sixtus V Pope Sixtus V ( it, Sisto V; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order ...

. Mattei was responsible for carrying out the orders of Sixtus in relation to the construction of the Four Fountains of Rome. On 23 May 1589, Sixtus V issued the following order: Though his role is unclear, he was also responsible for some portion of the planning or construction supervision for the ''Palazzo Albani del Drago'' on the

Quirinal Hill The Quirinal Hill (; la, Collis Quirinalis; it, Quirinale ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome, at the north-east of the city center. It is the location of the official residence of the Italian head of state, who resides in the Quirinal Palace ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mattei, Muzio 1596 deaths Year of birth missing Italian untitled nobility House of Mattei