The Palazzo Spada was built for Cardinal Girolamo Capodiferro (1502-59). The palazzo was acquired in the 17th century by Cardinal Bernardino Spada.
Since 1927, Palazzo Spada has been the property of the Italian state and is home to the Consiglio dello Stato as well as theGalleria Spada, a small collection of 16th and 17th century paintings.
A Detail of the Facade
The ornate façade, which was completed in 1550, on the occasion of the Jubilee, is the product of the workshops of Giulio Mazzoni & Diego di Fiandra and Tommaso del Bosco & Leonardo Sormani. The statues in the niches depict eight ancient Roman figures: Trajan, Pompey the Great, Fabius Maximus, Numa Pompilius, Marcus Claudius Marcellus, Julius Caesar and Augustus.
The inscriptions at the top of the facade proclaim the achievements of each man:
Trajan: INVICTAE VIRTVTIS IMPERATOR OPTIMI COGNOMEN PROMERVIT (An emperor of great valour, who deserved the title of the 'Best').
Pompey the Great: MAGNO FORTVNAE LVDIBRIO VBIQVE VICTOR INDIGNO VITAE EXITV SEPVLTVRA CARVIT (Though everywhere victorius, by a great jest of fate, in a departure worthy of his life, wanted for burial).
Fabius Maximus: INVETERATAE PRVDENTIAE DVX CVNCTANDO RESTITVIT EM (A commander of deep wisdom, by delaying restored the state).
Romulus: AETERNAE VRBIS FVNDAMENTA IECIT MILITAREM DISCI PLINAM DOMI INISTITVIT QVA IMPERIVM FELI CITER CRESCERET (He laid the foundations of the Eternal City and instituted domestic military training whereby her sovereignty might increase).
Numa: MARTIVM POPVLVM RELIGIONI ADDIXIT VT PACE ET BELLO INVICTV EAERET (He bound over to religion a martial race, that in both peace and war it might remain invincible).
Marcus Marcellus: BELLATOR ACERRIMVS OPIMA SPOLIA IOVI FERETRIO POSVIT (Keenest of warriors, he dedicated the 'Spolia Opima' to Jupiter Feretrius).
Julius Caesar: VNIVERSVM TERRARVM ORBEM HOSTILI CRVORE REPLEVIT SVO DEMVM SANGVINE CVRIAM INVNDAVIT (He filled the whole world with the blood of his enemies and ended by flooding the Curia with his own blood).
Augustus: IANO CLAVSO FINEM CIVILIBVS ET EXTERNIS BELLIS IM POSVIT (By closing the temple of Janus, he signified he had brought to an end wars both at home and abroad).
Emblem and motto of Cardinal Capodiferro
Each statue is surmounted by the emblem of Cardinal Capodiferro, namely a dog standing next to a flaming column, with the motto VTROQ[UE] TEMPORE (at any time), a sign of loyalty to his faith. The elaborate coat of arms above the entrance belongs to the Spada family. The courtyard, the work of the same workshops, is as richly decorated as the facade.
The Palazzo Spada is home to the famed 'Prospettiva', a spectacular example of forced perspective, the creation of the architect Francesco Borromini (1599-1667). Forced perspective is a technique that employs optical illusion to make an object appear farther away, closer, larger or smaller than it actually is.
The 'Forced Perspective' Gallery
The illusion was created, in 1653, for Cardinal Bernardino Spada. Borromini designed a barrel-vaulted colonnade for the cardinal that looks much longer than it is (9 metres/30 feet). He achieved this illusion by making the two sides of the colonnade move closer together — rather than proceed in parallel -- and by reducing the height of the receding columns. In addition, the pavement rises while the vault drops.
The wall at the end of the colonnade was originally painted with an image of a forest. However, in the mid 19th century, Prince Clemente Spada added the statue of the god Mars, which appears much taller than it actually is (60 cm/2 feet).
Salone di Pompeo
One of the rooms of the Palazzo Spada is known as the Salone di Pompeo, as it is home to an ancient Roman statue, once thought to depict the general Pompey (106-48 BCE). The statue, which was unearthed, circa 1552, in the Via dei Leutari, was also thought to have once stood in the Curia Pompeo, where Julius Caesar was assassinated. However, the statue has since been dated 150 years or so after Pompey's death and depicts not a general but an emperor.