Borromini’s Facade of San Carlino and the ‘Greek’ Tripod. A Question of Method

Abstract

This article analyses one of Francesco Borromini’s sources for the facade of San Carlino (1660-1662). The architect derived an ornamental detail of the lateral windows from a drawing of an ancient tripod that had been discovered in Frejus in 1629. Information about this tripod circulated among scholars, collectors, antiquarians, and artists before reaching Borromini’s desk. In the façade’s design, then, the architect adopted a specific rational procedure along the lines of Ermenegildo Pini’s hypothesis, formulated in 1770: Borromini, like Descartes, created an “imaginary hypothesis”, an “exemplary system” from “mistakes”. The chapter thus aims to demonstrate that Borromini’s adaptation of the ancient motif for a sculptural element within the architectural structure of San Carlino’s facade was closely related to scientific methods of his time.