Abstract
Cardinal Del Monte, Caravaggio’s patron, is well known for his painting collection. This article deals with his efforts as a collector of antiquities, to obtain, free of charge, a statue of Cupid found in an excavation in the garden of the Roman house of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fabio Biondi, a protégé of Del Monte’s best friend, Cardinal Montalto (1596). It is based on the correspondence of the Patriarch (then vice-legate to Portugal), currently in the Vatican Archives. It also documents an earlier excavation in this garden, in 1594. Del Monte’s eager quest for a male statue may be viewed in the context of his moral reputation. The Cupid, restored by Silla Longhi and now in the Louvre by way of the Borghese collection – and also celebrated by Winckelmann – may be considered as a landmark in the history of taste.
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