The Sacro Bosco ("Sacred Grove"),[1] colloquially called Park of the Monsters (Parco dei Mostri in Italian), also named Garden of Bomarzo, is a Mannerist monumental complex located in Bomarzo, in the province of Viterbo, in northern Lazio, Italy.[2]
The garden was created during the 16th century.[3] The design is attributed to Pirro Ligorio, and the sculptures to Simone Moschino. Situated in a wooded valley bottom beneath the castle of Orsini, it is populated by grotesque sculptures and small buildings located among the natural vegetation.
The park's name stems from the many larger-than-life sculptures, some sculpted in the bedrock, which populate this predominantly barren landscape. It was commissioned by Pier Francesco Orsini, called Vicino, a 16th-century condottiero, and patron of the arts, greatly devoted to his wife Giulia Farnese (not to be confused with her maternal great-aunt Giulia Farnese, the mistress of Pope Alexander VI). When Orsini's wife died, he had the gardens constructed to cope with his grief.
During the 19th century, and deep into the 20th, the garden became overgrown and neglected, but after the Spanish painter Salvador Dalí made a short movie about the park and completed a painting actually based on the park in the 1950s, the Bettini family implemented a restoration program which lasted throughout the 1970s. Today, the garden, which remains private property, is a major tourist attraction.
The Leaning HouseLion sculptureElephantFuryTemplePanorama
Descriptionedit
Styleedit
The park of Bomarzo was intended not to please, but to astonish, and like many Mannerist works of art, its symbolism is arcane: examples are a large sculpture of one of Hannibal's war elephants, which mangles a Roman legionary, or the statue of Ceres lounging on the bare ground, with a vase of verdure perched on her head.
The many monstrous statues appear to be unconnected to any rational plan, and appear to have been strewn almost randomly about the area, sol per sfogare il Core ("just to set the heart free") as one inscription in the obelisks says.
Allusive verses in Italian by Annibal Caro (the first one is of him, in 1564), Bitussi, and Cristoforo Madruzzo, some of them now eroded, were inscribed beside the sculptures.
The reason for the layout and design of the garden is largely unknown; Liane Lefaivre thinks they are illustrations of the romance novel Hypnerotomachia Poliphili.[4] Perhaps they were meant as a foil to the perfect symmetry and layout of the great Renaissance gardens nearby at Villa Farnese, and Villa Lante. Next to a formal exit gate is a tilting watchtower-like casina, the so-called Casa Pendente ("Leaning House").
Orcus with its mouth wide open and on whose upper lip it is inscribed "OGNI PENSIERO VOLA" ("All Thoughts Fly"), which is illustrated by the fact that the acoustics of the mouth mean that any whisper made inside is clearly heard by anyone standing at the base of the steps. Art historian Luke Morgan describes this sculpture as "The Hell Mouth" and notes that people dined in it, producing the effect of simultaneously eating and being eaten; this duality is representative of 16th century "monsters" in Italian gardens. The Hell Mouth is also only a fragment of a whole body, and thus grotesque.[5]
The Temple of Eternity: memorial to Giulia Farnese, located at the top of the garden, it is an octagonal building with a mixture of classical, Renaissance and Etruscan genres. It currently houses the tombs of Giovanni Bettini and Tina Severi, the owners who restored the garden in the twentieth century.
Legacyedit
The surreal nature of the Parco dei Mostri appealed to Jean Cocteau and Salvador Dalí, who discussed it at great length.
The story behind Bomarzo and the life of Pier Francesco Orsini are the subject of a novel by the Argentinian writer Manuel Mujica Láinez, Bomarzo (1962). Mujica Láinez himself wrote a libretto based on his novel, which was set to music by Alberto Ginastera (1967). The opera Bomarzo premièred in Washington in 1967, since the Argentine government had condemned it as sexually offensive.
A reimagined version of the garden is the centerpiece of the novel A Green and Ancient Light, written by Frederic S. Durbin.
A fight scene in the 1985 film The Adventures of Hercules takes place here and the Orcus' mouth acts as an entrance to a cave.
The Dutch painter Carel Willink used several of the park's statue groups in his paintings, e.g. Equilibrium of Forces (1963), The Eternal Cry (1964), To the Future (1965) and Landscape with a Nuclear Reactor (1982).[6]
A replica of the Orcus mouth appears as a major setpiece in the 1997 film The Relic.
In the 1999 film version of Alice in Wonderland, the grotto in the scene involving Gene Wilder as the Mock Turtle is composed of sculptural features copying the garden at Bomarzo.
Orcus mouth appears in the 1964 Italian horror film Il castello dei morti vivi (also known as Castle of the Living Dead).
The history and the mysteries of the gardens are featured in the 2015 board game "Bomarzo" by Stefano Castelli.
^Matteo Vercelloni, Virgilio Vercelloni Inventing the Garden 2010 - Page 73 "The Sacro Bosco (Sacred Wood) of Bomarzo, in Lazio, is a mysterious park full of curiosities, and monsters, located in what may once have been a ... "
^Caroline Holmes Icons of garden design: 2001 - Page 38 "The Sacro Bosco, or 'sacred grove', takes the Renaissance passion for garden symbolism to a climax. It is a bizarre collection of statues and architectural follies in a wood close to the border between Umbria and Lazio."
^(in French) Encarta Encyclopedia Encarta.msn.com 2009-06-17 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 27 June 2009
^"Hypnerotomachia Poliphili – an object of Material Culture".
^Morgan, Luke (2016). The Monster in the Garden: The Grotesque and the Gigantic in Renaissance Landscape Design. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 9, 62, 133. ISBN9780812247558.
^Koolbergen, Michiel (1984). In de ban van Bomarzo [Under the spell of Bomarzo] (in Dutch). Amsterdam: Van Dobbenburgh. pp. 88–91. ISBN90-6577-0097.
^Jurek, Thom. "Anna von Hausswolff - All Thoughts Fly". AllMusic. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
Sourcesedit
(in Italian)
(in Italian)
(in French) Hella Haase, Les jardins de Bomarzo, Seuil, Paris 2000
(German) Richtsfeld, Bruno J.: Der "Heilige Wald" von Bomarzo und sein "Höllenmaul". In: Metamorphosen. Arbeiten von Werner Engelmann und ethnographische Objekte im Vergleich. Herausgegeben von Werner Engelmann und Bruno J. Richtsfeld. München 1989, S. 18 - 36.
(in French) Jessie Sheeler, Le Jardin de Bomarzo - Une énigme de la Renaissance, Actes Sud, Arles 2007
(in Italian) Calvesi M., Gli incantesimi di Bomarzo. Il Sacro Bosco tra arte e letteratura, Milano, Bompiani, 2000
(in English) Morgan, Luke, The Monster in the Garden: The Grotesque and the Giganti in Renaissance Landscape Design, University of Pennsylvania Press 2016, Philadelphia
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Parco dei Mostri (Bomarzo).
The park of Monsters
Photo Gallery and information about the Monster Park at Culture Discovery Vacations
A photo-essay on the garden and its meaning by Lee van Laer, Poetry Editor, Parabola Magazine, 2013
information for a visit to Bomarzo
Hypnerotomachia Poliphili – an object of Material Culture
April 10, 2024
gardens, bomarzo, sacro, bosco, sacred, grove, colloquially, called, park, monsters, parco, mostri, italian, also, named, garden, bomarzo, mannerist, monumental, complex, located, bomarzo, province, viterbo, northern, lazio, italy, sacred, grovesacro, boscoorc. The Sacro Bosco Sacred Grove 1 colloquially called Park of the Monsters Parco dei Mostri in Italian also named Garden of Bomarzo is a Mannerist monumental complex located in Bomarzo in the province of Viterbo in northern Lazio Italy 2 Gardens of BomarzoSacred GroveSacro BoscoOrcus mouthLocationBomarzo ItalyCoordinates42 29 29 88 N 12 14 51 27 E 42 4916333 N 12 2475750 E 42 4916333 12 2475750Created16th centuryDesignerPirro LigorioThe garden was created during the 16th century 3 The design is attributed to Pirro Ligorio and the sculptures to Simone Moschino Situated in a wooded valley bottom beneath the castle of Orsini it is populated by grotesque sculptures and small buildings located among the natural vegetation Contents 1 History 2 Description 2 1 Style 2 2 Sculptures 2 3 Monuments 3 Legacy 4 See also 5 References 6 Sources 7 External linksHistory editThe park s name stems from the many larger than life sculptures some sculpted in the bedrock which populate this predominantly barren landscape It was commissioned by Pier Francesco Orsini called Vicino a 16th century condottiero and patron of the arts greatly devoted to his wife Giulia Farnese not to be confused with her maternal great aunt Giulia Farnese the mistress of Pope Alexander VI When Orsini s wife died he had the gardens constructed to cope with his grief During the 19th century and deep into the 20th the garden became overgrown and neglected but after the Spanish painter Salvador Dali made a short movie about the park and completed a painting actually based on the park in the 1950s the Bettini family implemented a restoration program which lasted throughout the 1970s Today the garden which remains private property is a major tourist attraction nbsp The Leaning House nbsp Lion sculpture nbsp Elephant nbsp Fury nbsp Temple nbsp PanoramaDescription editStyle edit The park of Bomarzo was intended not to please but to astonish and like many Mannerist works of art its symbolism is arcane examples are a large sculpture of one of Hannibal s war elephants which mangles a Roman legionary or the statue of Ceres lounging on the bare ground with a vase of verdure perched on her head The many monstrous statues appear to be unconnected to any rational plan and appear to have been strewn almost randomly about the area sol per sfogare il Core just to set the heart free as one inscription in the obelisks says Allusive verses in Italian by Annibal Caro the first one is of him in 1564 Bitussi and Cristoforo Madruzzo some of them now eroded were inscribed beside the sculptures The reason for the layout and design of the garden is largely unknown Liane Lefaivre thinks they are illustrations of the romance novel Hypnerotomachia Poliphili 4 Perhaps they were meant as a foil to the perfect symmetry and layout of the great Renaissance gardens nearby at Villa Farnese and Villa Lante Next to a formal exit gate is a tilting watchtower like casina the so called Casa Pendente Leaning House Sculptures edit A fountain called Pegasus the winged horse Two sirens probably Proserpina wife of Pluto Orcus with its mouth wide open and on whose upper lip it is inscribed OGNI PENSIERO VOLA All Thoughts Fly which is illustrated by the fact that the acoustics of the mouth mean that any whisper made inside is clearly heard by anyone standing at the base of the steps Art historian Luke Morgan describes this sculpture as The Hell Mouth and notes that people dined in it producing the effect of simultaneously eating and being eaten this duality is representative of 16th century monsters in Italian gardens The Hell Mouth is also only a fragment of a whole body and thus grotesque 5 A whale Two bears A dragon attacked by lions Proteus with weapons of Orsini Hannibal s elephant catching a Roman legionary Cerberus A turtle with a winged woman on its back A small theater of Nature A giant who brutally shreds a character A triton in a niche Two Ceres sitting and standing A sleeping nymph Aphrodite The giant fruit cones and basinsMonuments edit The Leaning House dedicated to cardinal Cristoforo Madruzzo who was a friend of Vicino Orsini and his wife The Temple of Eternity memorial to Giulia Farnese located at the top of the garden it is an octagonal building with a mixture of classical Renaissance and Etruscan genres It currently houses the tombs of Giovanni Bettini and Tina Severi the owners who restored the garden in the twentieth century Legacy editThe surreal nature of the Parco dei Mostri appealed to Jean Cocteau and Salvador Dali who discussed it at great length The poet Andre Pieyre de Mandiargues wrote an essay devoted to Bomarzo Niki de Saint Phalle was inspired by Bomarzo for her Tarot Garden Giardino dei Tarocchi The story behind Bomarzo and the life of Pier Francesco Orsini are the subject of a novel by the Argentinian writer Manuel Mujica Lainez Bomarzo 1962 Mujica Lainez himself wrote a libretto based on his novel which was set to music by Alberto Ginastera 1967 The opera Bomarzo premiered in Washington in 1967 since the Argentine government had condemned it as sexually offensive A reimagined version of the garden is the centerpiece of the novel A Green and Ancient Light written by Frederic S Durbin Some scenes from the 1985 Frankenstein film The Bride starring Sting and Jennifer Beals were shot amidst the statuary at the Garden A fight scene in the 1985 film The Adventures of Hercules takes place here and the Orcus mouth acts as an entrance to a cave The Dutch painter Carel Willink used several of the park s statue groups in his paintings e g Equilibrium of Forces 1963 The Eternal Cry 1964 To the Future 1965 and Landscape with a Nuclear Reactor 1982 6 A replica of the Orcus mouth appears as a major setpiece in the 1997 film The Relic In the 1999 film version of Alice in Wonderland the grotto in the scene involving Gene Wilder as the Mock Turtle is composed of sculptural features copying the garden at Bomarzo Orcus mouth appears in the 1964 Italian horror film Il castello dei morti vivi also known asCastle of the Living Dead The history and the mysteries of the gardens are featured in the 2015 board game Bomarzo by Stefano Castelli A gargoyle from the gardens features on the cover of Anna von Hausswolff s 2020 album All Thoughts Fly 7 Orcus is featured on the album cover for Billy by American rapper Ill BillSee also editVilla Palagonia Sala Keoku Buddha Park Hypnerotomachia Poliphili Palazzo Orsini Bomarzo References edit Matteo Vercelloni Virgilio Vercelloni Inventing the Garden 2010 Page 73 The Sacro Bosco Sacred Wood of Bomarzo in Lazio is a mysterious park full of curiosities and monsters located in what may once have been a Caroline Holmes Icons of garden design 2001 Page 38 The Sacro Bosco or sacred grove takes the Renaissance passion for garden symbolism to a climax It is a bizarre collection of statues and architectural follies in a wood close to the border between Umbria and Lazio in French Encarta Encyclopedia Encarta msn com Archived 2009 06 17 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 27 June 2009 Hypnerotomachia Poliphili an object of Material Culture Morgan Luke 2016 The Monster in the Garden The Grotesque and the Gigantic in Renaissance Landscape Design Philadelphia Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania Press pp 9 62 133 ISBN 9780812247558 Koolbergen Michiel 1984 In de ban van Bomarzo Under the spell of Bomarzo in Dutch Amsterdam Van Dobbenburgh pp 88 91 ISBN 90 6577 0097 Jurek Thom Anna von Hausswolff All Thoughts Fly AllMusic Retrieved October 30 2023 Sources edit in Italian Publication on Bomarzo site in Italian Publication on Bomarzo site Images in French Hella Haase Les jardins de Bomarzo Seuil Paris 2000 German Richtsfeld Bruno J Der Heilige Wald von Bomarzo und sein Hollenmaul In Metamorphosen Arbeiten von Werner Engelmann und ethnographische Objekte im Vergleich Herausgegeben von Werner Engelmann und Bruno J Richtsfeld Munchen 1989 S 18 36 in French Jessie Sheeler Le Jardin de Bomarzo Une enigme de la Renaissance Actes Sud Arles 2007 in Italian Calvesi M Gli incantesimi di Bomarzo Il Sacro Bosco tra arte e letteratura Milano Bompiani 2000 in English Morgan Luke The Monster in the Garden The Grotesque and the Giganti in Renaissance Landscape Design University of Pennsylvania Press 2016 PhiladelphiaExternal links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Parco dei Mostri Bomarzo The park of Monsters Photo Gallery and information about the Monster Park at Culture Discovery Vacations Gorgeous Grotesques by Paula de la Cruz GARDEN DESIGN Nov Dec 2009 A photo essay on the garden and its meaning by Lee van Laer Poetry Editor Parabola Magazine 2013 information for a visit to Bomarzo Hypnerotomachia Poliphili an object of Material Culture Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gardens of Bomarzo amp oldid 1186076676, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
