The Camerino d’Europa at the Majestic in Bologna

19-03-2021 | Style & Culture

Written by: Digital Gran Tour

The Grand Hotel Majestic "già Baglioni" is located only a few steps away from Piazza Maggiore, in the very heart of Bologna, the city known as “the fat one, the learned one and red one": a magical place, where two millennia of history, art and culture are melted together, to spring out through streets and monuments. The past of the city is then revealed to those who search among the clues and traces, inside and outside the hotel. Today, with this article, we’re kicking off a brief virtual tour of our Hotel-Museum: let’s head up to the main floor to discover the Camerino d’Europa, a masterpiece by the Carracci brothers. Let’s get ready to travel back in time.

The Camerino d’Europa with the Carracci brothers’ frescoes

The 16th Century in Bologna: A Period of Cultural and Architectural Vitality

We are in the midst of the long period of papal rule over Bologna, which lasted from 1506 to 1796. It was an era marked by major historical events, such as the coronation of Charles V in the Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna by Pope Clement VII in 1530. Between 1562 and 1563, the Archiginnasio Palace, home to the University, was built, while in 1566 the Fountain of Neptune was completed, facing Palazzo Re Enzo, the heart of the city’s economic and social life. It was against this backdrop that the extraordinary career of the Carracci family unfolded, as they paved the way from Mannerism to the Baroque. And in particular to the Bolognese Baroque, which held a special place on the Italian scene with figures such as Domenichino and Guercino. It was the Carracci who founded one of the first art academies, the Accademia del Naturale, later known as the Accademia degli Incamminati, which promoted life drawing, passing on knowledge beyond the workshops, and included subjects such as literature, mathematics, geometry, and anatomy. But first, they would have the opportunity to distinguish themselves through various works.

The Camerino d’Europa: The Carracci’s Grand Debut

On the hotel’s main floor, thanks to a recent restoration carried out by the current owners, visitors can admire the Camerino d’Europa, featuring a cycle of frescoes that visually recount the stories of Jupiter and Europa, drawn from the second book of Ovid’s *Metamorphoses*. This work predates by a short time the cycle of Jason and Medea, by the same artists, housed in Palazzo Fava: it should be noted that the current structure of the Majestic is connected to and merged with that of the Palazzo, whose main entrance is now located on the adjacent Via Manzoni.

The Camerino d’Europa holds a special place in art history, as it was the first known commission for the Carracci brothers. On the occasion of his marriage to Ginevra Orsi, Count Filippo Fava entrusted the Carracci brothers—on the advice of their father, Antonio Carracci—with the task of embellishing his stately home. It was an important debut for these artists of genius.

We enter the Camerino, ready to be enveloped by a sense of wonder: here, a story told through images comes to life, unfolding across the four walls beneath a coffered wooden ceiling, decorated and gilded. At the center of each wall is a panel depicting an episode from the stories of Europa: Jupiter transformed into a bull allowing Europa to approach him, Jupiter being led by Europa, Europa climbing onto the bull’s back, and finally the Rape of Europa.

Pairs of satyrs depicted as statues, grotesque motifs, and faux gilded bronze statues complete the decoration. This technique draws on a style that originated in Rome within Raphael’s circle and developed in Bologna. The precocious genius of the Carracci brothers, evident even at the start of their careers, is apparent when observing the work both up close and from a distance, paying attention to their uniquely distinctive touch. And one cannot help but agree with the French quote attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, inscribed on the antique mirror in the room: “Les détails sont la perfection et la perfection n’est pas un détail!”