Mantua, Ducal Palace:
"The Camera degli Sposi: the illusionistic vault"

Andrea Mantegna develops the architectural illusion of the room by extending the false pilasters of the walls into the vault with equally false ribs that intertwine, thus dividing the space into regular figures. In these spaces, corresponding to the lunettes of the walls, are twelve pendentives decorated with false bas-reliefs of mythological inspiration. They symbolically celebrate the virtues of the Marquis, Ludovico II Gonzaga, a military commander and statesman. Courage is represented with the myth of Orpheus, cunning with the myth of Arion of Metimna, and strength with the labors of Hercules. They are, in order: Orpheus enchanting the forces of nature; Orpheus enchanting Cerberus and a Fury; Death of Orpheus torn to pieces by the Bacchantes; Arion enchanting the dolphin; Arion saved by the dolphin; Periander condemning the bad sailors; Hercules shoots an arrow at the centaur Nessus; Nessus and Deianira; Hercules wrestling with the Nemean lion; Hercules killing the Hydra; Hercules and Antaeus; Hercules killing Cerberus. In the lozenges enclosed at the intersection of the false ribs, the portraits of the first eight Roman emperors are depicted in monochrome, within gilded garlands. Each is depicted with their own name; it is, once again, a celebration of power. But it is at the center of the vault that perhaps the most famous piece of Mantegna's painting opens: the famous oculus. This opening is surrounded by a sumptuous garland rich in leaves and fruits and evokes classical antiquity, inspired by the oculus of the Pantheon in Rome. Opening towards the sky, it provides, in the scenic fiction, the natural light that illuminates all the scenes on the walls. From the balcony overlook a peacock, five female figures - a lady-in-waiting and four maidservants, one of whom is black - and ten winged putti, some represented in a daring foreshortening on the inner side of the frame. Even the large vase with a citrus plant, supported by a rod, is shown in perspective from below and seems precariously balanced: in fact, the amused expression of the women would suggest the preparation of a joke, as if they intended to drop it into the room below. In the cloud near the vase is hidden a human profile, a possible self-portrait of the artist cleverly disguised.