Before the construction of the Te Palace, "Tejeto" island was home to the Gonzaga's stables. The latter have been incorporated into the Villa. The squared court is clearly inspired by old villas' shape and the nobles' countryside residencies. In fact, Giulio Roman had a constant source of inspiration throughout his works, which is the [...]
After leaving the ticket office, there is a room with a Titian's Portrait of Giulio Romano. Titian was communicating with Federico Gonzaga between 1522 and 1540, and from 1536 his relationship with the Mantuan court intensified. Giulio Romano, with whom he had become friendly, is portrayed in a three quarters profile holding up the ground [...]
The patron of the Palazzo is Federico II Gonzaga (1500-1540), son of Francesco II and Isabella d’Este. Federico ruled Mantua as marquis between 1519 and 1530; in the same year he was made a duke by emperor Charles V. Judged by Guicciardini not to be a great military leader, he soon gave up the [...]
The meeting between Giulio Romano and Federico II Gonzaga, and ensuing commission to build Palazzo Te is evocatively described by Vasari in his Lives of the Artists. When Giulio came to Mantua in October 1524, the marquis provided him with a house, showered him with gifts and, after giving him one of his [...]
Mantua was once surrounded by four lakes formed by the river Mincio. Not far from the island on which the city was built was another island, in Medieval times called Teieto (then abbreviated to Te). This was connected to the south walls of the city by a bridge. There are two [...]
Giulio di Piero Pippi de’Iannuzzi, called Romano, was born in Rome during the last decade of the fifteenth century. Although his precise date of birth is uncertain, a death certificate of 1546 puts his age at 47, meaning he was born in around 1499. Vasari dates his birth to 1492, while experts tend to [...]