Nature in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Times

Nature, Art, and Human Perception in Giulio Romano’s Room of the Giants at the Palazzo del Te, Mantua (1532–1535)

Nurit Golan

Abstract

The Camera dei Giganti in Palazzo del Te in Mantua was painted between the years 1530 and 1533 by Giulio Romano (1499–1546), court artist to the Mantuan Duke Federico II Gonzaga (1500–1540).¹ In a cavernous room, Romano’s rendition of fire, a volcanic eruption, an earthquake, and fallen bodies of giants dressed as Roman soldiers created a uniquely stress-laden and highly emotional experience for the duke’s guests in this space. During their initial examination, the beholders must have felt as if they were among the victims of nature’s forces, about to be smashed by the mountains and collapsing building; ...