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sword gallery
Piazza Capo di Ferro 13, Rome, ItalyAbout
The Palazzo Spada was built in 1540 for Cardinal Girolamo Capodiferro and its architect was Bartolomeo Baronino. In 1632 Cardinal Spada bought the palace and asked Francesco Borromini to restore it to his taste. Borromini created a masterpiece of forced perspective, an optical illusion located in the arcaded courtyard. It is a trompe l'oeil garden gallery. In this illusion one can see a gallery that is 37 meters long (it is really only 8 meters) and at the end of the vista there seems to be a sculpture that is life size (although it is only 60 cm high). The façade and courtyard have many sculptures in niches and the courtyard has a small but pleasing fountain.
