The work which he undertook, was not easy. The painting was supposed to not only decorate the most important chamber in the Pamphilj family palace, but also overshadow others, created more than ten years earlier, which were found in the largest and most splendidly decorated Roman palace – in Palazzo Barberini. More importantly, the painter was to surpass in taste, idea and propaganda impact none other than himself, since he was the author of the praised and admired fresco Triumph of Divine Providence (1639), which he completed for the Barberinis. It is with them, but also with this very painting, that the Pamphilj family strove to compete, in the field of artistic patronage since the beginning of the pontificate of Innocent X. It seems that da Cortona fulfilled his clients’ expectations. He finished his work in 1653. In it he limited the amount of figural scenes, therefore the crowding of figures is appreciably lower, lightened the colors and introduced stretches of blue sky, through it achieving a novel at that time fluidity and transparency of his composition. He also forwent the story about the pope’s virtues, about divine intercession during his election and about the pompous form, as was the case with the Barberini pope (Urban VIII), instead concentrating on a very important for the Roman black aristocracy, genealogical thread. However, before we get to it, let us allow the story represented by da Cortona to tell itself.

The individual scenes of the painting were inspired from Aeneid by Virgil, who prior to the beginning of our era wrote down the dramatic fate of the refugee from Troy - Aeneas. After numerous adventures the heroic Trojan finally reaches Italy, where thanks to divine intervention he finds his second homeland. And it was this thread which was highlighted by da Cortona. The artist spread out the course of events across the entire ceiling, accentuating the most important scenes with the aid of rich, massive – rectangular and round – frames. In the central square part he placed the Olympian court, which is deliberating on Aeneas’s fate. The spaces in the ovals are occupied by two rival goddesses – Venus and Juno. The first act of the story begins in one of them. In it we will see the goddess Juno, who does not favor the fleeing hero Aeneas, as she is coming to Aeolus – the King of the Winds – requesting him to direct storms and sea currents in such a way as to harm Aeneas’s ships and condemn him to eternal exile. The effects of these actions can be observed on two neighboring scenes of the first space. Despite the efforts of Aeneas, ruler of the seas Neptune awakened by the turmoil, quietens the storms with a gesture of his hand, thanks to which Aeneas can sail on and after various adventures reaches the outlet of the Tiber. Here the second act begins, shown on the other side of the ceiling. Aeneas arrives at Latium, where he is welcomed with a feast organized by its ruler and is even offered the hand of his daughter Lavinia. And it would seem that everything is going smoothly, if it was not for the continued interference of the wrathful Juno. Due to her meddling, king Turnus who is jealous of Lavinia leads an army against Aeneas and his son Ascanius. And here we must once again look at the medallion, in which we will see Venus asking her husband Vulcan for armor for Aeneas, while Aeneas himself searches for allies in an unknown land and finds them at the court of Evander – the ruler of Pallene, who is willing to aid the visitor from Troy. We see Aeneas approaching him with an olive branch – a symbol of peace. He is greeted by Evander’s son, Pallas. It is he who on behalf of his aged father will join Aeneas in his battle against Turnus. In it Pallas dies, while Turnus rips off his armor taking it as loot. When the final battle between Turnus and Aeneas takes place, the Trojan is victorious, and the defeated king gives himself up, asking for mercy. Aeneas is hesitant about killing him, however, seeing Pallas’s belt on his enemy’s body and recalling the boy’s death, deals the final blow.

At this point the third act begins, which we can observe in the central part of the ceiling. The assembled Olympian gods deliberate on the fate of the wandering Aeneas. His advocate is Venus – his mother, who convinces the gods that he has atoned for the sins of the Trojans and is worthy of finding his homeland. The allegory of Justice which appears over Jupiter’s head seems to be a guarantee of a wise court, which is devoid of the emotions of the two rival goddesses. The argument is settled – Venus, above whom two pigeons take flight, is listened to. Anger and Hatred enter the Underworld, while the omnipotent Jupiter allows Aeneas to stay in Italy and establish his new home there.

However, this is not yet the end. In the window parts on both sides of the gallery, there are scenes which finish this story. From the side of Piazza Navona in the medallion, this time completed in the grisaille technique, we can see Aeneas, who with the aid of two pigeons finds a golden branch of mistletoe, thanks to which he intends to appease Proserpina – the goddess of the Underworld, so that she would allow him to enter it and then leave it. In the lower part, by the window, we will once again see Aeneas, who accompanied by Cumaean Sybil meets the three-headed Cerberus, the guard of the Underworld. With the aid of a trick, the hound is put to sleep, which allows Aeneas to reach his father Anchises, who died during the long journey of the Trojans at the shores of Sicily. The father, or more appropriately his spectre, tells his son about the future which awaits him and about the power of the city (Rome), which will be established by his descendants. In the middle of this story told through painting there is the coat of arms of Pope Innocent X (a dove holding an olive branch in its beak). On the other side of the gallery, we once again see the papal coat of arms and a medallion, while next to it a scene in which Aeneas reaches Italy on two ships and where with an olive branch in his hand he finds allies, among them Pallas who appears to be waiting for him.

Here we can ask – the story is well recounted, but where is the announced glorification of the family and the genealogical thread? This message is very subtle. Describing Aeneas’s story, da Cortona, never directly mentions the Pamphilj family, and neither does he directly make any allusions to the ruling pope, but small details will lead the inquisitive viewer on the right path, moreover, he will value the refined message of the creators of the ideological program of the painting. Let us recall the Pamphilj family coat of arms visible on both of its sides. Its main element – as we know – is a dove holding an olive branch in its beak. These two elements appear in da Cortona’s work quite often. Little-known and a rather pedestrian Pamphilj family subtly points to its pre-Roman roots. It is a confirmation of the widespread information about the similarity of the sound of the papal surname Pamphilj with Numa Pompilius – the legendary king, who was to rule after Romulus, who as we know, was a descendant of Aeneas. It was pointed out that the reign of Pompilius was peaceful, he was pious, just and strove for peace, of which an example is the abandonment of human sacrifices, which led to him receiving particular graces from Jupiter. Was this not a perfect protoplast of the current, chosen once again due to God’s will, pope? Such assumptions were rather on the bizarre side, but were taken with all seriousness. In those time it was not only the pope who sought his roots in ancient Rome, it was common practice among most of the then European aristocracy. And it was not something new either. We must remember that Aeneid had once before been used in a similar way. It was created under the auspices of Emperor Octavius Augustus, the adopted son of Julius Caesar. He in turn considered himself to be a descendant of the Julia family who themselves were descendants of Ascanius – the son of Aeneas, who on Italian land was to have taken on the name of Julius. This is probably where the idea came from to decorate the representative hall of the palace with busts of Roman emperors. If we would take the time to follow this genealogy, we would arrive at a clear conclusion, that the roots of the Pamphilj family reach not only to Julius Caesar and other Roman emperors from this dynasty, but to the goddess Venus herself. One could not imagine a greater hymn of praise of a Roman family. Although, was it really necessary for a pope?

Pietro da Cortona’s, Story of Aeneas, 1653, Galleria Serliana, Palazzo Pamphilj