Original Picture: Pavilion of the Rospigliosi Palace, Rome, Italy.
Artist: Guido Reni (gwē’dō rā’nē).
Birthplace: Bologna, Italy.
Dates: Born, 1575; died, 1642.
The story of the picture. Imagine yourself in that far-famed city of Rome, driving through its white streets to the great Quirinal Palace to see the original of our picture. The Quirinal, a very large and very ordinary looking building, has been the scene of many interesting events, and is always used as the meeting place for the cardinals who elect the pope. Our drive ends here, but it is only the beginning of our journey. After a delightful walk through a courtyard so completely surrounded by high stone walls that we should never have guessed its existence, we come to another palace. This palace is much more beautiful, although not so large. It is called the Rospigliosi Palace because it has always belonged to a family of that name. Then we pass on through a beautiful garden of magnolias until we reach the pavilion or casino of the palace, where we find our picture.
There are several rooms in this pavilion, but it is the middle room which holds our attention, for it is up on the ceiling of this room that we see Aurora, goddess of the morning, leading the way for the fiery steeds of Apollo, the sun god. As we enter, such a glow of color fills the room that we know instinctively this must be the place. First, we see Aurora herself, flying ahead, scattering the clouds of night and showering roses and dewdrops over the sleeping earth. She looks back toward Apollo, the sun god, to see if he is following her on his journey around the heavens in his chariot of the sun. The horses are restless and eager and it takes a steady hand to guide them.
Some idea of the difficulties attending such a journey may be gained from the Greek story of Phaëthon. According to this story, Apollo had a son named Phaëthon. One day the boy came to him, complaining that the other boys made fun of him when he told them who his father was. They said they did not believe that a boy who could do nothing at all could be the son of the mighty Apollo. This made the father very angry, and when Phaëthon asked him to let him do something that should prove to the world that he was Apollo’s son, Apollo told the boy he would give him permission to do whatever he asked.
The boy quickly asked permission to drive the sun chariot for one day. But this request alarmed Apollo, who said, “None but myself may drive the flaming car of day,—not even Jupiter, whose terrible right arm drives the thunderbolts.”
He urged his son to take back his request before it was too late, warning him it would prove his destruction. But the boy was only the more anxious to drive, and held his father to his promise.
Then Apollo told Phaëthon of the journey. “The first part of the way,” he said, “is so very steep that, although the horses start out in the best possible condition, they can hardly climb it; the next part is so high up in the heavens that I dare not look down upon the earth and sea below, lest I grow dizzy and fall; the last part of the journey is the most difficult of all, because the road descends rapidly and it is hard to guide the horses. And all this time,” Apollo went on, “the heavens are turning around and carrying the stars with them.”