Palazzo del Te, Mantua, Italy, 1524

A classic among the Mannerist style of architecture from the Renaissance period in Italy is the Palazzo del Te. Located in Mantua, Italy, Palazzo del Te sits on the fringe of the marshes just outside Mantue’s city walls. While the palace went through stages of being neglected and damaged and of course restored and renovated, it has endured a history of physical transformations. However, despite the many changes, the palace is viewed as if it were still very close to an idea, intended state. 

Aerial view of the palace

Palazzo del Te was constructed for Federico II Gonzaga, the ruler of Mantua in the early 16th century by painter and architect Giulio Romano, a pupil of Raphael. Gonzaga wanted a leisure palace that was not too far from his own residence where he could retire sometimes to feast or dine for pleasure. Construction for Palazzo del Te began in 1524 and lasted until 1532. 

Plan of Palazzo del Te

The building consists of a square block around a central court with a grand garden opening off at right angles to the main axis. One interesting aspect of the palace is that it has four different facades. Two of these facades, north and west, have external entrances. The east facade faces a large formal garden and has an open logic at its centre. On the right is the hemispherical exedras which gives a great view on horseback. In fact, horseback riding and horses was a theme when building the palace as the Gonzaga family enjoyed horses.

Horse painting in Sala dei Cavalli

One notable feature of the palace is the Loggia delle Muse which is the hallway dedicated to the Muses. The Muses are goddesses inspiring and protecting art, literature and science. The painting in this hallway depict scenes from mythology which Romano was known for. Since the Gonzaga family loved horses, life size statues of painted in the palace in the Sala dei Cavalli which was known as the dancing hall. 

Courtyard of the palaca

During the War of Mantuan Succession, the palace was unfortunately destroyed. Palazzo del Te was looted completely and all that remained was just the paintings on the walls. What was left of the palace is used to house the Museo Civico del Palazzo Te today. 

Works Cited

1 Castex, Jean. Architecture of Italy. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2008. Print.

2 Forster, Kurt W., and Richard J. Tuttle. “The Palazzo Del Te.” Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, vol. 30, no. 4, 1971, pp. 267–293. 

3 "Palazzo Del Te." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.