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Pietro Ottoboni | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia e Velletri | |
 Portrait byFrancesco Trevisani | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Appointed | 14 June 1726 |
| Term ended | 23 February 1740 |
| Other posts | Archpriest of theArchbasilica of Saint John Lateran Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church Secretary of theRoman Inquisition |
| Previous posts |
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| Orders | |
| Ordination | 13 July 1724 (deacon) 14 July 1724 (priest) |
| Consecration | 4 February 1725 by Benedict XIII |
| Created cardinal | 7 November 1689 byAlexander VIII |
| Rank | Cardinal-bishop |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 July 1667 |
| Died | 23 February 1740 (aged 72) |
| Buried | San Lorenzo in Damaso |
Pietro Ottoboni (2 July 1667 – 23 February 1740) was an Italian cardinal and grandnephew ofPope Alexander VIII,[1] who was also born Pietro Ottoboni. He is remembered especially as a great patron of music and art. Ottoboni was the last person to hold the curial office ofcardinal-nephew, which was abolished by Alexander's successor,Pope Innocent XII, in 1692. Ottoboni '"loved pomp, prodigality, and sensual pleasure, but was in the same time kind, ready to serve, and charitable."[2]
Pietro was born on 2 July 1667 inVenice,[3] son ofAntonio Ottoboni and Maria Moretti. His family was nobleOttoboni family, whose most prominent member had been his grandunclePope Alexander VIII (1689–1691). The family was invited into the nobility of Venice as a result of the battle of Zonchio (1499) and later met the financial qualifications for nobility in the 17th century after amassing a fortune in the diplomatic service.
Pietro was admitted to the clerical tonsure and minor orders on 20 October 1689 and was created cardinal deacon in the consistory of 7 November 1689, receiving the red hat on 14 November. the same day he was appointed to the office ofvice-chancellor of the Holy Roman Church, which he held till his death. He was also made governor of the cities ofFermo andTivoli, as well as of the territory ofCapranica.
He becamecardinal-bishop of Sabina in 1725,cardinal-bishop of Frascati in 1730,cardinal-bishop of Porto and Santa Rufina in 1734, and vice-dean thendean of the Sacred College of Cardinals on 3 September 1738. Ottoboni was also Archpriest of the patriarchalBasilica of Saint Mary Major, secretary of theRoman Inquisition, Archpriest of the patriarchalLateran Basilica (from 1730).
Ottoboni was one of the great patrons of his generation. He resided in thePalazzo della Cancelleria, where he had begun to construct a theatre in 1689. The favourite of Cardinal Ottoboni,Andrea Adami, acastrato, was appointed master of the papal choir in theSistine Chapel.[2] Between 1709 and 1710Filippo Juvarra entered the court and enlarged the theatre. Domenico Paradisi andAngelo de Rossi were responsible for the decoration of the palace suites.
Ottoboni supportedArcangelo Corelli, the finest violinist of his generation, at his Monday night concerts called "academies". When Corelli died in 1713, he left his estate, which included some valuable pictures, to the Cardinal, who distributed the sizable funds among Corelli's relations and erected a princely tomb for the musician in thePantheon. Other protégés of the cardinal wereAlessandro Scarlatti,Antonio Vivaldi andAntonio Caldara. As his fatherAntonio Ottoboni also did, Pietro Ottoboni wrote texts of cantatas and librettos for oratorios, such as for Scarlatti'sLa Giuditta of 1693. Whenopera was banned in Rome, performances withdrew to Ottoboni's Cancelleria. His triumphal return to Venice in 1726 was celebrated with musical festivities that included a serenataAndromeda liberata, with arias contributed by various Venetian masters, including Vivaldi.
The young Sicilian architectGiovanni Battista Vaccarini and paintersSebastiano Conca,Sebastiano Ricci andFrancesco Trevisani, a resident of the court for almost four decades, also benefited from his patronage. One of his most important commissions was theSeven Sacraments executed in 1712 byGiuseppe Maria Crespi (now in the Museum ofDresden). In 1735 he donated his Roman sculptures and other antiquities to theCapitoline Museums. The last decade of Ottobini's life was his most active as a patron.
Upon the death ofPope Clement XII on 6 February 1740, Ottoboni was consideredpapabile, but left theconclave with a fever. He died three days later on 23 February 1740.[3] His heirs took advantage of the vacant papacy and removed everything portable from the Cancelleria. There is a full description of the cardinal's paintings, which locates them by room. It presents a clear picture of his extensive acquisitions over a period of fifty years. Listed are almost 530 paintings, some inherited from his great-uncle: the most important painters are mentioned above. Others wereBenedetto Luti,Guido Reni,Giovanni Batista Gaulli,Tintoretto,Pusini,Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari,Pietro da Cortona,Francesco Albani,Jacopo Bassano,Giovanni Baglione,Giacinto Brandi,Giuseppe Cesari, andVeronese. In Rome, Ottoboni had acquired a taste for Northern European paintings like those byCaspar van Wittel andGerrit van Honthorst. The Ottoboni possessions were disposed of in four sales, and as a result, dispersed throughout the world. Final settlements of all accounts were made in 1752.
According toCharles Montesquieu Pietro Ottoboni had between 60 and 70 children. Portraits of his mistresses as saints, likeMargarita Pio Zeno of Savoy (1670-1725), decorated his bedroom.
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Despite his numerous benefices, and his alliance with the French crown, the expenses of the cardinal were perpetually exceeding his income. Upon his death, his estate was subsequently liquidated to settle his debts.
Ottoboni's music library was dispersed after his death, but the so-called "Manchester Concerto Part-books" have survived with sets of separate parts for 95 compositions, mostly concertos. His manuscript scores came into the possession ofCharles Jennens, the librettist for Handel’sMessiah. The diverse contents of the concerto collection suggest that Ottoboni’s musicians acquired and performed music from artistic centres elsewhere (notably Venice and Bologna) as well as works composed in Rome.
Ottoboni was a gifted opera and oratorio librettist and a member of theAcademy of Arcadia.Pietro Metastasio, was his godchild.
