Pope Clement IX (1667-1669)

Born Girolamo Rospigliosi, Clement IX (1667–1669) was a committed patron of the arts during his short term as pope. He embellished the city of Rome through his engagement with the celebrated artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, with whom he had collaborated before ascending to the papacy. Bernini created stage designs for performances of operas and plays written by the young Rospigliosi. The architectural and urban planning projects that Bernini carried out for Clement during his time as pope include the colonnade in Saint Peter’s Square and the renovation of the Ponte Sant’Angelo, the terracotta models for which are in the collection of the Fogg Museum. Although this portrait was probably not executed by Bernini, it may have been modeled after one of his drawings. The image bears a strong resemblance to a papal medal by Girolamo Lucenti, created in 1669 to commemorate Clement’s expansion of the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, which the pontiff also entrusted to Bernini.