Olimpia Maidalchini Pamphilj as Patron of Pietro da Cortona’s Galleria Frescoes in Palazzo Pamphilj

An entry in the Libro Mastro of Donna Olimpia Maidalchini Pamphilj reads: “1654 Expenses for the Paintings for the Galleria of the Palazzo of Piazza Navona must be paid on 24 April, 3000 scudi paid in coin to Pietro Berrettini for the paintings and other ornamentation executed by him in said Galleria” (fig. 1). This payment identifies Donna Olimpia, sister-in-law of Pope Innocent X (Giovanni Battista Pamphilj, r. 1644–55), as the patron of the magnificent fresco by Pietro Berrettini