Commander Bernardino Cirillo did not live to see the decoration of the upper part of the loggia completed. In fact, in 1572 Pope Pius V died and the work stopped due to lack of funding. Cirillo died three years later, in 1575.
The new commander, Teseo Aldrovandi, decided to resume the work. Between 1576 and 1580, he had the north side of the loggia decorated by the painter Ercole Perillo, from Salerno, about whom little is known. The decorations depicted landscapes, grotesques (strange and imaginative drawings), and coats of arms.
After Aldrovandi, work stopped for about ten years. It was later resumed during the pontificate of Pope Sixtus V, thanks to the brothers Cesare and Vincenzo Conti, two artists from the Marche region already active in Rome.
Points of interest
Decorations and Coats of Arms of the Piano Nobile
The walls of the piano nobile loggia are adorned with a continuous painted frieze that runs along its entire perimeter. The decoration features noble coats of arms belonging to commendatori, such as Cardinal Pietro Campori, Cardinal Spinola, and Cardinal Agucchi, as well as those of popes, including Innocent III of the Conti di Segni, Paul V Borghese, and Urban VIII Barberini. These are interspersed with grotesques, allegorical female figures, and landscapes—both real and imaginary—that reflect the emergence and spread of this innovative pictorial style, influenced by the presence of Flemish artists in Rome, such as the brothers Paul and Mattheus Brill. The painting style is quick and simple, suited to the loggia of a hospital and demonstrating a conscious effort to contain costs and avoid criticism. Along the loggia walls, three busts of popes—Pius VI Braschi, Pius VIII Castiglioni, and Pius IX Mastai Ferretti—are displayed alongside six 18th-century busts representing Roman emperors. The loggia also provides access to the portals of the Salone del Commendatore and the Biblioteca Lancisiana.
