Frescoes in the loggias of the Farnesina

The stories of Cupid and Psyche are frescoed in the loggia located inside Villa Farnesina in Rome. The work was commissioned to Raphael and his workshop to celebrate Agostino Chigi's wedding with Francesca Ordeaschi in 1519. The loggia was once the main entrance to the villa, but was later closed with stained glass windows in 1659 to protect the frescoes.
Raphael, at the time engaged in numerous other important commissions, took care of the conception of the project, and entrusted much of the execution of the work to his collaborators, including Giulio Romano who is recognized as the executor of most of the frescoes of the loggia and Giovanni da Udine, chosen by Raphael to create the vegetable festoons.The cycle of frescoes represents the legend of Cupid and Psichele taken from Apuleius's Golden Donkey.
The structure of the frescoes and all the details can be viewed in digital version by following the link http://vcg.isti.cnr.it/farnesina/loggia/ through which it is possible to take a beautiful guided tour between the three sections of the fresco: The Tale of Cupid and Psyche by Raphael and Giulio Romano, the Festoons and Animals by Giovanni da Udine. By clicking on the images you can view the details of the frescoed ceiling and read the related information.