Portrait of Pope Urban VIII

When Maffeo Barberini was elected pope in 1623, he chose the name Urban with a meaning in mind. It pointed to the classical idea of urbanitas, the gentleness and courtesy expected of a moderate spirit, the opposite of rusticitas, plain bad manners. The museum suggests he also meant it as a reminder to himself, a check on a temper that ran severe. Bernini painted him around 1631 or 1632, in the short red cape and red cap a pope wore away from ceremony, and he gives that idea a face. It is bright and welcoming, as if the pope were patiently waiting for someone to notice him. Once you do, the private man and the office begin to merge. The canvas is small, about 70 centimetres high, and the state bought it in 1930.