Warriors and musicians: Notes from the Colonna family archive

The 17th- and 18th-century décor and frescoes in the main rooms of Rome's Galleria Colonna celebrate the military achievements of the 16th-century Colonna forebear credited with reviving the family fortunes. In the centre of the Sala della Colonna Bellica, a female personification of Rome stands atop a classically inspired column, hand raised towards the heavens - or, perhaps, towards the marvellous ceiling frescoes. In one of these, Hercules presents Rome's hero to the Virgin and gestures towards the seat awaiting him in heaven; the clouds supporting the men squash assorted Turks below, giving a clue to the man's identity: Marc'Antonio II Colonna (1535 - 84), the leader of the papal forces in the Battle of Lepanto (1571) ( illus.1 ). fn1 1 There are several portraits of Marc'Antonio II to be found elsewhere in the gallery. One full-length portrait depicts him wearing armour; in another, he wears the chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece given to him in 1559 by Philip II of Spain. fn2 2 Yet, as one might expect of the son of Giovanna d'Aragona and the nephew of the poet Vittoria Colonna, Marc'Antonio II was not all about military exploits. He attracted the attention of writers and musicians, particularly those with Spanish connections or from Spanish dominions, several of whom were also (or primarily) military men, keen to dedicate their works to a suitably illustrious person. A very brief foray into the family archives, now housed in the Monastero di Santa Scolastica at Subiaco, yielded a little documentation in support of one already known link - that of Sebastián Raval - and turned up a new and seemingly unlikely connection with the ' incontinently peripatetic ' warrior-courtier-singer Giulio Cesare Brancaccio.