Visual and Performing Arts

Botanical Symbolism in Vicino Orsini’s Sacro Bosco

Document Type

Article

Abstract

The Orsini Sacro Bosco, or Sacred Wood, has always been considered just that -- a forest or wooded grove rather than a garden. Recreating its presence in the lives of the owner Pier Francesco ('Vicino') Orsini (1523-1585), the duke of Bomarzo, and his guests means attending to the flora once prevalent in the sixteenth century, Here, the historical record fails, for although Orsini's letter of 3 April 1583 to his friend Giovanni Drouet references 'taking solace among the plants', their correspondence says nothing about specific trees or shrubs. What meets the modern eye is a mix of native and foreign species introduced in the mid-twentieth century, as well as fruits of two species of trees -- pine and oak -- carved repeatedly in 'peperino' tufo stone as a prominent sculptural motif on the park's central terrace. The non-native plants deserve only a few words, since they tend to mislead the historical perceptions of present-day visitors. The colossal pinecones and acorns, however, amount to the significant and intentional part of the Sacro Bosco's sculptural program that has been mostly overlooked in scholarly literature.

Publication Title

Studies in the History of Gardens and Designed Landscapes

Publication Date

2021

Volume

41

Issue

2

First Page

141

Last Page

154

ISSN

1460-1176

DOI

10.1080/14601176.2021.1879584

Keywords

Sacro Borso, Park of the Monsters, sculpture, Gardens of Bomarzo, Italy, Vicino, Pier Francesco Orsini

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