Built between 1671 and 1677 under the direction of Pietro Antonio Corradi (1630–1709) and supervised by Matteo Lagomaggiore (1620–1690), the Palazzo Rosso was commissioned by the Brignole Sale family, among the most politically and culturally influential of Genoa’s patriciate. Its construction coincided with the maturity of Genoese Baroque, a period when local patrons and artists had developed a distinctive style that blended Roman grandeur with Ligurian colourism and a preference for complex decorative cycles.
The palace’s interior decoration brought together a remarkable concentration of talent: Domenico Piola (1627–1703), Gregorio De Ferrari (1647–1726), Paolo Gerolamo Piola (1666–1724), Giovanni Enrico Haffner (1640–1702), Antonio Haffner (1654–1732), Gio. Andrea Carlone (1639–1697), Nicolò Carlone, and Bartolomeo Guidobono (1654–1709). Three artistic dynasties—the Piola, Haffner, and Carlone families—were central to the project. Domenico Piola and his son Paolo Gerolamo oversaw complex narrative fresco cycles, relying on a well-developed stock of preparatory drawings and cartoons to coordinate assistants and ensure compositional coherence. Gregorio De Ferrari introduced a fluid, elongated figural style with daring foreshortenings, while the Haffners were responsible for illusionistic architectural frameworks that visually expanded the rooms. The Carlones contributed both figural painting and sculptural elements, and Guidobono’s refined palette and attention to surface texture brought an additional layer of pictorial richness.
The execution of such a programme was made possible by the disciplined structure of Genoese workshops. Leading masters directed the major scenes, while assistants adapted established designs for subsidiary areas or for clients of more modest means. Through this system, motifs and stylistic innovations developed for the Palazzo Rosso circulated widely, appearing in other noble residences, parish churches, and private chapels. The palace thus not only expressed the Brignole Sale family’s cultural ambitions but also served as a catalyst in shaping the broader visual language of late seventeenth-century Genoa.
