Associazione Amici del Guercino
Hercules and Antaeus
Guercino’s masterpiece at Palazzo Talon Sampieri, Bologna
SIC PEREAT QUISQUIS TERRA GENITRICE SUPERBIT
Thus perish all who take their pride from Mother Earth
The inscription running around the frame of the fresco
A private house
A masterpiece few people have seen
On the ceiling of a private house in the centre of Bologna, Guercino painted the struggle between Hercules and Antaeus. For centuries the fresco has stayed inside Palazzo Talon Sampieri, off the museum circuit and off the tourist trail.
It can now be seen. The Amici del Guercino association brings small groups into the house, with the agreement of the owners, who have chosen to open the doors of their home.
Where to start
Guercino svelato
The book on the fresco and the palazzo, edited by Barbara Ghelfi and published by De Luca Editori d’Arte.
The fresco
Who Guercino was, how he came to Bologna, and what the scene on the ceiling depicts.
In print
Guercino svelato
Hercules and Antaeus in Palazzo Talon Sampieri, Bologna
The book reconstructs the history of the fresco and of the palazzo, with a photographic campaign devoted to the scene and to the stucco frame around it.
An exclusive experience, one that lets you immerse yourself in the beauty and the secrets of the fresco — discovering not only the work itself, but the historical and personal context around it.
Associazione Amici del Guercino
Guided visits
You are entering a home, not a museum
Visits are arranged on request, for small groups. This is a lived-in house: numbers are limited and every visit is agreed in advance.
We talk you through the fresco, its frame of silvered and gilded stucco, and the story of the palazzo that holds it.
Calendar
Upcoming openings
Special opening dates are published here.