Dome

The east garden, a garden sculpture; [The villa built by the architect Flaminio Ponzio, developing sketches by Scipione Borghese, (nephew of Pope Paul V and later Cardinal Borghese) who used it as a villa suburbana, a party villa, at the edge of Rome, and to house his art collection. Wikipedia entry] Scipione came to hold numerous different posts, which gave him a considerable income and allowed him to increase the family properties as well as indulge his passion for collecting. In Rome, Scipione had the Villa Borghese built (1612-1615), which he used to house his extraordinary collection of antique and contemporary sculpture. This included several pieces by Bernini, whose work he was one of the first to collect. His painting collection, originally housed in the Palazzo Borghese, consisted of works by such Old Masters as Titian as well as many by contemporary painters, including Caravaggio. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordartonline.com/ (accessed 7/19/2008)