MIT Libraries homeDome

Close-up of winged cherub head in the left side aisle; Borromini's final contribution to the decoration of the Lateran Basilica were the tombs in the side aisles commissioned by Alexander VII. They are a fanciful combination of medieval fragments and Baroque frames; mainly owing to the skilful handling of illusionistic perspectives these hybrid creations offer a spectacle of opposing forces crowded within the narrowest space. Alexander condemned them as being 'too Gothic'. This was not intended as a comment on their style but rather implied that the innovative combination of classical elements produced an uncanonical ensemble alien to the conservative Pope. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.groveart.com/ (accessed 12/10/2007)