Woodland Hall

The “Sala della Boscareccia” (Woodland Room) is frescoed with spectacular illusionistic scenes depicting woodland landscapes teeming with diverse wildlife. These landscapes are framed on the sides by large tree trunks, which take on the appearance of load-bearing architectural elements, connecting the floor to the wooden coffered ceiling and supporting a painted, faux natural entablature that seems to jut out from the ceiling.

In this way, the painted trees divide the walls into distinct panels featuring scenes such as bathers in a stream, hunters, and a brawl between peasants and muleteers. All are set against backdrops that alternate between rocky, rugged terrain and rolling, green hills. These landscapes are marked by the presence of both humans and water. Water is depicted in its natural forms—streams and small lakes—and in man-made contexts, where human influence is clear, such as in the mills. Furthermore, the scenes painted in this room include architectural elements such as castles, religious buildings, and rustic houses. These elements are thus inspired by the local landscape, though significant idealized representations and references to exotic Eastern cultures are also present. Additionally, there are numerous references to the flora and fauna of the New World (the Americas), carrying clear political allusions to the importance of the geographical discoveries made by the Spanish and Portuguese crowns.
The frescoes present a botanical *pastiche*, featuring combinations of plants impossible to find together in nature, yet fully justified by the unified decorative scheme. These combinations, never grotesque or forced, are consistently presented with delicate composure and subtle harmony. This approach reflects many aspects of 17th-century culture, which was permeated by intellectual exploration and a curiosity for the “extravagant” or unusual. Indeed, the woodland theme has complex roots reflected in the typically Baroque taste for mimesis (imitation of nature). A wild forest, being inherently resistant to human rationality, becomes the ideal subject to be depicted through artistic skill within palaces and noble homes—themselves expressions of human ingenuity and mastery over the laws of structure and stability.
The inclusion of various genre scenes within the naturalistic woodland setting requires the viewer to engage on multiple levels: observing the overall composition to grasp the context, and examining closely to admire the minute details of what is painted and narrated. As Andrea Spiriti has suggested, this necessary way of viewing the frescoes resonates with a concept typical of 17th-century post-Galilean scientific culture: the idea of a reality constantly poised between the vastness of the macrocosm and the intricacies of the microcosm. This duality is well exemplified by the two great inventions of the 17th century: the telescope and the microscope.
In recent years, several iconographic interpretations of the Cesano woodland theme have emerged, emphasizing different aspects of the composition and its hidden allegorical meanings. Among the most interesting hypotheses is one that interprets the grand figurative scheme of the palace’s paintings as an attempt to portray Cesano as a “new Eden”—a Christian and classical setting signifying a return to a golden age.
These paintings are also attributed to Giovanni Ghisolfi (1623-1683), a Milanese painter trained in Rome within the circle of Salvator Rosa. Ghisolfi was known for his sensitivity to themes of classical ruins (“ruinism”) and the depiction of nature.