026a.

Piazza di Pasquino, ò dei Librari

The Piazza di Pasquino takes its name from an ancient statue, nicknamed Pasquino (1), placed on the corner of Palazzo Carafa-Orsini-Caracciolo (NN 621; see Plate 76) in 1501. This is one of the "talking statues" used as bulletin boards for political satire, often scurrilous, at the expense of the authorities. The print shows that the main door of the palazzo opened onto Via Papale (4), the route for papal processions on their way from the Vatican to the Lateran. In the last years of the 18th century the building was demolished and replaced by the monumental Palazzo Braschi shown in the contemporary photograph. To the left is a back corner of Palazzo Pamphilj (3) whose main facade fronts on Piazza Navona, Plate 26. At the left edge of the print is part of the facade of the late 17th century church of the Nativity (2), also called of the Agonizanti.