The “Bridal Chamber”, also called "Camera picta" - from Latin “painted chamber"-, is located in the north-eastern tower of Castello San Giorgio in Mantua. It was designated for general hearings as well for private audiences in which Ludovico III Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua, met his relatives. Andrea Mantegna, court painter from 1460 on, frescoed the walls between 1465 and 1474. The painter portrayed the splendor of Gonzaga family, especially on the occasion of the election of Francesco Gonzaga as cardinal.

The real masterpiece of this fresco is the vault, where Mantegna plays with the architectural limits of the hall: rib vaults, pendentives, oculus and putti are portrayed according to the perspective “sotto in su”, as to say, seen from below. This force the audience to look at that portion of the ceiling that challenges the more popular oculus of Pantheon in similarity.

Copyrighted image: "Under permission of the Ministry of Cultural Activities, Heritage and Tourism".