The Borghese Balustrade

Even in the rain it was agreeable to lean on the balustrade to look out at the view of Rome and, actually, I was keen to recover my puff after the climb up from Piazza del Popolo. The balustrade, not the one I was leaning on, has an interesting history.

The President of the United States expanded the US navy and introduced harsh restrictions on migrants to the US – sounds familiar. This is President Chester A. Arthur who became President for four years after President Garfield’s assassination in 1881. That’s the big picture but it’s a detail that concerns us. He appointed William Waldorf Astor as Minister to Italy, telling him “Go and enjoy yourself, my dear boy.” It was in Rome that WWA developed a lifelong interest in art and sculpture. One way in which this manifested itself was when he bought the Borghese Balustrade and installed it at Cliveden where it remains today under the protection of The National Trust.

“Sculpture, Travertine and brick tile, The Borghese Balustrade, 1618-1619 by Guiseppe di Giacomo and Paolo Massini. Eastern sections of stone alternate with sections of red brick wall with stone seats, while at the corners and ends, are large pedestals for statues carved with the dragons and eagles of the house of Borghese. the central pair of pedestals are the most elaborate, with small fountain basins on three sides into which grotesque masks spew a constant stream of water.” (National Trust)

I thought this was quite interesting enough but there is more.

“In 1896 when William Wardorf Astor brought back sections of balustrading from the Villa Borghese in Rome for his gardens at Cliveden, some secret passengers hitched a ride. Papillifera papillaris- a species of tiny, air-breathing land snails – typically makes its home in rocky limestone habitats in Italy. In this instance, a colony of these minute Mediterranean molluscs burrowed into crevices of the travertine balustrade which was originally carved for Cardinal Scipione Borghese in the 17th century. Since their arrival in 1896, these reclusive guests have survived two world wars, the Profumo sex scandal and more than their fair share of freezing British winters. They were only identified in 2008 after a volunteer encountered the tiny molluscs while cleaning the garden statuary. The ‘Cliveden snails’, as they are affectionately known, have been true to character and have only travelled about 25 cm a year, taking more than a hundred years to reach stonework 60 yards away. At this rate, there’s little chance of this foreign invader becoming an invasive species any time soon.” (National Trust)