Ludovico Ludovisi was an Italian cardinal and statesman of the Roman Catholic Church. He was an art connoisseur who formed a famous collection of antiquities, housed at the Villa Ludovisi in Rome.
Portrait by Ottavio Leoni, 1621
Pope Gregory XV with his Cardinal-Nephew of unprecedented income and authority, Ludovico Ludovisi, known as il cardinale padrone (the Cardinal Boss).
Pope Gregory XV and his nephew Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi.
Pope Gregory XV, born Alessandro Ludovisi, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 February 1621 until his death in 1623. He is notable for founding the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, an organization tasked with overseeing the spread of Catholicism and missionary work. Gregory XV was also responsible for the canonization of Saints Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Ávila, and Philip Neri, which solidified his commitment to the Counter-Reformation.
Portrait by Guercino, 1622 (oil on canvas, Getty Center, Los Angeles)
Bust of Pope Gregory XV, 1621 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Pope Gregory XV with his cardinal-nephew of unprecedented income and authority, Ludovico Ludovisi, known as il cardinale padrone
Monument to Pope Gregory XV and cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi in Sant'Ignazio, by Pierre Le Gros the Younger (c. 1709–1714)
