When Paul V Borghese (1605-1621) ascended the papal throne, his cardinal nephew Scipione Caffarelli Borghese (1577-1633) began an intense architectural patronage and at the same time a systematic acquisition of works of art that made his collection one of the largest of the time.

In 1607, through the confiscation of paintings in the studio of the Cavalier d’Arpino, he came into possession of about 100 paintings, including some early works by Caravaggio. In the same year he acquired the collection of the Patriarch of Aquileia, and in 1608 he bought 71 exceptional paintings from the estate of Cardinal Sfondrato, including Titian’s Amor Sacro e Amor Profano, the Portrait of Julius II (London, National Gallery) and Raphael’s Madonna del Velo (Chantilly, Musée Condé).

The extreme ruthlessness with which the cardinal’s nephew secured works of art and indulged his passion as a modern collector is evidenced by numerous events, such as the purchase of Caravaggio’s Madonna dei Palafrenieri in 1605, which was rejected by the Brotherhood shortly before it was exhibited in the Chapel of St. Peter – perhaps at the behest of the Cardinal. Peter’s Chapel – perhaps at the behest of the pontiff himself – or, the daring removal of Raphael’s Entombment Baglioni, which was stolen from the monastery of San Francesco in Prato by order of Scipione and lowered from the city walls on the night of 18-19 March 1608 and later declared “private property of the Cardinal” by Paul V.