Bartolomeo Baronino, of Casale Monferrato, was the architect, while Giulio Mazzoni and a team provided lavish stuccowork inside and out.

He commissioned the Baroque architect Francesco Borromini to modify it for him, and it was Borromini who created the masterpiece of forced perspective optical illusion in the arcaded courtyard, in which diminishing rows of columns and a rising floor create the visual illusion of a gallery 37 meters long (it is 8 meters) with a lifesize sculpture at the end of the vista, in daylight beyond; the sculpture is 60 cm high.

It closed during the 1940s, but reopened in 1951 thanks to the efforts of the Conservator of the Galleries of Rome, Achille Bertini Calosso and the Director, Federico Zeri.

Zeri was committed to locating the remaining artwork that had been scattered during the war, as he intended to recreate the original layout of the 16th–17th version of the gallery, including the placement of the pictures, the furniture and the sculptures.

Among the paintings in this room are: Among the works in this room are: Among the paintings here are: The most important artworks are: Furthermore, work by: The Heaven Globe and the Earth Globe, dating back to the first decades of 18th century, made by the Dutch cartographer Willem Blaeu, are also interesting highlights of the museum.