of the more prominent members of the family, Giovanni Girolamo Albani, was a cardinal and a vice commander of armed forces in the Serenissima Republic. Others dealt with foreign affairs such as Gian Francesco Albani. Artistic Though none of the family members were known artists, the family had a lot of pull in the artistic world. Much of the knowledge we have about the Albani' in the art world consists of purchased collections and controversy surrounding them. One of the major pieces they were associated with was a portrait of some of the major members of the family called "Sette Ritratti Albani". It's known as "one of the most compelling group portraits in Italy". An example of the controversy surrounding the family within the world of the fine arts is that one of the paintings the Albani owned, a portrait of one of its most prominent members, Gian Girolamo Albani. It caused conflict because in the beginning, no one recognized the subject of the painting, and questioned why he was wearing symbols of high ranking. He wore a lynx coat and a gold cross, symbolizing high status and rank, but no one knew who he was, or if he deserved to be dressed in such a fashion. Library The Albani Family library, also known as the Clementine Library, was made and named for one of the most prominent members of the family, Giovanni Francesco Albani. The library contains over 10,000 printed books and pamphlets, which date from 1473 to the early nineteenth century, though the majority were printed in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries Over, 1,000 volumes in the collection relate to the history of Canon, Roman and Feudal Law. Many of these works are unique and exist no where else. Though the library originally existed in the house of Albani Family in Urbino, Italy, the Catholic University of America acquired the collection in 1928 and has worked to preserve its knowledge ever since. Notable members Alessandro Albani (1692–1779), Italian aristocrat and cardinal Annibale Albani (1682–1751), Italian cardinal Francesco Albani (1578-1660) Baroque painter Gian Girolamo Albani (1504–1591) Gian Francesco Albani (1720–1803), Roman Catholic cardinal Giovanni Francesco Albani (Pope Clement XI) (1649–1721) Giuseppe Albani (1750–1834), Roman Catholic cardinal Ludovico Chigi Albani della Rovere (1866 – 1951), Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta References Families of post-ancient Rome de:Albani