The Villa Borghese, that was once the estate of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, houses the Museo e Galleria Borghese. The original sculptures and paintings in the Borghese Gallery date back to Cardinal Scipione's collection, the son of Ortensia Borghese - Paolo V's sister - and of Francesco Caffarelli, though subsequent events over the next three centuries entailing both losses and acquisition have left their mark.

Cardinal Scipion was drawn to any works of ancient, Renaissance and contemporary art which might re-evoke a new golden age. He was not particularly interested in medieval art, but passionately sought to acquire antique sculpture. But Cardinal Scipione was so ambitious that he promoted the creation of new sculptures and especially marble groups to rival antique works. A scuplture section on the ground floor features numerous important classical works and several sculptures by Bernini and Canova. In Room One is Canova’s famous statue of Pauline Borghese (wife of Camillo Borghese and sister of Napoleon Bonaparte) depicted as Venus Victrix. The Museum is on Piazzale Museo Borghese in the Villa Borghese park.
In 1682, part of Olimpia Aldobrandini's inheritance entered the Borghese collection; it included works from the collections of Cardinal Salviati and Lucrezia d'Este. In 1827 Prince Camillo bought Correggios' celebrated Danäe in Paris.