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International Art Treasures Web Magazine April 2004 |
St. Peter and the Vatican
The Legacy of the Popes
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The Museum is also featured in this edition of IATWM, here. |
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A standout of the St. Peter and the Vatican exhibition is the merge of past and current events in the history of the the Roman Catholic church. It is possible to view works by Michelangelo alongside modern renditions honoring the current Pope, John Paul II.
The exhibition contains a welcome message from the Pontiff and each piece within the collection has some meaning to the Bishop of Rome.
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Michelangelo
Title: Sistine Chapel Exhibit: The Creation of Man Panel
Artist: Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564)
Image Courtesy of The San Diego Museum of Art
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Michelangelo and Vatican History are hand in hand. It wouldn't seem appropriate to create an exhibition and not include the incomparable master. Certainly a must not miss aspect of St. Peter and the Vatican is a rare pencil sketch by Michelangelo, a study for one of the figures of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The artist was known to destroy his studies leaving only the finished product that this pencil sketch survives adds to it's importance.1 |
St. Peter
Who is this man after whom the largest church in the world, St. Peter's Basilica, takes it's name?
Title: Mosaic Fragment of Saint Peter from the Basilica of
Saint Paul's Outside-the-Walls.
5th Century.
Medium: Mosaic, Dimensions: 74 x 54 x 5.
Collection: Reverenda Fabbrica of Saint Peter, Vatican City State.
Conservation Courtesy: Florence D'Urso, in honor of Reverend Monsignor Peter G. Finn,
Rector St. Joseph's Seminary, and in honor too of all of the dedicated priests
of the Archdiocese of New York.
Image Courtesy: The San Diego Museum of Art.
Each Pope is the successor to Peter, thought of as the rock upon which the church is built. Literally in the case of the Basilica for it is built on the tomb of St. Peter.
The man's real name was Simon and he was a fisherman from Capernaum like his brother Andrew both of whom became disciplines to Jesus Christ. Later Peter would travel to Rome and be crucified but in a reverse position, at his request to his executioners, feeling unworthy to die in the same position as Christ.2
"To Peter and his successors, the popes, Christ entrusted the ministry of leading the Church, the role and ministry of the pope, as the bishop of Rome and successor of the apostle Peter, is fundamental and central to the community of faith. This exhibition provides an introduction to what the pope is and what the papacy means. Its subject is not necessarily a specific pope, but the sum of all the individual popes; from the apostle Peter to John Paul II."3
The Collection
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Certainly popular will be the Papal Tiaras that form part of the exhibition including that of Pope Pius IX. The tiara pictured above was a gift to the Pope from the ladies of the Royal Court of Belgium.4 The Papal Tiara of Pope Pius VII was a gift from Napoleon I likely as a gesture of atonement for the Treaty of Tolentino that the Pope had been forced to sign in 1797.5 |
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The tomb of Pope Urban VIII was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The tomb includes statues of Charity and Justice, virtues important to the Pope and as he wished to be remembered. On display is one of the earliest models created for what would become the marble statue of Charity that is to the left of the tomb. The child to whom Charity looks is crying and drying his eyes. This was rejected in the final version created for the tomb and there are two putti not four as in the model.6 Interesting to note are the differences between this early terracotta model and the final marble work of Charity. |
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The oldest known representation of the image of Jesus Christ is found in the Mandylion of Edessa. Some believe that the image was not created by man but an image of the face of Christ on a "holy towel" or Mandylion. Others believe that the image was made of Christ and sent to the King of Edessa who was ailing and had asked for Christ to visit him but the visit did not occur. This message was delivered to Christ by the King's Court painter and perhaps he painted the image and brought it along with the disciple Thaddeus who visited instead at the behest of Christ.7 |
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Cardinal Jacopo Stefaneschi commissioned Il Navicella from Giotto di Bondone. The angel is one of the few surviving elements of the original work.8 Il Navicella was created for the Old St. Peter's and depicted Christ walking on water. The mosaic was kept after the church was demolished and is displayed in the present Basilica. |
Vasari described Il Navicella with high praise and Dante appreciated the art of Giotto and wrote of him in the Divine Comedy.
Giotto was a student of Giovanni Cimabue, clearly from his writings Dante felt Giotto was the greater artist.
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"The construction of a thanka, itself an
act of devotion, involves four distinct stages: the preparation of the
base; the sketch of the outlines; the completion of the design and the
addition of color; and, finally the assembly and the consecration, which
gives the object religious value."9 Thankas are common to Tibetan Buddhism usually they display religious subjects, in this case likely Amithaba, the Buddha of infinite light. The current Dalai Lama gifted this thanka to the present Pope as a gesture of homage with this beautiful silk work of art.10 |
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This is just a small description of the beautiful and exquisite artworks on view in St. Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes. Accompanying the exhibition is an excellent catalogue including essays by Allen Dunston, O. P., Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, Director of the Exhibition, Archbishop Piero Marini, Cardinal Jorge Maria Mejía, The Archivist and Librarian of the Holy Roman Church, Cardinal Francesco Marchisano, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe and Eamon Duffy.
Beginning May 15th continuing through September 6, take the trip to San Diego and enjoy the splendors the Vatican has to offer before they return to Rome.
St. Peter and the Vatican
Cincinnati Museum Center:
through April 18, 2004
San Diego Museum of Art:
May 15 - Sept 6, 2004
Footnotes
1 'The Renaissance Basilica' Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes, Exhibition Catalogue, editors Allen Duston, O.P. and Roberto Zagnoli, Art Services International, Alexandria, Virginia, © 2003, page 266-267. Courtesy of The San Diego Museum of Art.
2 Archbishop Francesco Marchisano, 'From Saint Peter's Tomb to Michelangelo's Dome', Essay, Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes, Exhibition Catalogue, editors Allen Duston, O.P. and Roberto Zagnoli, Art Services International, Alexandria, Virginia, © 2003, pages 79-81. Courtesy of The San Diego Museum of Art.
3 'Saint Peter, the Popes and the Vatican', Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes, Exhibition Catalogue, editors Allen Duston, O.P. and Roberto Zagnoli, Art Services International, Alexandria, Virginia, © 2003, page 171. Courtesy of The San Diego Museum of Art.
4 'Saint Peter, the Popes and the Vatican', Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes, Exhibition Catalogue, editors Allen Duston, O.P. and Roberto Zagnoli, Art Services International, Alexandria, Virginia, © 2003, page 179. Courtesy of The San Diego Museum of Art.
5 'Popes of the Modern Era', Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes, Exhibition Catalogue, editors Allen Duston, O.P. and Roberto Zagnoli, Art Services International, Alexandria, Virginia, © 2003, page 452. Courtesy of The San Diego Museum of Art.
6 'The Renaissance Basilica' Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes, Exhibition Catalogue, editors Allen Duston, O.P. and Roberto Zagnoli, Art Services International, Alexandria, Virginia, © 2003, page 246-247. Courtesy of The San Diego Museum of Art.
7 'The Basilica of Constantine' Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes, Exhibition Catalogue, editors Allen Duston, O.P. and Roberto Zagnoli, Art Services International, Alexandria, Virginia, © 2003, page 216. Courtesy of The San Diego Museum of Art.
8 'The Basilica of Constantine' Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes, Exhibition Catalogue, editors Allen Duston, O.P. and Roberto Zagnoli, Art Services International, Alexandria, Virginia, © 2003, page 225. Courtesy of The San Diego Museum of Art.
9 'The Papacy and Religious Dialogue' Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes, Exhibition Catalogue, editors Allen Duston, O.P. and Roberto Zagnoli, Art Services International, Alexandria, Virginia, © 2003, page 440. Courtesy of The San Diego Museum of Art.
10 'The Papacy and Religious Dialogue' Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes, Exhibition Catalogue, editors Allen Duston, O.P. and Roberto Zagnoli, Art Services International, Alexandria, Virginia, © 2003, page 440. Courtesy of The San Diego Museum of Art.