Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/325

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VATICAN


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VATICAN


■ the modern period and the monuments (interesting )r their style) which were prepared during the reign F Hadrian for his villa near Tivoli. (Consult JSIa- lechi, " D Museo Egizio Vaticano discritto ed illus- •ato", Rome, 1899; Idem, "Monumenta papyracea gj-ptiea", Rome, 1891.)

(5) The Etruscan Museum. — This museum is sit- ated over the Egj-ptian. To Gregory XVI it owes s foundation; to Pius IX, many of its treasures; to eo XIII, its decoration and systematic arrangement, he excavations made in Western Etruria between B2S and 1836 furnished the basis of the museum, hieh contains statues, sarcophagi, bowls, vessels of .'ery kind and shape, mosaics, lamps, and numerous her objects of every description, giving a hihgly ■aphic picture of the art of ancient Italy and the cus- ims of the Etruscans. This entirely unique colloc- on is of prime interest. (Consult Xogara, "I Vasi itichi del Museo Etrusco e della Biblioteea del alazzo Vaticano", Rome, 1912; Xogara and Pinza, Latomba Regolini Galassiegli altri materiali coevi 4 Mu.seo Gregoriano-Etrusco", Rome, 1912.)

B. The Vatican Pinacotheca. — Among the valuable easures of art, manuscripts, archives, and collec- ans which Xapoleon confiscated on his campaigns id conveyed to Paris, were the most prominent art easures of the Vatican and the churches in the Papal ates. When these treasures were broughtback from iris in 1815, Pius VII formed them into a collection, Ided other paintings, and formed them into a cture-gallerj'. This (the V'atican Pinacotheca) was •St lodged in the Appartamento Borgia, then trans- rred to the third story of the palace, immediately Ijacent to the former suite of the secretary of state. he disadvantages of this situation increased when us X entered into personal occupation of the suite of e sccretarj' of State. The rooms were not architec- rally fitted for a picture-gallery, and the constant ream of visitors caused annoyance. After long nsiderations as to convenience and safety from fire, us X decided to remove the collection to the rooms 1 the ground floor of the Vialone del Museo. These st on stout arches, and in them the papal equipages ancient and modern times had been kept. To these ?re added two rooms which were adjacent to the d library of Sixtus IV and had previously been used

a magazine. Louis Seitz, assisted by some other tists and in constant consultation with the sub- •efect of the Apostolic Palaces, Mgr. Misciatelli, IS intrusted with the gigantic task of transferring ese priceless treasures and decorating the rooms, ■itz died before the work was finally completed. The tistic spirit shown in the whole plan and decoration

t he new pinacotheca is worthy of admiration. The rangement is perfect, and the effect of the whole will iprove with time.

The few masters allowed to foregather in the old rture-gallerj' were Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Fra igehco da Fiesole, Guercino, Caravaggio, Crivelli, irofalo, Bartolomeo Mantegna, Murillo, Francesco )ssa, Perugino, Bonifazio, Domenichino, Titian, ibera, Pinturicchio, Giulio Romano, Francesco ■nni called il Fattore, lo Spagna, SassofeiTato, iccolo da Foligno, Melozzo da Forli, Valentino iroccio, Guido Reni, N^. Poiissin, A.Sacchi, Moretto, lolo Veronese, and Correggio. Beside Leonardo da nci and Fra Angclico, the Venetian School is repre- nted by CriveUi, Titian, and Paolo Veronese; the jlognese by Domenichino's "Communion of St. rome" and Guido Reni's "Crucifixion of St. Peter"; e Lombardic by the"Pieta"of Amerighi da Cara- iggio: the French by Pierre Valentin's "Mar- rdom of Sts. Processus and Martianus"; and other hools by various canva.>i,«es. .Altogether .50 master- eces had to be transferred from the old to the new •Uery. In 1904, when the Greek abbey of Grotta- rrata celebrated its ninth centenary with an exhibi-


tion of its forgotten treasures, 181 valuable Byzantine paintings were there acquired for the Vatican. To these were added 40 taken from the Lateran and other collections in the Apostolic palaces, making an addi- tion of 221 besides the 56 from the old gallery. All the paintings which were not judged worthy to be exhibited side by side with the masterpieces of the earlier collection have been transferred to a magazine adjoining the gallery, where they may be examined by artists. A very simple opening celebration was held at the end of 1909. In the gallery itself is the marble bust of Pius X, by Seebock, which is the pope's favour- ite likeness of himself. The light, which enters through the lofty circular windows, is regulated hourly by shades, and the paintings are always excellently illuminated. The large rooms have been divided into sections, so that the distribution of the jiaintings into separate compartments renders the general effect


harmonious. The collciliijn of ])aintings in the Pinacotheca is priceless in value. (Concerning the origin of the Vatican Pinacotheca consult Platner- Bunsen, " Bcschreibung der Stadt Rom", II, 2nd ed., 415; for works on the new Pinacotheca, see the official report, "La Xuova Pinacoteca Vaticana", with charts, Rome, 1909.)

C. The Gallery of Modern Pninlings. — X^ot so much artistic value, which is comparatively small, as the glory of the Church is seen in the majority of the pic- tures collected in the small Gallery of Modern Pamt- ings. With few exceptions they are estimable achieve- ments of Roman artists, and are devoted to the glorifi- cation of those saints who have been canonized in the second half of the past century. They hang in a single large hall, beside which is .-iccommodated the colossal canvas of Matejko representing the saving of Vienna by .John Sobieski in KVSH. This unique ])ainling was purcha.sed for Leo XIII in 1SS4 with a subscription started by a wealthy Pole. In a third hall are exhib- ited the frescoes of Pode.sti, among which is conspicu- ous the great picture (the heads of all the personages are painted from portraits) depicliiic the promulga- tion of the doctrine of the Immaculate (Conception by Pius IX. Before this painting stands a magnificent