Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/328

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VATICAN


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VATICAN


of knowledge are represented and powerfully charac- terized. Plato and Aristotle are the centres of the organically arranged groups; Socrates, Diogenes, Ptolemy, and Zoroaster are also easily recognizable. Other forms are not clearly distinguishable, except the portraits of some contemporaries. To the extreme right Raphael has painted himself beside Sodoma. On the wall containing tlic windows are some smaller paintings and the glorilication of canon and civil law. Here again are ])iirt raits of contemporaries, especially those of Julius II and Leo X.

(4) In thefourth hall, the Stanza deU'Incendio, Perin del Vaga ha.s painted Leo III taking the oath of pur- gation before Charlemagne; Giulio Romano, the vic- tory of Leo III over the Saracens at Ostia; Francesco Penni, the fire in the Borgo, a painting from which the room has taken its name. The crowning of Charlemagne at old St. Peter's is more conventional and superficial in conception. Raphael's sketches for this hall reveal the summit of his artistic development (1517). The ceihng paintings are by Perugino. Numerous smaller works are painted beside and under the chief paintings in the Stanze. The major- ity of the frescoes still remain in an almost perfect condition, due to the zealous sohcitude with which the works are cared for.

F. Loggie di Rafaello. — Immediately adjacent to the Stanze of Raphael, which begin on the second story of the Loggie of the Court of St. Damasus, lie the well-known Loggie named after the Umbrian mas- ter. They were iniprotected from all inclemencies of the weather until 1813, when Pius VII erected large windows. The wonderful frescoes were painted in accordance with the sketches of Raphael and under his constant personal supervision, by Giulio Romano, Giovanni da Udine, and other artists in 1517-19. The whole plasterwork is by Giovanni da Udine, who also painted all the ornaments. The long passage is divided by thirteen vaults into as many sections. The frescoes of the ceihng in the vaults, twelve of which contain scenes from the Old Testament , and one from the New Testament, are the chief attraction of the Loggie. These quadrilateral, framed paintings, four in each vault, display rich imagination and mar- vellous beauty of composition, and are among the most characteristic creations of the master. The graceful and charming reliefs, the delicate ornaments, the sitting, standing, hopping, and dancing figures, and the numerous other admirable details make the Loggie an inexhaustible source of the richest inspira- tion for every artist.

G. The Loggie di Giovanni da Udine. — Immediately under the Loggie of Raphael, on the first floor, are the Loggie of Giovanni da LIdine. The general scheme for this suite is likewise due to Raphael, but the execution was the independent task of Giovanni. The caps of the vaults are beautifully decorated with leaf and tendril-work, enlivened by animals of all kinds. In the rear of the Loggie, under a magnificent Renaissance portal of great delicacy, dating from the lime of Leo X, the marble bust of Giovanni is exhibited. The other portions of the Loggie of the first and second floors were painted in entirely unpre- tentious fashion under Clement VIII and Alexander vn by I^anfranco, Marco da Faenza, Paul Schor, Consoni, and Mantovani. These are not accessible to the general public.

11. Cnllrrin dcgli Arazzi. — In a modestly decorated hall, iimncdiatcly adjacent to the Galleria dei Cande- l.ibri, liang the famous twenty-seven pieces of tapestry — called arazzi. Woven of silk, wool, and gold thread by van Orlay and van Coxis in Brussels at a cost of .S34(K) each (present value, $12,000), these tapestries have always been the subject of great admiration, and numerous copies may be found in Berlin, Loreto, Dresden, Paris, and other places. Raphael made cartoons for ten of the Galleria tapestries; his pupils


Penni and Perin del Vaga executed twelve others in accordance with smaller sketches of the master; five are works of more recent date. The first series formerly adorned the unpainted lower portion of the walls of the Sistine Chapel; the second series were intended for the Consistorial HaU. Seven of the original cartoons of Raphael were purchased in France by Charles I of England, and they may now be seen in the South Kensington JNIuseum. During the sack of Rome in 1527 the tapestries were stolen, but Julius III succeeded in having them restored. When Rome was occupied by the French in 1798, they were again seized and bartered to a Genoese Jew, from whom Pius VII accjuired them in 1808. This rough handling damaged the tapestries, weakening and bhuTing the colours, but they are now carefully pre- served. (Consult Farabuhni, "L'arte degh Arazzi e la nuova Galleria dei Gobelins at Vaticano", Rome, 1884.)

I. Studio del Mnsaico. — The Vatican possesses an extensive studio for mosaic painting. The number of different coloured glass-pastes used exceeds 11,000. Almost all the altars in St. Peter's furnish evidence of the perfection to which this art has been carried in the imitation of renowned paintings. In the studio, which is at once an exhibition and salesroom for the mosaics manufactured, the visitor can see how the various artists work. Even smaller works demand the patient labour of many years. The pope is wont to choose a specially beautiful example of mosaic work as a present for royalty.

At the conclusion of this section it may be said that there is a vast number of other works of art dis- tributed here and there throughout the Vatican Palace, but not accessible to the general public. To these belong the paintings of the Zuccari in the Torre dei QuattroVenti, the Bathroom of Cardinal Bibiena, the chiaroscuri in a hall on the second floor, etc.

VIII. The Pal.\ce as a Scientific Institite. — Regarded from the point of view of scientific produc- tivity, the Vatican is the busiest scientific workshop in Rome. Scientific materials of the highest order and in astonishing abundance are stored up in the palace, access to them is easily obtained, and the conditions for work are most favourable. Apart from the most modern scientific theories, for which of course the Vatican treasures offer no materials, information on all branches of human knowledge may be found there. The sources which the Vatican affords for the history of the sciences have heretofore suffered from a great, and to some extent absolute, neglect. This remark applies with special force to philosophy, theology, history, literature, philology in all its branches, juris- prudence, geography, ethnology, and art, for all of which categories the most important materials are to be found here. (Concerning the manner of handling these sources, see Institutes, Roman Historical.) Despite the depressed financial position of the Curia, the pope annually increa.ses his appropriations for the cultivation of science within the walls of the Vatican; this offers clear testimony as to the attitude of the Church towards scientific pursuits. Over this re- search she exercises only remote supervision; the in\Tstigator is at perfect liberty to pursue his studies, all facilities and guidance being given him. One need only recall the names of Bethmann, Munch, Momm- sen, Duchesne, Kehr, Liimmer, Sickel, Pastor, and dozens of others, turn to their works, and learn their views, to be convinced of the scientific liberality of the Vatican. (Cf. Walsh, "The Popes and Science. The History of the Papal Relations to Science diiring the Middle Ages and Down to our Time", New York, 1911.)

A. The Vatican Archives. (1) The Contents of the Archives. — It was only natural that the Church from the first centuries of her existence should devote great care to the collection of all important documents