Presentation of the Exhibition
ANTONIO CANOVA IN THE VATICAN MUSUEMS
Tuesday, October 24, the Directorate of the Vatican Museums presented Antonio Canova in the Vatican Museums, a wide-ranging exhibition project dedicated to celebrating the figure and work of the famous Italian sculptor who in the Pontifical collections also held a central institutional roll: superintendent, director and fundamental figure in repatriating the masterpieces requisitioned during the Napoleonic spoliations. His many sided personality must necessarily be presented on various levels.
For these reasons, the exhibition initiative – which marks the end of the 2022-2023 Canova celebrations – organized by Alessandra Rodolfo, Curator of the Department of 17th–18th Century Art, and saw the direct involvement of the Director, Barbara Jatta, is divided into different areas within the Vatican Museums, offering visitors an exceptional opportunity to admire a vast selection of works by Canova, which highlight his importance and influence on the art of his time, whilst highlighting his personality and technical mastery.
“In the crucial years of the Napoleonic occupation and the Restoration – comments Barbara Jatta, Director of the Vatican Museums – Antonio Canova was a fundamental figure for Papal Cultural Policy, which assessed his organizational skills, spirit of service and interest in the protection and safekeeping of the artistic heritage which was entrusted to his vigilant control. The Vatican Museums owe much to this extraordinary character and this is why we wanted to celebrate him.”
Hall of the Ladies (Sala delle Dame) – This initiative offers the opportunity to open the Hall of the Ladies to the public, within which works, sketches and plaster casts created by Canova have been placed together with works by artists close to him, such as Giuseppe De Fabris and Cincinnato Baruzzi. The room is among the most refined in the Vatican Museums and until now not accessible to visitors. Created thanks to Pope Paul V Borghese between 1608 and 1609, it was the same Pontiff who decided to commission Guido Reni for the wonderful frescoes on the vault depicting Pentecost, the Transfiguration and the Ascent into Heaven. Precious decorations on the walls immerse the visitor in a nineteenth-century atmosphere, in full harmony with Canova’s works.
“In the seventeenth-century Room of the Ladies,” says Alessandra Rodolfo, Curator of the Department of 17th–18th Century Art. – under the embellished vault with the frescoes by Guido Reni, a group of Canova’s works was placed, mostly of religious subjects, bequeathed by Cardinal Placido Zurla. The installation comes at the end of a project aimed at returning to the public all the Vatican works by the great Master.”
Room XVII of the Vatican Pinacoteca – Typically used as a space to present the exhibition initiatives of Museums at Work, this time it is destined to recreate the atmosphere of the sculptor’s Roman Studio, who, in 1783, established his atelier between Via delle Colonnette and via San Giacomo, now via Antonio Canova. A must-visit for the Grand Tour travellers, diplomats, aristocrats and intellectuals of the time who frequented the rooms along with young sculptors eager to receive the valuable teachings of the Master and to become part of the complex Roman art scene.
On display, in addition to the powerful bust of Pope Pio VII created by Canova, there is also a model of Canova’s studio. On the main façade and on the side of the building, ancient fragments of sculptures and Roman architectural elements are inserted, a testament to Canova’s antiquarian taste and his constant commitment to the protection and preservation of artistic heritage. Next to Antonio d’Este’s bust by Canova, there is also a ceramic roundel with the portrait of Canova created by Master Luigi Ontani, who now works in one of the rooms of Canova’s studio.
The exhibition path continues in various areas within the Vatican Museums, where visitors will find a series of explanatory panels accompanying the artist’s works, exploring themes and topics that were dear to the Master from Possango.
Cabinet of Perseus – Located within the splendid setting of the Octagonal Courtyard and sculpted on the personal initiative of the master between the late 1800s and the early 1801, Perseus depicts the hero of Greek mythology. Canova seems to play with the myth, portraying the hero who proudly gazes triumphantly at his monstruous trophy, the face of Medusa, which is why it has become a statue of stone. Next to him, the two famous statues of the Boxers, Creugante and Damasseno, inspired by the match described by Pausanias in his work “Periegesi della Grecia”, are displayed just as Canova had conceived them, facing each other.
The Chiaramonti Gallery – Created in the early 19th century, it was established to expand the Papal Sculpture collections after the Napoleonic requisitions. This splendid gallery bears the most significant mark of Canova’s strict supervision, implemented through the work by his trusted collaborator, the sculptor Antonio d’Este. In addition to works acquired through numerous purchases, additional sculptures from the Vatican Palaces and the Quirinal Gardens were incorporated into the display, totaling around 1100 artifacts. The overall appearance of the gallery fully adhered to and continues to reflect the 18th century antiquarian taste. It stands as a true celebration of archaeology, understood as a modern discipline.
Braccio nuovo – The building was designed by the architect Raffaello Stern to house the ancient sculptures in the Papal Collections. This space reflects Canova’s attention to the harmony of the whole, where ancient and modern seem to engage in perfect harmony. Anyone entering the Vatican Museums should take a moment to visit this gallery. They will understand – shrouded in the silvery light pouring in from the skylights – that the Braccio Nuovo is the latest organic tribute that our civilization has paid to the ancient world.
Anastasia Biller
Ufficio Servizi e Rapporti con il Pubblico
Musei Vaticani
Città del Vaticano
https://www.museivaticani.va/