Your support in the words of Pope Francis

Dear Patrons and Friends,

As some of you may know, once a month, our Patrons have the chance to ask Vatican Museums curators their questions during the Coffee with Curators segment. Each month we are accompanied by the Vatican Museums Director, Barbara Jatta.

She is passionate about showing her appreciation for the Patrons who supported the research and restoration during the difficult times of the pandemic. This week, Dr. Jatta shared during the Coffee with Curators a recent and special exchange with the Holy Father.

Below you can watch her recount her experience with Pope Francis. It is exceptional proof of how your contribution to a centuries-long tradition follows the achievements of those who contributed to the Church’s history through art.

Watch the Video

Throughout history, art has been second only to life in bearing witness to the Lord. It was, and remains, a majestic road allowing us more than by words and ideas to approach the faith, because it follows the same path of faith, that of beauty. The beauty of art enriches life and creates communion, because it unites God, man and creation in a single symphony. It connects the past, the present and the future, and it attracts – in the same place and with the same gaze – different and far-off peoples.

-POPE FRANCIS
Address to the Patrons of the Arts
in the Vatican Museums, September, 2018

 

GOING BACK TO NORMALITY
Italian & International Chapter

Our Italian & International Chapter has been able to host and engage with our Patrons in many different ways. They have an upcoming special and exclusive tour of a Roman domus under the convent of Santa Susanna in Rome.

The Italian & International Chapter have made contributions to many major projects. They assisted in securing the Bank of America grant to help finance the restoration of the Apollo del Belvedere, one of the most admired among the ancient statues of Rome.

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In the Asia section, there are tens of thousands of objects representing the many different locations and cultures within the Far, Near and the Middle East, and Southern Asia. Their objecthood ranges from complex to simple forms. A beautiful and unique item inthe collection is a diadem: the “phoenix crown” made of metal, gold, kingfisher feathers, and glaze paste.

The crown, decorated with dragons and phoenixes -common imperial symbols- and a line of flaming pearls with Chinese characters, including those of the sunand moon, is a product of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). There are more beautiful objects from the Qing Dynasty within the Asia section, such as numerous silk pieces.

Another massive project sponsored by the Italian & International Chapter, thanks to the generosity of the Nishimoto Family and Olessia Kantor, is the Raphael Tapestry of Anania with two side tapestries of Clement VII.

The tapestry of Anania is part of the celebrated series of the Acts of the Apostles commissioned by Pope Leo X to Raphael for the lower walls of the Sistine Chapel. Raphael’s brilliant work and flair brought absolute novelty to classicism and the art of tapestry. It set a new path for European art and launched a golden period of papal commissions in the Flemish lands.

Clement VII continued the patronage of Leo X. Both were commissioners of a “wave” of textile products linked to the name of Raphael Sanzio.
An incredible innovator in the recovery of the antique and the creation of modern models, Sanzio started a real revolution in tapestries. They were the ideation of Italian design and Flemish production. The two borders or columns are part of this ensemble.