Giacobbe Giusti, MICHELANGELO: The Cappella Paolina

Giacobbe Giusti, MICHELANGELO: The Cappella Paolina

 

Giacobbe Giusti, MICHELANGELO: The Cappella Paolina

 

Giacobbe Giusti, MICHELANGELO: The Cappella Paolina

 

Giacobbe Giusti, MICHELANGELO: The Cappella Paolina

La Palais apostolique du Vatican vu depuis le dôme de la basilique Saint-Pierre. Au premier plan, à gauche, la chapelle Sixtine, puis la cour des perroquets puis la cour Saint-Damase puis le palais de Sixte-Quint.

 

Giacobbe Giusti, MICHELANGELO: The Cappella Paolina

Cappella Paolina

Location on a map of Vatican City

Giacobbe Giusti, MICHELANGELO: The Cappella Paolina

Michelangelo, The Conversion of Saul

The Cappella Paolina(Pauline Chapel) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, Vatican City. It is separated from the Sistine Chapel by the Sala Regia. It is not on any of the regular tourist itineraries.

Michelangelo’s two frescoes in the Cappella Paolina, The Conversion of Sauland The Crucifixion of St Peter were painted from 1542 to 1549, the height of his fame, but were widely viewed as disappointments and even failures by their contemporary audience. They did not conform to the compositional conventions of the time and the subject-matter is depicted in an unorthodox manner. Despite the importance of the chapel and the significance of their subjects, the frescoes were generally neglected and overlooked in favor of Michelangelo’s nearby masterpieces in the Sistine Chapel.^[1]

Building and decoration

The chapel was commissioned in 1538 by the order of Pope Paul IIIand completed in 1540 under the design and supervision of Antonio da Sangallo the Younger. The Cappella Paolina served as both the Chapel of the Sacrament and the Chapel of the Conclave. Paul III dedicated the chapel to the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, a festival to which he displayed particular devotion.

Given the ceremonial and personal significance of the chapel, it was to be expected that the Pope would require the services of a great artist for its decoration, and, in the opinion of both the Papacy and the people, there was no one greater than Michelangelo.^[2]

Giacobbe Giusti, MICHELANGELO: The Cappella Paolina

Detail of the Crucifixion of St. Peter by Michelangelo in the Cappella Paolina.

Even before the unveiling of Michelangelo’s Last Judgment, Paul III had already decided that Michelangelo, who desperately wanted to fulfill his contract with the della Rovere for the Tomb of Julius II, must paint the frescoes of the Cappella Paolina. This is shown by a letter dated October 12, 1541 from Cardinal Alexander, Paul III’s nephew, to Bishop Marco Vigerio which discusses the paintings to be carried out in the “New Chapel.”^[3]

S.J. Freedberg notes that the two frescos in the Cappella Paolina, Michelangelo’s last paintings, begun in November 1542, almost immediately after the Last Judgement, show from the start a major change in style, away from grace and aesthetic effect to an exclusive concern with illustrating the narrative, with no regard for beauty.^[4]

Other paintings in the chapel are by Lorenzo Sabbatini and Federico Zuccari. The statues in the background are by P. Bresciano.

Use by Papal conclave

Before the opening of the conclave the College of Cardinalsassembles in this chapel to attend a sermon in which the members are reminded of their obligation quickly to give to the Church her ablest son as ruler and guide. The cardinals then withdraw to the Sistine Chapel. In the Cappella Paolina are sung daily the conclave Solemn Masses « De Spiritu Sancto », at which all members of the conclave must be present.

In 1549 and 1550, the Cappella Paolina was used for the papal conclave itself, the Sistine Chapel having been set aside and divided into 19 cells for use by infirm cardinals. The conclave elected Pope Julius III.

Giacobbe Giusti, MICHELANGELO: The Cappella Paolina

US Secretary Kerry receives a tour; in the Sala Regia. The open door at the end leads to the Cappella Paolina

The 1996 document Universi Dominici gregis stipulated the Pauline Chapel as the place where the cardinal-electors were to assemble at the beginning of the conclave prior to the procession and entry into the Sistine Chapel.^[5] However, due to restoration work that had begun in 2002,^[6] the chapel was unavailable for the 2005 conclave so the Hall of Blessings instead was used for this purpose.^[7] The restoration work was finished in 2009^[6] and during the 2013 conclave the cardinal-electors assembled in the Pauline Chapel to begin their procession into the Sistine Chapel.^[8] The Pauline Chapel was also the venue where the non-cardinal officials, support staff and other personnel who had duties in the 2013 conclave took their oath of secrecy the day before the conclave.^[9][10][11]

Restoration

In 2004, the Vatican announced plans to restore the frescoes in Cappella Paolina. Work was completed in 2009, revealing bright colors and hues that had been dulled by centuries of dirt and grime.

Virtual reality presentation

In 2010, the Vatican website released a virtual reality rendered version of the Cappella Paolina. It presents the chapel in part 3D rendering and part high-resolution photography, unquestionably made after the 2009 restoration. This can be seen at http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/paolina_vr/.

Other Cappelle Paoline

Two other chapels with the same name are in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore and in the Quirinal Palace, both in Rome.

See also

• Index of Vatican City-related articles

References

1. Jump up^ Leo Steinberg, Michelangelo’s Last Paintings: The Conversion of St Paul and the Crucifixion of St. Peter in the Cappella Paolina, Vatican Palace (New York: Oxford University Press, 1975), 17.
2. Jump up^ Leo Steinberg, Michelangelo’s Last Paintings: The Conversion of St. Paul and the Crucifixion of St. Peter in the Cappella Paolina, Vatican Palace (New York: Oxford University Press, 1975), 15-16.
3. Jump up^ D. Redig de Campos, Michelangelo: The Frescoes of the Pauline Chapel in the Vatican (Milan: Art Editions Amilcare Pizzi, 1951), 6.
4. Jump up^ Freedburg, 475-477
5. Jump up^ « ‘‘Universi Dominici Gregis » Chapter III Section 50. English text ». Vatican.va. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
6. ^ Jump up to:^a b « The restoration of the Pauline Chapel ». Vatican Museums. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
7. Jump up^ « Notificazione: Ingresso in Conclave (Notice: Entrance into Conclave) » (in Italian). Vatican.va. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
8. Jump up^ Procession and entrance in Conclave (Television production) (in Italian). Rome: Centro Televisivo Vaticano. 12 March 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
9. Jump up^ Non-voting participants in conclave take oath of secrecy(Television production) (in Italian and English). Rome: Rome Reports. 12 March 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
10. Jump up^ Conclave oath of secrecy (Television production) (in Italian). Rome: Catholic News Service. 11 March 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
11. Jump up^ « Notificazione Giuramento degli Officiali e addetti al Conclave (Oath of the Officials and the Employees at the Conclave) » (in Italian). Vatican.va. Retrieved 2 February 2014.

• Freedburg, Sidney J.. Painting in Italy, 1500–1600, 3rd edn. 1993, Yale, ISBN 0300055870

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). « article name needed« . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton.

• The Vatican: spirit and art of Christian Rome, a book from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Cappella Paolina (pp. 128–132)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cappella_Paolina

http://www.giacobbegiusti.com

Giacobbe Giusti, BERLINGHIERO BERLINGHIERI: Madonna and child, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Giacobbe Giusti, BERLINGHIERO BERLINGHIERI: Madonna and child, Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

 

Giacobbe Giusti, BERLINGHIERO BERLINGHIERI: Madonna and child, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Madonna and child, c. 1230, tempera on wood, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Berlinghiero Berlinghieri, also known as Berlinghiero of Lucca(fl. 1228 – between 1236 and 1242), was an Italian painter of the early thirteenth century. He was the father of the painters Barone Berlinghieri, Bonaventura Berlinghieri, and Marco Berlinghieri.^[1]

Biography

His actual name is unknown, as he is known from the inscription « Berlingerius me pinxit » on the crucifix which is the basis of attributing other works to him. But the name « Berlinghiero Berlinghieri » is certainly not his name (according to Edward B. Garrison) and he should be called Berlinghiero. He is also mentioned in a parchment of 22 March 1228 among the names of the residents of Lucca who swore to keep the peace with Pisa after a five-year war. The original document has been lost since the mid-19th century and only a somewhat garbled 17th-century transcription exists today, giving rise to the mistaken interpretation of attributing him an incorrect name and an incorrect Lombardic origin.^[2]

Since his two adult sons were also mentioned in that document, it can be argued that Berlinghiero was then between 35 and 40 years old. This puts his birthday between 1188 and 1193.^[2]

Style and works

Giacobbe Giusti, BERLINGHIERO BERLINGHIERI

Mosaic at the facade of the Basilica di San Frediano in Lucca.

His style was late Romanesque, mainly line-based, with neohellenistic and Byzantine influences.^[3] He is considered to be one of the main artists of the Tuscan art of the period. He is also one of the few artists who painted in what is considered the Italo-Byzantine style to whom work can be attributed with certainty, though distinguishing his work from that of his sons is sometimes difficult.^[4][5]

His earliest work, or at least that attributed to him, is the « Madonna di sotto gli organi » in the cathedral of Pisa and dates not earlier than 1210.

One of his most famous works, Madonna and Child, is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It exemplifies several key elements that typify it as quintessentially Byzantine, but it also contains later Italian elements. One can begin with the most recognizable attributes, for example, the halos, the flat and uncrowded gold background, and the blue and red robes of the Virgin and her long features. The golden background and halos surrounding the heads of the Virgin and Child are common in Byzantine representation of divine or holy figures, as are the colors used throughout the composition. These golden halos differ between the two figures in the painting—Christ’s is articulated by an inlaid cruciform to distinguish his divine status. The Madonna boasts timeless stylized features of the Virgin. Her fingers, nose, and neck are exaggeratedly long and slender and her face itself is elongated and narrow. Her soulful eyes are large and intensely focused, lending her visage a particular elegance. Upon seeing the painting in person, one can observe a red tint in the cheeks of both Jesus and Mary that gives the flesh a life-like quality – more vivacious, in fact, than its Byzantine predecessors. The particular depth created by the shading of the faces, Mary’s in particular – an attribute of early Italian painting – also gives it an air of naturalism that Byzantine figures often lacked.^[4]

Works by Berlinghieri can be found at the San Matteo National Museum in Pisa, the National Museum of Villa Guinigi in Lucca, the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Giacobbe Giusti, BERLINGHIERO BERLINGHIERI

Crucifix, ca. 1220, now at the National Museum of Villa Guinigi in Lucca.

Notes

1. Jump up^ Berlinghieri – Berlinghiero, Berlinghieri, Barone, Bonaventura, Marco, Crucifix, St Francis and Scenes from his Life
2. ^ Jump up to:^a b Toward a New History of Lucchese Painting, by Edward B. Garrison, The Art Bulletin, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Mar., 1951), pp. 11-31.
3. Jump up^ Berlinghiero biography
4. ^ Jump up to:^a b Lasareff, Victor (1927-08-01). « Two Newly-Discovered Pictures of the Lucca School ». The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs. 51 (293): 56–67. JSTOR 863242.
5. Jump up^ Offner, Richard (1933-08-01). « The Mostra del Tesoro di Firenze Sacra-I ». The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs. 63 (365): 76. JSTOR 865582.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlinghiero_Berlinghieri

http://www.giacobbegiusti.com