Pinacoteca Vaticana
Rome
Pope Pius VI formed the paintings in the Vatican into a coherent collection in ca. 1790. However, this collection was decimated following the Treaty of Tolentino (1797), when many of the works were transferred to Paris.
After the fall of Napoleon in 1814, the Pope sent Antonio Canova
to Paris in order to negotiate for the return of these works and others from the Papal States that Napoleon had confiscated. The allies were reluctant
to antagonise the newly restored King Louis XVIII of France and Canova
initially made little headway. However, after Napoleon's escape from
Elba and his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, the mood changed to some
extent. Eventually, Canova succeeded in recovering about half of the
works in question despite the fierce resistance of Dominique-Vivant Denon, the Director of what had become the Musée Royale (later Musée du Louvre).
Canova's recovered works arrived in Rome in 1815 and soon formed the nucleus of a new public gallery. The cities of the Papal States pressed for the return of the works that they had lost, but they were often unsuccessful. As Cardinal Ercole Consalvi explained to the indignant Giulio Cesarei, Mayor of Perugia, in a letter dated October 8th, 1817, the allies had restored them to the Pope as Head of the Papal States from which they had been taken on the understanding that they would be exhibited in Rome for the education of the students from all over Europe.
For over a century, the collection was moved between various locations in the Vatican, none of which was particularly suitable. Only in 1932 was the collection moved to its current, purpose-built premises.
Panels from the Guidalotti Polyptych (ca. 1447)
These two panels , which depict scenes from the life of St Nicholas of Bari, came from the Guidalotti Altarpiece in the Cappella di San Nicolò, San Domenico, Perugia. The altarpiece, which is attributed to Fra Angelico, has been re-assembled in the Galleria Nazionale, Perugia (Room 8), with copies replacing the panels that are exhibited here. (See this page for an overall description of the altarpiece).
Dominique-Vivant Denon,
the Director of the Musée Napoleon (later the Musée du Louvre), selected these two panels for confiscation after the Napoleonic suppression of
1810, and they were duly shipped to Paris. (It is unclear why he left the other panels behind). Antonio Canova recovered them in 1815, when they were secured for the museum.
The panels, which are illustrated in the Vatican website, depict scenes from the life of St Nicholas of Bari.
Assumption of the Virgin (ca. 1450)
This altarpiece by Benozzo Gozzoli is from the high altar of San Fortunato, Montefalco. it seems to have been the first in Umbria to use a unified field for the main panel. The Commune gave it to Pope Pius IX in 1848, along with the relics of St Fortunatus, in return for an episcopal charter.
The altarpiece remains in its original frame and is illustrated in the Vatican website.
The main panel depicts the Virgin passing her girdle to St Thomas as she ascends to Heaven.
SS Francis, Fortunatus, Antony of Padua, Louis of Toulouse, Severus and Bernardino are depicted in the pilasters.
The predella depicts scenes from the life of the Virgin.
Decemviri Altarpiece (1495-6)
This panel, which is signed by Perugino, belonged to the altarpiece that the priors of Perugia (the Decemviri) commissioned for their chapel (the Cappella dei Priori) in the Palazzo dei Priori. Napoleon's commissioner, Jacques-Pierre Tinet selected the main panel for confiscation in 1797. Antonio Canova recovered it in 1815, when it was secured for the museum.
The panel depicts the Madonna and Child on an elevated throne under an arcade, flanked by the patron saints of Perugia, SS Herculanus, Constantius, Laurence and Louis of Toulouse. it is illustrated in the Vatican website.
SS Benedict, Placidus and Justina (1495-1500)
These three predella panels came from the polyptych that Perugino painted for the high altar of San Pietro, Perugia. Napoleon's commissioner, Jacques-Pierre Tinet included them among the panels from the polyptych that were sent to Paris in 1797. Antonio Canova recovered them in 1815, when they were secured for the museum. They are illustrated in the Vatican website.
Pala Oddi (ca. 1503)
Giorgio Vasari reported that Maddalena, the daughter of Guido degli Oddi commissioned this altarpiece in San Francesco al Prato, Perugia from Raphael. Alessandra, the daughter of Braccio Baglioni
and the sister-in-law of Maddalena degli Oddi is recorded as its owner
in 1512, and she may well have been associated with the original
commission, which was probably made in memory of Simone
degli Oddi, Maddalena's brother and Alessandra's husband, who had died in 1498.
The altarpiece is generally accepted to have been painted early in Raphael's career: its commission might have coincided with
the short period in 1503 during which the Oddi exiles were allowed back into Perugia under
the protection of Cesare Borgia, although it is possible that the
female members of the family remained in Perugia during the exile of their
men.
The altarpiece was one of three in Perugia that were earmarked for confiscation by the French under the Treaty of Tolentino (1797). Antonio Canova recovered it in 1815, when it was secured for the museum.
The main panel depicts the Coronation of the Virgin. Jesus crowns the Virgin on a bank of cloud, surrounded by musical angels, while the Apostles surround the empty tomb in its earthly location below. St Thomas stands behind the tomb, flanked by SS Peter and Paul and holding the Virgin's girdle. It is illustrated in the Vatican website.
The predella panels (which are also illustrated in the Vatican website) depict:
the Annunciation;
the Adoration of the Magi; and
the presentation at the Temple.
Predella panels from Pala Baglioni (1507)
Atalanta
Baglioni commissioned Raphael to paint this altarpiece for her chapel in San Francesco al Prato, Perugia. The Franciscans somewhat controversially sold the main panel of the
altarpiece to Cardinal Scipione Borghese in 1608. It is now in the Galleria Borghese.
The
grisaille predella panels, which depict personifications of Hope,
Charity and Faith in tondi with putti between them, remained in the
sacristy in 1608. The altarpiece was recorded in 1784 in the crossing
of San Franceso al
Prato, at which time copies of the main panel and the panel from the
lunette were mounted in the original frame and with the original
predella
panels. Napoleon's commissioner, Jacques-Pierre Tinet selected the predella panels for confiscation in 1797. Antonio Canova recovered them in 1815, when they were secured for the museum. They are illustrated in the Vatican website.
Madonna di Foligno (ca. 1511)
Sigismondo de' Conti, the
Chamberlain to Pope Julius II, commissioned this altarpiece from
Raphael for the high altar of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, Rome. He died
soon after and was buried in the apse. In 1565, Sigismodo's niece,
Anna de' Conti arranged for the altarpiece to be transferred to the Monastero di Sant' Anna,in Sigismondo's native Foligno. (Anna was a nun at Sant' Anna).
It
is surprising that the French did not earmark this important work for
confiscation under the Treaty of Tolentino (1797). However, Napoleon's commissioner, Jean-Antoine Gros soon added it to the list, and the vociferous objections of the people of Foligno were to no avail. Antonio Canova
recovered it in 1815. However, it became the subject of a dispute
between the nuns of Sant' Anna and the canons of the Duomo, Foligno.
The nuns therefore decided to sell it to Pope Pius VII. It is illustrated in the Vatican website. A copy (18th century) hangs on the altar wall of the Duomo, Foligno.
The altarpiece depicts the Madonna and Child seated on a cloud in front of the sun; this may be a reference to the "woman clothed by the sun" in Revelations 12:1.
St Jerome commends the kneeling donor to the Virgin. Giorgio Vasari commented that the portrait of the donor was "as lifelike as any ever painted".
The kneeling St Francis commends the viewer to the baby Jesus.
St John the Baptist draws the viewer's attention to this apparition.
The scene is set before a cityscape of Foligno. Sigismondo is thought to have commissioned the work in thanks for the survival of his palace in the city (see Walk II in Foligno) after it had been struck by a ball of lightening, and this event seems to be depicted here. The small angel in the centre of the composition holds a plaque that was probably intended originally to bear an inscription.
Pala Belli (early 16th century)
This altarpiece, which was recorded in 1683 with an attribution to Mariano di Ser Austerio,
originally formed the altarpiece of an altar on the back wall of the Cappella di San Lorenzo in San Domenico, Perugia. It was almost cetainly the work that was the subject of a
dispute as to its value between this artist and "Lucretie et Marsilie"
that Giovanni Battista Caporali adjudicated in 1518. These ladies must
have been Lucretia Baglioni and Marsilia, respectively the wife and
daughter of Antonio di Pier Gentile Bello. It
seems likely therefore that Antonio commissioned the work and then died
shortly before 1518.
Dominique-Vivant Denon,
the Director of the Musée Napoleon (later the Musée du Louvre) selected
the main panel for confiscation after the Napoleonic suppression of
1810, and it was duly shipped to Paris. Antonio Canova recovered it in 1815 and it
passed to the museum. It was exhibited here for many years with an attribution to Girolamo
Genga, but has recently been recognised as the Pala Belli.
The surviving panel depicts the Madonna and Child enthroned with SS John the Baptist, Laurence, Dominic and Jerome. The Madonna's throne is set beneath an arch of putti, and two flying angels hold a crown above her head.
A predella was also documented in 1810, but this has been lost. It depicted:
- the martyrdom of St Laurence;
- the Deposition of Christ; and
- the Annunciation.
Coronation of the Virgin (1523-5)
The “Memoriale di Santa Maria di Monteluce” records that the nuns of Santa Maria di Monteluce, Perugia decided to commission a new altarpiece for the high altar of their church in 1503. They asked the friars at the Convento di Monteripido who was “il maestro il migliore” (the finest master) from whom they might commission it and they answered Raphael. The abbess, Sister Battista duly entered into a contract with Raphael.
A supplementary contract signed in 1505 with Raphael and Berto di Giovanni specified a Coronation of the Virgin that would match in quality or surpass that which Domenico Ghirlandaio had painted for the Observant Franciscans of San Girolamo, Narni (now in the Sala del Consiglio, Palazzo Comunale, Narni). They paid a deposit using a bequest from Sister Illuminata de Perinello, and Raphael promised to deliver the work within two years. Since the contract allowed for transport costs, he clearly intended to paint it in Rome.
In 1516, the nuns sent Berto di Giovanni (who seems to have represented Raphael’s interests in Perugia) to Rome to press Raphael to begin work, and the contract was duly renegotiated. The new contract was witnessed by Alfano di Diamante, the nephew of Sister Battista and probably the commissioner of Raphael’s so-called Connestabile Madonna (ca. 1503, now in the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg). Berto di Giovanni provided a carpenter in 1518 to make the frame of the altarpiece and a "cassa” (probably a cover that protected it when it was not in use). However, the altarpiece remained uncompleted when Raphael died in 1520.
Raphael's associates in Rome took over the commission, offering the nuns an Assumption of the Virgin by Gianfrancesco Penni, but they rejected it. Giulio Romano seems then to have re-used the lower part of this work, which depicts the Apostles around the empty tomb, and stuck it to an upper part depicting the Coronation of the Virgin (1523-5). The nuns accepted the result, and the panel was duly installed on the high altar. The six predella panels commissioned from Berto di Giovanni, which were also installed at this time.
The altarpiece was dismantled in 1750.
The main panel was installed in a new frame on the back wall of the tribune. It was one of three works of art in Perugia that were earmarked for confiscation by the French under the Treaty of Tolentino (1797). It was the subject of an important restoration in 1801. Antonio Canova recovered it in 1815, when it was secured for the museum. In return, Pope Leo XII gave the nuns a sum of money and the copy of the panel that can still be seen in the apse of their church. The panel is illustrated in the Vatican website.
The predella panels, which were moved to the sacristy in 1750, were taken to Rome in 1812. Two of them (depicting SS Francis and Clare) were subsequently lost. The other four (depicting the birth, presentation, marriage and death of the Virgin) were returned to the church in 1817 and moved to the Galleria Nazionale,Perugia (Room 27) in 1863.