In a long, bright corridor in the Vatican Palace is one of the world's treasures: The Gallery of Maps. Lined with forty richly decorated map frescoes of Italy and its regions, the Gallery offers a walking-tour of Italian history and geography. All forty of these extraordinary frescoes are thoroughly discussed and splendidly illustrated in this volume.Designed by Egnazio Danti, a well-known cosmographer and mathematician, the Gallery of Maps is the most original and ambitious cycle of its kind. It remains, to this day, the largest cycle of geographical images in Europe. For the art lover, map lover, and historian, The Gallery of Maps in the Vatican provides an excellent introduction to this glorious masterpiece.
Among the most beautiful and compelling works of Renaissance art, painted maps adorned the halls and galleries of princely palaces. This book is the first to discuss in detail the three-dimensional display of these painted map cycles and their full meaning in Renaissance culture. Art historian Francesca Fiorani focuses on two of the most significant and marvelous surviving Italian map murals--the Guardaroba Nuova of the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, commissioned by Duke Cosimo de’ Medici, and the Gallery of Maps in the Vatican, commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII. Both cycles were not only pioneering cartographic enterprises but also powerful political and religious images. Presenting an original interpretation of the interaction between art, science, politics, and religion in Renaissance culture, the book also offers fresh insights into the Medici and papal courts.
Discover the artistic wonders of the Vatican, from the Sistine Chapel to Raphael's frescoes, with the New York Times bestselling book The Vatican: All the Paintings; now in a practical and elegant paperback format. The Vatican is one of the most visited sites in the world. It encompasses numerous museums and palaces, and houses one of the finest art collections known to man. Amassed by popes throughout the centuries, including several of the most renowned Roman sculptures and important masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world, the Vatican is a perennial source of awe and fascination. From Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and his Pieta, to the Raphael frescoes, to the works of Giotto, Fra Angelica, Titian, and Caravaggio, The Vatican: All the Paintings is an unprecedented celebration of this great collection. The book is organized into 22 sections representing the museums and areas of the Vatican, including the Pinacotea, the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Rooms, the Borgia Apartments, the Vatican Palaces, and St. Peter's Basilica. Each one of the 976 works of art represented in this book -- including the 661 classical paintings on display in the permanent painting collection and 315 other masterpieces -- is annotated with the name of the painting and artists, the date of the work, the birth and death of the artist, the medium that was used, the size of the work, and the catalog number (if applicable). In addition, 180 of the most iconic paintings, sculptures, and other pieces of art are highlights with 300-word essays by art historian Anja Grebe and bestselling author Ross King. Here you will find information such as the key attributes of the work, what to look for when viewing it, the artist's inspirations and techniques, biographical information on the artist, and the artist's impact on history.
- Contains some of the greatest Western art in the world. - Provides a selection of 100 masterpieces. - Gives privilged insight into the core of the Vatican's incomparable collections.
Visiting the Vatican Museums is a truly unique experience. It is such an amazing place with such an abundance of artwork. Some of the most famous pieces of art in the world can be found there. Be amazed by the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo and enjoy the beautiful frescos of Raphael. There are statues from Roman times, paintings from artists as different as Giotto, Leonardo and Caravaggio and so much more. In fact, the museums are enormous. It can be quite overwhelming. What's worse, the museums were never built as museums. The artworks are displayed in the rooms and halls that were once used by the Pope and his court. This is why most of the museum is one direction only. Moreover, mass tourism has caused the amount of visitors to the museums to spike in recent years. Many people stand in line for hours outside, just to be able to visit the museums. In this guidebook, I will try to show you the best way to visit the museums and I will tell you all the stories and details about the most important works in the museums. In addition, I'll give you essential tips for visiting the museums. I've worked for many years as a guide inside the museums. This is truly a special place. I have put all that I have learned in these years in this book. I hope it will help to make your visit to the museums an unforgettable experience.
Michelangelo, Raphael, Bramante—together these artists created some of the most glorious treasures of the Vatican, viewed daily by thousands of tourists. But how many visitors understand the way these artworks reflect the passions, dreams, and struggles of the popes who commissioned them? For anyone making an artistic pilgrimage to the High Renaissance splendors of the Vatican, George L. Hersey's book is the ideal guide. Before starting the tour of individual works, Hersey describes how the treacherously shifting political and religious alliances of sixteenth-century Italy, France, and Spain played themselves out in the Eternal City. He offers vivid accounts of the lives and personalities of four popes, each a great patron of art and architecture: Julius II, Leo X, Clement VII, and Paul III. He also tells of the complicated rebuilding and expanding of St. Peter's, a project in which Bramante, Raphael, and Michelangelo all took part. Having set the historical scene, Hersey then explores the Vatican's magnificent Renaissance art and architecture. In separate chapters, organized spatially, he leads the reader through the Cortile del Belvedere and Vatican Museums, with their impressive holdings of statuary and paintings; the richly decorated Stanze and Logge of Raphael; and Michelangelo's Last Judgment and newly cleaned Sistine Chapel ceiling. A fascinating final chapter entitled "The Tragedy of the Tomb" recounts the vicissitudes of Michelangelo's projected funeral monument to Julius II. Hersey is never content to simply identify the subject of a painting or sculpture. He gives us the story behind the works, telling us what their particular themes signified at the time for the artist, the papacy, and the Church. He also indicates how the art was received by contemporaries and viewed by later generations. Generously illustrated and complete with a useful chronology, High Renaissance Art in St. Peter's and the Vatican is a valuable reference for any traveler to Rome or lover of Italian art who has yearned for a single-volume work more informative and stimulating than ordinary guidebooks. At the same time, Hersey's many anecdotes and intriguing comparisons with works outside the Vatican will provide new insights even for specialists.
