To Promote, Restore, Conserve The Artistic Patrimony of

To Promote, Restore, Conserve

The Artistic Patrimony of the Vatican Museums

Front Cover

Ceremonial feather headdressArtist: Anson John DoranteTorres Strait Islands 2010Donated to Benedict XVIFeathers, wood, vegetable fiber, shell, seed33 x 32 cmInv. 127262

TABLE OF CONTENTS

7 Introduction from Fr. Kevin Lixey, L.C.

1 3 SUSTAINING OPERATIONS

14 The Year 2020 in Review

17 The Year of Raphael

21 Covid-19 Emergency Restoration Fund and Unadopted Project Campaign

25 Letter from Msgr. Paolo Nicolini

26 The Importance of Membership and the Executive Circle

31 ADVANCING THE MISSION - RESTORATION PROJECTS

32 Restoration: At the Heart of our Mission

35 Projects Adopted in 2020

37 Twelve Items in Bronze (2021 Adoptable Projects)

38 Deposition (2021 Adoptable Projects)

40 Cruciform Monstrance and Golden Rose Chalice (2021 Adoptable Projects)

44 Silver Artworks from the Regolini Galassi Tomb (2021 Adoptable Projects)

47 Gold Fibula and Ring (2021 Adoptable Projects)

48 Amphora, Kylix, Kantharos, and Pelike (2021 Adoptable Projects)

50 Adoration of the Magi (2021 Adoptable Projects)

52 PAVM Fellowship (2021 Adoptable Projects)

55 Ancient Funerary and Architectural Artifacts in the Bramante Courtyard (2021 Adoptable Projects)

59 The Forty-Hour Decorative Stand (2021 Adoptable Projects)

60 Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (2021 Adoptable Projects)

63 Four Icons of the Tower of Pope John XXIII (2021 Adoptable Projects)

71 The Director’s Circle

75 Letter from Dr. Barbara Jatta

76 Mastai Hercules (Director’s Circle Projects)

79 Colossal Head of Augustus (Director’s Circle Projects)

83 Raphael Tapestry of Anania with Two Side Tapestries of Clement VII (Director’s Circle Projects)

91 Saint George Slays the Dragon (Director’s Circle Projects)

92 Pietà with the Virgin Mary, an Angel, and Nicodemus (Director’s Circle Projects)

95 Napoleonic Bas-Reliefs from the Quirinale Palace (Director’s Circle Projects)

99 Year of Canova Celebrations (Director’s Circle Projects)

103 The Sekhmet Research Project (Director’s Circle Projects)

108 Ongoing Conservation of Santa Rosa (Director’s Circle Projects)

1 1 1 Conservation of the Sistine Chapel (Director’s Circle Projects)

114 A Feather Headdress with Cape and Two Pariko Diadems (Director’s Circle Projects)

122 Two Shields from Rwanda (Director’s Circle Projects)

124 Male Costume of the Poro Society (Director’s Circle Projects)

129 SECURING THE FUTURE: LONG-TERM CONSERVATION NEEDS & PAVM ENDOWMENT FUND

130 Introduction to Long-Term Conservation

132 Restoration and Conservation

133 Optimal Environments that Best Display, Protect, and Conserve these Works

134 Improving the Human Environment

137 Bramante Courtyard

140 Restoration and Financial Update

143 East Wall and Finishing Touches (Special Giving Opportunities)

144 Thank You to all our Bramante Courtyard Donors

147 Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum (Special Giving Opportunities)

148 The Renovation of Anima MundI

151 Giving Opportunities

152 New Entrance (Special Giving Opportunities)

156 Multisensory Cultural Enhancements (Special Giving Opportunities)

157 New Exit (Special Giving Opportunities)

158 The Americas (Special Giving Opportunities)

158 Africa (Special Giving Opportunities)

159 Asia

159 Australia & Oceania (Special Giving Opportunities)

160 Ethnological Materials Conservation Laboratory (Special Giving Opportunities)

163 The Cardinal’s Circle and the Launch of the PAVM Endowment Fund

167 Letter from Giuseppe Card. Bertello

169 HOW TO GIVE

170 How to Give and Lifetime Gifts

174 Testamentary Gifts and Bequests

178 2021 Wishbook Credits

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This year’s Wishbook cover is a bit unusual and unconventional. PAVM Wishbooks tend to

feature Renaissance art and ancient antiquities that are emblematic pieces of our five-

hundred-year-old institution. What graces this year’s cover is a replica of the headdress (or

“Dhoeri”) used for ceremonial purposes by the indigenous people of the Torres Strait Islands.

This ceremonial attire testifies to the vast artistic variety of our collection, which makes our

Museums a global institution.

The pandemic has affected us all, regardless of where we live on the planet, and in this

sense it has been a global experience. The forced closure of the Vatican Museums caused

by the pandemic certainly kept our halls and galleries empty but also provoked severe

financial repercussions on our institution and the downtime has made us rethink many things.

Throughout 2020, I had the opportunity to engage in some enriching and thought-provoking

conversations with Bob and Tom Kissane of CCS Fundraising, a global consulting business

based in New York. One of the many ideas that intrigued me was their approach to giving.

The first thing they pointed out is that if and when an institution is in great financial need

-such as during the pandemic- their loyal donors should be the first ones to know about the

situation (I hope we conveyed a clear message to all with our PAVM Covid-19 Emergency

Restoration Fund campaign). The Kissane brothers also encouraged me to give donors the

opportunity, with every gift, to participate in three integral funding opportunities: sustaining

operations, advancing the mission, and securing the future. These are like three legs of a stool:

all are essential, as, without one of them, the institution will not remain standing. Thus, the 2021

Wishbook is divided into three key chapters: sustaining our operations, advancing our mission,

and securing our future.

Since 1983, “advancing the mission” of restoration has always been at the forefront of the

mission of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums. “Sustaining operations” and

“securing the future” were there all along, but less accentuated. Year after year, the Vatican

Museums has relied on visitor revenue to sustain operations and Providence has provided us

with an occasional bequest to help us secure our future. The pandemic has changed all of this.

INTRODUCTION

8 9

In the first chapter of the Wishbook, we point out how our Patrons’ generosity has become

more crucial than ever for the Museums to sustain their daily operations. For example, it was

our Patrons’ generosity to the Covid-19 Emergency Restoration Fund that enabled our restorers

to return to work last spring. We also reflect on the value of Patrons membership. As a result, we

are rolling out three new levels of membership -Bronze, Silver, and Gold- that are in addition to

the current membership levels and accommodate the growing goodwill of our patrons and

donors. The second chapter is dedicated to “advancing our mission”, and here, our Museums

Director, Dr. Barbara Jatta, presents her annual “wishlist” of the most urgent restoration needs

for 2021 that can be “adopted” by our donors. This year’s offering is new because we have a

special list of “Director’s Circle” restoration projects affiliated with a certain giving level. These

donors will be part of the Director’s Circle. The third chapter focuses on long-term conservation

projects. A five-hundred-year-old institution has to continually improve its structure, and care

for its precious objects. Here, you will find an update on the stunning Bramante Courtyard

restoration, which is now in its last phase. You can also learn more about a fascinating

renovation that has been underway for the past few years: the state of the art transformation

of the display and storage areas of the Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum that is so dear to

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the heart of Pope Francis. After 40 years of existence, the Anima Mundi Museum is getting a

complete overhaul. Of the four galleries, there is one completed, and it is stunning! Additionally,

“securing the future” has taken on greater importance as the pandemic has forced us to

reconsider our projections and plans multiple times. In light of this, we established a PAVM

Endowment Fund in North America. This endowment will enable Patrons to secure the future

restoration and conservation needs for years to come.

The feathers of the Dhoeri headdress on this year’s cover are from the Torres Strait pigeon,

the shells are from the artist’s home of Hammond Island, and the plant is from the Matchbox

Bean. It reflects the global world we now live in and symbolizes the Vatican Museums’ universal

mission. While restoring and preserving beauty is at the heart of the PAVM mission, the Vatican

Museums is an institution of and for the world. Pope Francis, in his recent encyclical, Fratelli tutti,

writes: “The different cultures that have flourished over the centuries need to be preserved, lest

our world be impoverished. (...) Indeed, when we open our hearts to those who are different,

this enables them, while continuing to be themselves, to develop in new ways. A country that

moves forward while remaining solidly grounded in its original cultural substratum is a treasure

for the whole of humanity. We need to develop the awareness that nowadays we are either all

saved together or no one is saved.” (Fratelli tutti n. 137).

We are all in this together, whether it entails overcoming a pandemic or supporting an

institution like the Vatican Museums. Every Patron is essential to sustaining operations,

advancing our mission, and securing our future. I want to thank those PAVM Chapters and

individuals who have helped us by supporting our PAVM Covid-19 Emergency Restoration Fund,

by becoming a Year of Raphael Sponsor, or by adopting a restoration project. My gratitude

also goes out to those foresighted individuals who are considering or who have generously

committed to making a gift towards our new PAVM Endowment Fund.

Fr. Kevin Lixey, L.C.

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Sustaining operations, advancing the mission, and securing the future are three noble goals

at the basis of the fundraising efforts of any world museum. While advancing the mission of

restoration has always been the main focus of the PAVM association, for many years now, our

Patrons have embraced several projects that sustain our operations. They have sponsored

local exhibitions and funded our annual PAVM Fellowships. The pandemic has undoubtedly

accelerated the need to support other operational expenses, and the generosity of our

Patrons has become more crucial than ever for the Museums. The following pages recount

the tale of the Year of Raphael, 2020, and how our Patrons permitted us to have one of our best

years ever as far as direct giving is concerned. The pandemic also forced us to think outside

the box. Our Chapter leadership and our PAVM Vatican Office now offer a plethora of online

lectures and videos. We brought, and continue to bring, the beauty of our Museums into your

homes. Lastly, the pandemic has made us rethink our giving tiers to better accommodate the

increasing generosity of our Patrons and the growing needs of our institution.

SUSTAINING OPERATIONS

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THE YEAR 2020 IN REVIEW

The Year 2020 was initially poised to be a magnificent quincentenary celebration of the artist

Raphael Sanzio. Although the year got off to an incredible start, with the momentous display

of the Raphael tapestries in the Sistine Chapel, the pandemic marked 2020 as a challenging

year. The forced closures of the Vatican Museums directly affected employees and restorers,

causing a serious financial crisis within the City State. The generosity of our dear Patrons left us

deeply moved. Your continuous and unwavering support gave us the strength to endure two

shutdowns - from March 2020 to May 2020, from November 2020 to February 2021.

During the first closure in March 2020, we started brainstorming about ways to bring the

Museums to our Patrons since our doors were closed. To celebrate the Year of Raphael in a

lockdown, we initiated a digital lecture series on the Master of Urbino. It was a tremendous

success that challenged our Zoom capabilities and our perception of beauty. This first online

endeavor for the quincentennial anniversary of Raphael was the catalyst for the additional

and memorable lectures, prayer groups, and virtual tours that our many PAVM Chapters

hosted online, including our ongoing PAVM Insiders Course. The PAVM Insiders Course is a four-

semester journey of faith and beauty that takes our Patrons behind the scenes to explore the

history of patronage and restoration of the Vatican Museums collection. We have created

beautiful on-demand videos, enticing digital lectures, and intriguing Q&A panels. Upon the

completion of the four semesters, our participants will receive a special diploma from the

Vatican Museums. We appreciate your reception and praise as we set out on this new digital

endeavor together!

These programs gave us the chance to stay in touch with Patrons. This ultimately allowed us

to advertise for our Covid-19 Emergency Restoration Fund as we began accepting donations

online for the first time. Our subscribers helped us generate momentum for our first-ever

crowdfunding campaign as we secured revenue for the restoration of the Three Graces. From

the great success of this initiative, we will be crowdfunding for additional projects in the future.

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THE YEAR OF RAPHAEL

2020 marked the quincentennial anniversary of the death of Raphael Sanzio, the great

protagonist of beauty, harmony, taste, and talent. Sanzio served as a creative inspiration

for generations of painters, sculptors, decorators, and architects from his time in the Pope’s

Museums, privileged to be the depository of the most crucial pictorial cycles of this great

artist. Raphael’s legacy in the Vatican Museums’ collection is exemplary, and the Patrons

of the Arts’ history runs parallel to it. It dates back to the early 1980s when Patrons from

California and Texas sponsored two frescoes in the Room of the Fire of the Borgo. Since then,

many Chapters and Patrons have contributed to the restoration of Raphael’s paintings and

designs. Specifically, they financed the scientific research and restoration of all four Raphael

Rooms, several tapestries, and altarpieces. A special event that celebrated this collaboration

took place in the Sistine Chapel in February 2020. For only one week, the Raphael tapestries

returned to the lower walls, and crowds from all over the world gathered to see the Chapel

return to its complete glory, as Raphael and his patron, Pope Julius II, intended. These

tapestries, which feature scenes from the lives of Saints Peter and Paul, actualize the visual

catechesis of the Chapel, showing how the Gospel message reaches Rome from Jerusalem.

This remarkable exhibition would not have been possible without PAVM Chapters and

Patrons. In mid-April 2020, the Patrons of the Arts Office produced its first digital lecture series,

in collaboration with Dr. Elizabeth Lev and sponsored by the New York Chapter. Dedicated

to Raphael and his world, these lectures allowed Raphael’s legacy to continue as the PAVM

Office intimately brought the Vatican Museums into Patrons’ homes during a worldwide crisis.

During the Raphael and his World lecture series, the PAVM wanted to share restoration

discoveries with our Patrons. We recorded a video with Dr. Guido Cornini and Dr. Barbara

Jatta to insert into our lecture. They tore back the canvas curtains to unveil the restoration

of three of the four walls in the Room of Constantine, the last Raphael Room. Additionally,

Dr. Cornini explained that Comitas and Iustitia are the final artworks made by Raphael.

These two female allegorical figures are on different walls, but they are of higher quality,

style, and technique than the surrounding frescoes. The PAVM is honored to be part of this

historic, artistic, and scientific moment for the Vatican Museums, and it would not be possible

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without the support from our Patrons. Another Raphael restoration project accomplished by

our Patrons is the beautiful Coronation of the Virgin, “Oddi Altarpiece”. Thanks to the generous

support of the Gusmano Family (Michigan Chapter), the altarpiece is currently on display

in the new Raphael Hall of the Pinacoteca, which exhibits Raphael’s tapestries and famous

Transfiguration painting. All of these works are in an optimal space that includes climate

control and air-conditioning, which is a necessary conservation tactic to preserve Raphael’s

great artistic legacy for future generations. Additionally, a new lighting system highlights the

restoration work that renewed the colors and vibrancy of Raphael’s work.

Currently under restoration is a project adopted by Donna D’Urso and her siblings, Lisa D’Urso

and Mark D’Urso. Their late mother, Florence B. D’Urso, had a long-standing patronage to

Raphael’s works, and the two paintings of St. Peter and St. Paul are a project adopted in her

beloved memory. These paintings will be on display at a forthcoming Raphael Conference

slated for September 28-30 that the Museums had to postpone due to the pandemic.

In all, 2020 was a difficult year to celebrate the artistic achievements of Raphael Sanzio in the

Vatican Museums. Nonetheless, the PAVM appreciates the support of our Patrons that allows

our restorers to complete their work. At this moment, we would like to thank our Year of Raphael

Patrons: Rick and Lisa Altig, William Dingman and Debra Wert, John and Paula Kelly, the New

York Chapter, the Louisiana Chapter, and the Illinois Chapter. The generosity of these sponsors

has enabled the display of the tapestries in the Sistine Chapel and provided new lighting for

their permanent exhibition in the Pinacoteca. In the future, their support will extend to the

Raphael conference that will share artistic scholarship and discoveries from the momentous

restoration of the Room of Constantine.

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COVID-19 EMERGENCY RESTORATION FUND AND

UNADOPTED PROJECT CAMPAIGN

At the onset of the pandemic, the Vatican Museums closed their doors to the public for the first

time since World War II. The hallways that once buzzed with exciting chatter from visitors who

traveled across the globe to have a Vatican experience quickly dissipated into silence. Our

gallery spaces and courtyards were desolate and there was no incoming revenue from ticket

sales. The closure and its impact have been a wearisome time in our history that continues to

affect many of our employees and restorers. Additionally, we cannot forget about the works

of art that still need to be safeguarded because restoration remains a priority even when we

have no visitors. To help alleviate this situation, the Patrons of the Arts established an online

campaign called the Covid-19 Emergency Restoration Fund to allow our Patrons to donate

funds that would allow our staff and restorers to continue their important work.

This is the first time in Patrons’ history that we implemented a global online campaign. We have

seen many benefits to this type of online fundraising. For starters, it is cost-effective and we

were able to execute it quickly. Additionally, it is a more personalized and targeted approach

that directly benefitted our restorers and staff. We are privileged to have such a wonderful

and dedicated team that works within our Museums. This financial support has allowed them

to continue. Lastly, the online Covid-19 Emergency Restoration Fund permits us to immediately

gauge, track, and analyze our results. We have seen our Patrons’ donations grow over time.

Every donation counts!

We would like to thank all of those who are helping the breath and life return to the Vatican

Museums through the Covid-19 Emergency Restoration Fund.

We are still accepting donations for the Covid-19 Emergency Restoration Fund. You can

contribute by accessing our webpage: www.patronsvaticanmuseums.org/donate.

When we returned to the Museums in May, we wanted to keep our restorers at work. We began

fundraising for restoration projects that were originally going to be funded by the annual

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restoration budget, but the pandemic and subsequent budget cuts put them on hold.

Our Patrons came to support us. Each project was adopted by a generous Patron, which

allowed restorations that started before the pandemic to continue.

In summary, we can celebrate the astounding fact that, as 2020 came to a close, our

Patrons’ generosity allowed us to keep the Vatican Museums going. We had no visitors

for over six months, and the Vatican Museums experienced a precipitous decline in

overall revenues. Therefore, the Patrons Office would also like to extend their gratitude to

the North American, Asia, and European Chapters who worked relentlessly to further our

mission during a most difficult year. Their tireless work, their unending enthusiasm, and

their financial contributions helped us end the fiscal year with a 30% increase in giving

from 2019. € 2.6 million was received from around the globe, and € 1.8 million came from

North America alone.

At this point, we wish to share with you some words of gratitude from Msgr. Paolo Nicolini,

the Deputy Director for the Administrative-Management Sectors of the Vatican Museums.

Msgr. Nicolini, who assists Dr. Barbara Jatta, especially in the administration area, was very

grateful for the outpouring support that the Museums received from Patrons in 2020.

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MSGR. PAOLO NICOLINI

DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE-MANAGEMENT SECTORS

Dear Patrons,

This year I feel quite compelled to send you my best wishes and my sincere gratitude. With

God’s love on our side, we respond by being docile to His will, which we seek to find, in all

circumstances, even the worst. He calls us to respond to the needs of those whom he places

in our daily path. Deeply moved, I cannot forget how much each one of you has done for our

Museums in this “tragic” 2020. When everything around us was falling apart, your generous

and continuous support helped us “build”. Your precious help gave us the strength to face

this pandemic storm and enabled us to advance one of the main objectives of the Pope’s

Museums: to restore and preserve the beauty entrusted to our care. We know that when this is

over, people will be even more eager to look for beauty. When confused and lost, we need to

be grounded in truth, and beauty is a privileged way of manifesting what is true. Even in 2020,

we restored projects, thanks to your funding. They will be the perfect gifts for those who will visit

us in 2021. All give witness to this truth. You, our Patrons, a group of generous men and women

from different parts of the world, united by a spirit of giving, did not give up when challenged.

Not even in the most difficult year. You bear witness to the courage, dedication, and enduring

hope because a heart that gives freely and unconditionally has nothing to fear. My heartfelt

gratitude and prayers go out to all of your families and the ones close to your heart. May the

Lord always repay you for your kindness with his abundant grace.

Msgr. Paolo Nicolini

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THE IMPORTANCE OF MEMBERSHIP

AND THE EXECUTIVE CIRCLE

Today, the Vatican Museums entrust the most ambitious and grandiose restoration projects

to the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums. We financially secure donations for the

restoration of some of the most well-known pieces in the collection - frescoes in the Sistine

Chapel and Raphael Rooms, the Nile group and the Perseus, Bramante Courtyard, and

hundreds of other masterpieces. Additionally, our Patrons’ financial support extends beyond

the Vatican’s walls and to the other Vatican maintained cultural heritage sites such as the

Papal Summer Residence Castel Gandolfo, the Vatican Gardens, the Apostolic Palace, the

Holy Stairs, and works of art and archeology at the Papal Basilicas St. John Lateran and St.

Paul Outside the Walls.

We take pride in the direct involvement in these restoration projects. Our Patrons’ annual

membership donations are the very cornerstone of an impressive legacy. Those who have

been members for over ten or fifteen years have contributed an accumulated gift that

equals or surpasses the cost of a single restoration project! Every membership gift is an

extremely valuable donation to the Museums.

Our Year of Raphael Sponsors as well as our Covid-19 Emergency Restoration Fund donors,

have shown us that many of our Patrons want to sustain our Museums with an annual gift

that goes beyond a basic level of membership. Thus, to meet the needs of our donors, and

to forge a new path for the future, we are now offering, alongside the traditional annual

membership levels, the Executive Circle. This new tier has three membership opportunities:

Bronze, Silver, and Gold.

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This new level of membership enables our Patrons to be noted for not only their generosity

but also as those who champion our cause by promoting greater awareness and visibility to

our PAVM mission. The Executive Circle provides a path for our emerging leaders to distinguish

themselves while elevating our aims and goals to new heights.

We invite you to consider supporting us through one of the following memberships:

PAVM BRONZE LEVEL MEMBER - $ 5,000

The Bronze Level is set at $ 5,000 per family and provides one year of membership. In addition

to all the benefits and privileges included in the basic level membership, the Bronze Level

includes exceptional benefits such as recognition in our PAVM annual report and special

invitations.

PAVM SILVER LEVEL MEMBER - $ 10,000

The Silver Level is set at $ 10,000 per family and provides two consecutive years of membership.

It includes all of the exceptional benefits of the Bronze Level such as recognition in our PAVM

annual report and special invitations.

PAVM GOLD LEVEL MEMBER - $ 15,000

The Gold Level is set at $ 15,000 per family and provides three consecutive years of membership.

It includes all of the exceptional benefits of the Silver Level such as recognition in our PAVM

annual report and special invitations

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In this chapter, we take a look at the list of all restoration projects adopted by our Patrons

in 2020. Then we will present the current “wish list” of restoration projects that require

Patron funding. This list is divided into two different categories. The first list includes

projects that have a restoration cost that ranges from € 9.000 to € 65.000. The second list

is called Director’s Circle projects. The restoration, promotion, and long-term conservation

of these projects will be made possible through a grant of € 100.000 to be paid over the

course of three years. In simple terms, the Patrons are the primary source of funding

for the restoration of the Vatican collection. Without them, the Vatican Museums would

be and look like a very different place. The synergy and collaboration fostered over the

years is a dialogue that we wish to continue because our mission matures when we give

attention to restoration.

ADVANCING THE MISSIONRESTORATION PROJECTS

31

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RESTORATION: AT THE HEART OF OUR MISSION

Considering the immeasurable impact of the art within the Vatican Museums, our experienced

art restorers are helping to preserve and conserve the beauty within our collections. Their work

has been supported for thirty-eight years by the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums.

Our Patrons include dedicated individuals and regional Chapters, and through their generosity,

they preserve the artistic patrimony and Pontifical history of the collections and buildings of

the Vatican Museums.

PAVM Restoration Project Manager Romina Cometti reminds us that, “restoration is life.” Without

restoration, we could not protect the considerable amount of artworks and architectural

heritage of the Vatican Museums. Additionally, restoration gives life to the mind, the heart, and

the eyes of our visitors. Every day, this work takes place in our labs because of our Patrons. Their

generosity secures hope for the future and inspires the next generations.

Who cannot be touched by the beauty and inspired by the art, history, tradition, and faith of

our collections? People of different beliefs and walks of life have adopted projects because

they want to participate in our mission. We look forward to welcoming first-time Patrons and

embracing our veteran members to the following pages that display projects in need of

adoption and donations. Our journey together is infinite, and we can advance the Vatican

Museums through restoration, which is at the heart of our mission.

Before we unveil the list of adoptable projects and our funding needs for 2021, we would like to

thank the Chapters and Patrons who contributed, especially in the pandemic year of 2020, to

advance the work of our restorers within the Vatican Museums’ collection.

If you would like to reserve a restoration project, contact Romina Cometti at:

[email protected]

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• Triclinium Leoniano Lateran - John and Virginia Gildea (Florida Chapter)

• Statue of Seated Nymph - Northwest Chapter

• 11 Pieces of Jewelry - California Chapter

• Illumination of the Solar System - The Galileo Foundation

• Tunic of Saint Peter - Rick Smith (Florida Chapter)

• Three Crucifixes - Portugal Chapter

• Bronze Lituo - California Chapter

• Three Graces - Robin Hambro and Crowdfunding

• Mosaic of the Chapel of Sts. Cyprian and Justina in the Baptistery of Saint John Lateran - Mei Wen and Leslie Negley

• Opus Sectile - Billy Dingman and Debbie Wert (Florida Chapter)

• Ceremonial Regolini-Galassi Tomb Clasp - Mark and Joanne Hazelwood

• Portion of the Laghetto Gardens Section - Mark and Joanne Hazelwood

• Four Marble Artworks from the Niche of the Apollo del Belvedere - Michigan Chapter

• Marble Chandelier Gallery of Candelabra - Northwest Chapter

• Via Crucis by Pericle Fazzini - Minnesota & North Dakota Chapter

• 28 Bronze Artifacts - California Chapter

• Statue of a Child Holding a Jar - Gail James (Northwest Chapter)

• 70 Figurines in Terracotta from the Egyptian Collection - Arlene Merani (New York Chapter)

• Five Icons from the Tower of Pope John XXIII - Michigan Chapter

• Cat Mummy - California Chapter

• Arianna Valentini - Liana Marabini (Monaco Chapter)

• Preliminary Studies for the Feasibility of the Restoration of the Mastai Hercules - Rick and Lisa Altig (Northwest Chapter)

• Preliminary Studies for the Feasibility of the Restoration of the Apollo - New York Chapter and Illinois Chapter

• Santa Margherita - Olessia Kantor and the Italian & International Chapter

• Eight Vases from the Astarita Collection - Joseph and Arlene Ferrara (Illinois Chapter)

• Silver Ciborium with the Adoration of the Cross and Reliquary Box - New England Chapter

• Processional Cross - Washington DC Chapter

• Coronation of the Virgin and Child with Saints - Bernadette Boyd (Louisiana Chapter)

• The Publication of the Volume: “Preventive Conservation in Major Museums” - Olessia Kantor (Italian &

International Chapter)

PROJECTS ADOPTED IN 2020

Artist: Unknown

Date: III-IV century B.C.

Dimensions: Various

Materials: Bronze

Inventory Numbers: 65493, 65495,65496, 65497, 65600, 65602, 65611, 65614, 65659,

65850, 601814, 60910

The twelve bronze artifacts belong to the category of instrumentum domesticum, the vast and

varied set of materials that illustrate everyday life in the ancient world. Ten of the pieces are

in the collection of the Profane Museum, and two are in the Christian Museum. Most of these

objects are, in fact, from the height of the Roman period. The kyathos (inv. 65659) stands out.

Datable between the III and IV centuries B.C., it is a typical product of the Etruscan environment,

and an integral part of the banquet instrumentum. This item was used for pouring wine and

transferring it to libation vases. The remaining pieces of the Profane Museum are shaped in the

form of human and gorgon faces, theatrical masks, Erotes, palmette, and Attis’ head. Belonging

to the Christian Museum, there is an oil lamp in the shape of a peacock ( see the photo on the

left), an animal closely connected to the symbol of the light. The oil lamp was a donation from

1887, a bequest by Card. Domenico Bartolini. The artifact is an acquisition from his Far East travels

and it is of probable Egyptian manufacture. Recent studies suggest it is from VI-VII century A.D.

State of Preservation

These items are in a compromised state of preservation. The original sheen is no longer visible

because they have been covered by thick sediment of dark-colored byproducts of corrosion.

Restoration Procedures

The eleven sconces and the oil lamp are in a good preservation state, although the surfaces

appear to have not undergone restoration. They require a cleaning intervention because of

incrustations and light corrosions. Restorers will provide a final consolidation to protect the works.

Total Cost: € 9.000

TWELVE ITEMS IN BRONZE

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2021 ADOPTAB LE PROJ ECTS

DEPOSITION

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The panel is painted on a single poplar wood board arranged horizontally that measures 22.5

x 91 cm. On the back, there are no containment systems, and small cracks are more localized

in the lower area. There are anchors fixed directly to the support by screws, and the support

presents a reduction of the original thickness.


The work requires an anoxic and subsequent brush treatment. The present cracks need to be

mended and the wood panel consolidated. Aesthetic retouching of the pictorial surface will be

completed. Lastly, restorers will apply a special treatment with protective varnishes.


Artist: School of Benozzo Gozzoli

Date: XV century

Dimensions: 22.5 x 91 cm

Materials: Tempera on panel

Inventory Number: 40264

This predella compartment with its oblong and narrow horizontal format, coming from the

Vatican Library, should be dated to the last years of the XV century and assigned to a painter

close to the style of Benozzo Gozzoli (Florence 1420 - Pistoia 1497). The image includes the

remarkable and notable pathos of the characters from the influence of the late works of

Gozzoli. It incorporates the drama of the late sculpture of Donatello and the painting of the

Christological subject of Masaccio. The predella also contains the analytical symbolism of the

Flemish style.


41

Liturgical Object: Cruciform Monstrance

Artist: Workshop of Luigi Valadier

Date: End of XVIII – beginning of the XIX century

Dimensions: 69 x 34.7 cm

Materials: Sicilian jasper, bronze, carnelian, agate, crystal


The first of these objects is a monstrance, the vessel used for exposing the Eucharistic Host for

the veneration of the faithful. It is in red Sicilian marble and the shaft rests on an architectural

base composed of the same stone. Also, it has decorations in gilt bronze with four supporting

lion’s paws. At the center of the cross, the tondo contains the consecrated host, and the glass

protects it with a circular rock crystal. Around it is a Baroque sunburst in gilt bronze with eight

heads of cherubs. It is in the shape of a cross decorated with precious stones like jasper, agate,

and carnelian. The monstrance is a refined product from a Roman workshop of Luigi Valadier

that dates back to the late XVIII century. Valadier was known to be the greatest silversmith

of the Neoclassical period. It was previously located in the Sacristy of the Sistine Chapel,

transferred to the collection of the Christian Museum of the Vatican Apostolic Library in 1935,

and entered the jurisdiction of the Vatican Museums in 1999.

Liturgical Object: Golden Rose Chalice

Artist: Giuseppe Salvi

Date: XIX century

Dimensions: Height 87 cm

Materials: Gilded silver, cast silver foil

Inventory Numbers: 62059

The second object, the Golden Rose Chalice, is a vase on a high pedestal that includes rich

ornaments with reliefs representing the Birth of Christ and the Presentation in the Temple.

It bears the coat of arms of Pius IX (1846-1878), the pope who had the ornament made and

CRUCIFORM MONSTRANCE AND GOLDEN ROSE CHALICE

40


42 43

blessed. Giuseppe Salvi made this precious vase out of gilded silver in 1868-1870, and it

contains a branch of golden roses. The origin of the Golden Rose is uncertain. At first, it was a

single flower of pure gold tinted with red. Later, it was left un-tinted and set with gems (rubies,

sapphires). From the XV century, Sixtus IV replaced the single flower with a branch bearing

many leaves and flowers.The principal rose has a tiny cup with a perforated cover, which the

Pope poured powdered musk and balsam into when he blessed it, annually, on the fourth

Sunday in Lent (Laetare Sunday, also named Rose Sunday). Originally, the Pope held the rose

for the blessing in the church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. Now the ceremony takes place

within the Vatican with a Solemn Mass. Pope Alexander III explained the symbolic meaning

of the rose to King Louis VII in 1163. The flower is the symbol of Christ, the gold represents His

kingship, the red is His passion, and its fragrance prefigures His resurrection and glory. The

Golden Rose is one of the highest honors conferred by the pope to a Catholic emperor, king,

ruler, state, city, basilica or sanctuary. It is for the recognition of some outstanding service to

the Church. Since the XVII century, the recipients were women, while men received a blessed

sword and papal cape as a more suitable gift. Since the pontificate of Paul VI, churches

have received Golden Roses. Benedict XVI and Pope Francis gave roses to Marian shrines.

The Golden Rose was in the Sacristy of the Sistine Chapel until 1999 when it came under the

jurisdiction of the Vatican Museums. Now it is in the collection of the Decorative Art Museum.


The silver and gilded surfaces include oxidation from old protective varnishes and residues

from previous cleaning products.


The intervention involves the disassembly of the compositional elements, the removal of

the old protective varnishes, the cleaning of the metal, and the recomposition before the

application of the final protective varnish.



Artist: Unknown

Date: 675-650 B.C.

Dimensions: Various

Materials: Gilded silver, silver, silver foil

Inventory Numbers: 20471, 22216, 22217, 22218, 22219, 22220, 22221, 20477, 20481, 20485, 20488, 20493

In 1836, the archpriest Alessandro Regolini and Vincenzo Galassi discovered one of the richest

and most celebrated Etruscan tombs in the Sorbo Necropolis of the ancient Caere (known

as Cerveteri today). Dated back to the Orientalizing period, more precisely to 675-650 B.C.,

the tomb was originally covered by a huge mound. It has built-in blocks beside a false vault

cover, an access corridor, an anti-chamber with two cells on either side, and the main

burial chamber. The main burial is for a woman with rich personal belongings consisting of

fine jewelry, silver, and bronze pottery. In addition to the intact and recognizable materials,

countless fragments were in the tomb, and they pertain to vases and silver ornaments.

The cleaning, selection, and re-composition, where possible, of these fragments, will bring

identification to new objects and complete the knowledge of the others already known. It will

also assist the re-composition of silver foil bracelets decorated with embossed geometric and

abstract motifs.


These fragmented and fragile silver pieces include oxidation, corrosion, and degradation.


A complete degreasing and cleaning with ketone solvents will be performed. Material

consolidation and eventual microintegrations will need to be completed before a final

protective varnish will be applied.


SILVER ARTWORKS FROM THE REGOLINI GALASSI TOMB

44 45


Artist: Unknown

Date: 675-650 B.C.

Dimensions: Various

Materials: Gold, gold foil, gold granulation, watermark

Inventory Numbers: 20569, 20570, from 20571 to 20577

These golden jewels are part of a magnificent set that includes personal ornaments and

pottery made of precious materials. They accompanied the main burial, which related to a

woman of rank, and astonished those who entered and discovered this monumental tomb in

April 1836. These discoveries constituted one of the most important testimonies of the Etruscan

Orientalizing period. It consists of a fibula and a ring decorated with granulation, geometric

and schematic motifs, such as meanders and the solar disk. There are also seven small

cylinders decorated with watermarks and granulation with linear abstract motifs. Restoration

may provide us with new insight into the Etruscan granulation process.


These objects are in a fairly good state of preservation. However, the surface has been

affected by dust and corrosion. Microfractures are present on the surface and need to be

fixed.


These small artworks require a careful microscopic cleaning and a possible consolidation of

the lacunose portions. A revision of the museum display stand will also be necessary to ensure

their final protection.


GOLD FIBULA AND RING

46 47


Artist: inv. 17892 Painter of Tyszkiewicz, inv. 16576 attributed to Makron, inv. 16540 London Class,

inv. 17797 unknown artist

Date: 500 B.C., 490-480 B.C., 510-500 B.C.

Dimensions: Various

Materials: Ceramic

Inventory Numbers: 16540, 16576, 17797, 17892

This restoration concerns four figured vases painted in Athens and imported to Etruria. The

vases were in Etruscan tombs from the ancient Etruscan city of Vulci, discovered in the 1830s.

There is an Amphora (inv. 17797) painted in the black-figure technique, and Heracles, Athena,

Hermes, and Dionysus are depicted. On the other side, there is a racing four-horse chariot. This

vase dates to 500 B.C. The other three vases are in the “red-figure technique”. The Pelike (inv.

17892) is by the Painter of Tyszkiewicz, 500-480 B.C., and Theseus and the Minotaur are depicted.

On the Kylix (inv. 16576) by Makron, 490 - 480 B.C., there is a man near an altar, and young

people drinking and dancing. This group of vases concludes with a Kantharos, which is from

a group called the London Class. It is shaped like a double female head and decorated at the

top with a frieze of palmettes, datable to 510-500 B.C. (inv. 16540 - see the photo on the right).


These works have undergone restoration in the past. As a consequence, there were structural

problems from the lack of surface cohesion. Additionally, the old modifications altered the

chromaticity.


The intervention will include the cleaning and removal of some integrations performed in the

past to mend cracks and fissures. This process will touch up the missing parts before a final

protection will be added at the end.


AMPHORA, KYLIX, KANTHAROS, AND PELIKE

48 49


50 51

ADORATION OF THE MAGI

Artist: Ludovico Urbani

Date: 1477

Dimensions: 25 x 65 cm

Materials: Tempera on wood


The panel dates back to 1477 and recalls the style of the master Niccolò di Liberatore, called

L’Alunno. The painter of the panel, San Severino Marche Ludovico Urbani (1460-1493 ca.),

presumably created this as a compartment of a predella. The activities in the city of its origin,

and the style of the two brothers, Iacopo and Lorenzo Salimbeni, influenced the artist’s style.

This artwork represents the charm of the first Florentine Renaissance and the Venetian Carlo

Crivelli, who was permanently in the Marche region in 1468. Federico Zeri hypothesized that the

Adoration of the Magi is part of a triptych. It was possibly part of the Madonna with the Child

Enthroned and Angels (Avignon, Musée du Petit Palais) and the two panels with Saint Francis

and Saint Louis of Toulouse (Recanati, Diocesan Museum).



The painted panel is on a single horizontally arranged poplar wood board and measures 26 x

65 cm. On the back, there are screws that anchor and fix the panel directly to the support.


A preliminary study of the various elements will take place before the restoration and will allow

for the correct placement of each portion. Afterward, restorers will apply an anoxic treatment

with a brush that contains permethrin-based products. They will also treat iron elements with

the appropriate products and replace them with new ones if necessary. Once the restoration

is completed, all elements will be reassembled. The entire restoration process and assembly

will be documented.


PAVM FELLOWSHIPS

52 53

As the Patrons of the Arts continues to grow and expand, so do the number of projects,

events, and patron visits. To keep up with this increased activity, our Vatican PAVM Office has

created PAVM Fellowship positions that last for at least twelve months and are renewable for

a maximum of three years, upon the decision of the Director of the Patrons Office and the

Direction of the Vatican Museums. The opportunity to provide one or more of these Fellowships

rests on the generosity of our Patrons community. Since its commencement in 2010, these

unique positions have become a crucial part of our Vatican Office operations. In contrast to

the short periods of volunteer work provided by our interns, the longevity and commitment

required by one or more PAVM Fellowships afford the Office an essential level of continuity

and, in turn, a more comprehensive work experience for the Fellows. The Patrons Office in the

Vatican Museums offers this opportunity to recent graduates and beginning professionals.

Our Fellowship program provides the opportunity to learn about the operations of a non-profit

art organization. The Fellows collaborate with competent museum professionals, handling

duties and functioning as reliable members of the team.

They manage mid to long-term responsibilities and assist the Patrons’ Office team with

a wide range of events, visits, and daily interactions. Fellows should also enthusiastically

promote the mission of the Catholic Church through this non-profit organization. Sponsoring

a fellow ensures that our staff meet the high service standards of our Patrons. The cost of the

Fellowship includes the administrative and insurance fees.



54 55

Artist: Unknown

Date: I-III century A.D.

Materials: Marble

Dimensions: Various

Inventory Numbers: Various

The Bramante Courtyard has a colorful and varied past. It was once an exhibition area that

held jousting tournaments and included meditative gardens. In 1963, the Bramante Courtyard

included sheds that housed the archaeological works of the Lateran Museum, which closed in

February of that year. This collection includes statues, architectural elements, honorary bases,

funerary altars, sarcophagi, and reliefs. The Courtyard remained closed and reopened to the

public only in 1981.

Currently, there are thirty-one Ancient Greek-Roman artifacts such as funerary sarcophagi,

capitals, and columns located in the Bramante Courtyard. About half of the artifacts placed

here were once part of the collection of the Lateran Museum. Other marbles have been

transferred here in recent times from other places in the Vatican. As the entire Courtyard

is undergoing a restoration that is now in its final phase, the restoration of these pieces is

essential to its overall completion and aesthetic beauty.


The works are in an advanced state of disrepair because of their outdoor exposure.

Weathering and phenomena related to recent air pollution are the origins of the visible surface

damages. Over time, there is a growing need to intervene as soon as possible, since problems,

both superficial and within the marble substrate, are accelerating.

ANCIENT FUNERARY AND ARCHITECTURAL

ARTIFACTS IN THE BRAMANTE COURTYARD

SPECIAL G IV I NG OPPORTU N IT I ES

56 57


The restoration intervention will address the following operations: pre-consolidation of the

deteriorating artifacts; biocide treatment with products that include a base of essential

oils; treatment of the melanin spots that may show up after biocide treatment; cleaning

the removal of the deposit layers with detergents or solvents in suspension on divergent

mediums such as gels and agar-agar. It is expected, in limited areas, the utilization of the laser

instrument and/or microsandblaster.

Since each artifact is unique and will require a different amount of intervention time, there are

various levels of giving.

9 Funerary Pieces are available for adoption

The cost for the restoration of each piece ranges from € 20.000 to € 35.000

22 Architectural Artifacts are available for adoption

The cost for the restoration of each piece ranges from € 15.000 to € 25.000

If you are interested in adopting the restoration of one or more of these pieces, please contact

[email protected]. There are a limited number of adoptable artifacts for restoration

this year.


Artist: Attr. to Barbiani Domenico

Date: XVII century


Materials: Wood


This large artwork in wood is composed of several different pieces that are connected. It is a

very rare and precious artwork that was completed in the XVIII century. This wooden artwork

was utilized for the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Pauline Chapel, which was

exposed in a sealed, transparent urn for 40 hours. The 40 hours represent the amount of

elapsed time from the death of Jesus Christ to His Resurrection. This artwork has a religious

and devotional significance, and it is an example of the artistic excellence within the Pontifical

workshop.


Fallen wooden parts need to be fixed. There are many holes from xylophagous insects and

visible abrasions of the gilded surface with coherent and inconsistent deposits. Scratches and

grooves appear on parts of the structure. Gores developed from the thickening of candle wax.

Additionally, there are cracks and detachments of the wood. The base needs a structural and

aesthetic reintegration.


The study of the various elements will take place before the restoration and will allow a correct

restoration and placement of each portion. Afterward, restorers will apply an anoxic treatment

with a brush that contains permethrin-based products. They will also treat iron elements with

the appropriate products and replace them with new ones if necessary. Once the restoration

is completed, all elements will be reassembled. The entire restoration process and assembly

will be documented.


THE FORTY-HOUR DECORATIVE STAND

58 59


Artist: Francesco Bissolo

Date: XVI century

Dimensions: 62.5 x 92 cm

Materials: Oil on wood


This precious painting on a wood panel represents a composition from the Veneto area.

It dates between the middle of the XV century and the first years of the XVI century. The

iconography is inspired by Andrea Mantegna and his brother-in-law Giovanni Bellini. The

artwork is perhaps from the hand of Francesco Bissolo (Treviso 1470 ca. - Venice 1554), a pupil

first of Girolamo da Treviso il Vecchio and then Bellini.


The panel, which measures 62.5 x 92 cm, is made of poplar planks that have been arranged

horizontally and have been thinned from a previous restoration. On the back, there is a

Florentine type of parchettatura with crossbars and uprights in poplar wood (same wood as

the support). The crossbars are currently no longer functional and have many holes due to

attacks by xylophagous insects.


The artwork needs to be subjected to an anoxic treatment and then a brush treatment using

suitable permethrin-based products. The complete removal of the present parchettatura

will be performed and the support will be fully restored in correspondence to the cracks and

the joints of the boards. Lastly, a new containment system that allows the wood to breathe

while still supporting the weight of the wooden structure will be created. At the end of the

intervention, virgin beeswax will be applied to the wood as a protective film.


PRESENTATION OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE

60 61


62 63

FOUR ICONS OF THE TOWER OF POPE JOHN XXI I I

The proposed project involves the restoration and study of four icons from the Vatican

Collection. Three of these works are currently part of the permanent exhibition in Room XVIII

(known as the Hall of Icons) of the Vatican Pinacoteca. The fourth icon was displayed at the

Tower of St. John XXIII in the Vatican Gardens until July 2016. Among these icons, two works have

a metallic silver covering, the riza.

Artwork: Icon, Triptych: Madonna and Child, so-called “Virgin of The Sign”

with Saints Peter and Paul and two Angels

Artist: Unknown Greek master

Date: XVI century

Dimensions: 15 x 17.5 cm

Materials: Tempera and gold on panel


The small, ancient, and remarkable Vatican triptych depicting the “Virgin of the Sign” with

the Holy Apostles, Peter and Paul, and angels, was in Anton Francesco Gori’s collection (1691-

1757). Then, the Sacred Museum of the Vatican Library acquired it. On the central panel of the

work, the Virgin is half-length, with her arms raised toward heaven, and in her lap is the Christ

Child. On the left side panel, there is a depiction of the Apostle Peter and an angel. On the

right, there is a depiction of the Apostle Paul and another angel. Among the numerous Marian

iconographic types, the “Virgin of the Sign” is one of the most worshipped images of the Mother

of God and is also called the “Orante”. In the Vatican triptych, the Mother of God has a blue

tunic, a mitella (cap) on her head of the same color, and a red garment. Jesus is depicted as

Christ Emmanuel with short hair. In Byzantine sacred art, this type - traditionally called Christ

Emmanuel, which in Hebrew means “God is with us” - depicts Jesus Christ as a child and at

the apparent age of twelve. He wears a light-colored and red tunic, of which only a few traces

remain today. Above, in the upper part of the central panel, three little angels are depicted

- one in the middle and two on the sides - with the traditional six wings. The origin of the title

of the “Virgin of the Sign” is from: “the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will

conceive and bear a son whom she will call Emmanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).


64 65

Artwork: The Face of Christ With “Fiery Eyes”

Artist: Unknown Russian artist

Date: End of the XVIII century

Dimensions: 35.4 x 29.7 cm

Materials: Mixed media on panel


This Vatican icon, known as “Christ with fiery eyes”, takes its name from the Book of Revelation

(19:12): “His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns”. It is a variant of the well-

known iconographic type of “Christ Pantocrator”. It only privileges the representation of the

upper part of Christ’s bust. The Savior is placed in the center of the table, conveys a majestic

countenance. Christ is traditionally crowned by a big cruciform nimbus, dressed in a tunic,

bordered on the neck by a yellow sash, and adorned with a decoration imitating precious

stones. Above he wears a green-blue cloak. At the height of the shoulders of Christ, we read the

title in Slavic-ecclesiastic: Г(ОСПО)ДЬ ВСЕДЕ / РЖИТЕЛЬ, which means “Lord Panto/Creator”.

The name “Pantocrator” is Greek for the “Sovereign of all things”. It personifies the idea of Christ,

the Incarnate Word, as the almighty Lord and Sovereign who dominates the whole universe.

The iconography originated from the prophet Ezekiel’s vision (Ez. 1 26-28), the linking of Jesus

with the Father, as proclaimed at the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in the year 325. This

iconographic subject became a typical depiction of Jesus, both in early Christian art and

Byzantine art. The work is composed of a panel painted with mixed technique, a frame in the

silver watermark, and a wooden counter form covered with canvas and by a silver foil, the

so-called “oklad”. Based on the technique of execution, the stylistic analysis of the work, and the

paleographic analysis, the icon is attributable to a Russian master working at the end of the

XVIII century. Donated by Archbishop Elia Karam of Lebanon to Pius XI (1929-1939) between 1940

and 1942, the work is in the Christian Museum.


66 67

Artwork: Icon of the Dormition of the Virgin

Artist: Unknown Northeastern Slavic artist

Date: XVIII-XIX centuries


Materials: Tempera on panel, gilded silver


The Vatican icon depicts the Marian iconographic theme called, in the East, the Dormition

of the Virgin, or in the West, the Assumption. In the Christian East, the Dormition emphasizes

the Virgin who did not die but only fell asleep. The Dormition of the Virgin is celebrated on

August 15. On that day, the Church remembers the event handed down by the tradition of the

apocryphal texts, which affirm that the apostles scattered throughout the world to spread the

Gospel, miraculously gathered all in Jerusalem, to give the last farewell to the Virgin.

The work has two elements: a tempera painting on the wooden panel and a metal plate called

riza, which covers the board. In this Vatican icon, we see the Virgin lying and sleeping in her

funeral bed, with her hands crossed over her chest, dressed in a maphorion, and she has her

head framed by a golden halo. Next to her, we observe a footstool and slippers. A lovely nod

to the “every day” which gives more realism to the scene. On either side of Mary’s funeral bed

are the twelve apostles. Behind, however, Jesus appears with a cross hat on his head. Christ

himself is the compositional center of the scene. In his right hand, covered by his mantle, he

holds a small figure, representing the animula of the Virgin with her head surrounded by a

golden nimbus. Among the apostles, Saints Paul and Peter are easy to recognize, depicted on

either side of the bed. Peter, on the left, offers incense. In the background of the scene, there

are representations of two barely outlined buildings. In the frame, there are depictions of four

saints: Sts. Nicholas and John the Warrior, on the left, and the right, Sts. Alexander the Monk, and

Longinus. The work was donated to Pius XII and has been in the Christian Museum since 1953.


68 69

Artwork: Icon of the “Holy Trinity with the Twelve Feasts”

Artist: Unknown Romanian artist

Date: Beginning XIX century


Materials: Grease tempera and gold on panel


The icon is an expression of Romanian sacred art and represents the thirteen icons of the

feasts of the Byzantine Church. There are twelve great feasts, eight in honor of Jesus (Despotic

feasts) and four in honor of Mary Mother of God (Theotokos feasts). In the Byzantine tradition,

they are called the Great Feasts, which formed part of the festive order of the iconostasis

in Byzantine churches. The Twelve feasts surround the central panel, which depicts the Holy

Trinity. Above each scene is an inscription in Cyrillic characters in the Romanian language,

indicating the event depicted. The inscriptions are: the Nativity of the Mother of God; the

Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple; the Annunciation; the Christmas of the Lord;

the Meeting of the Lord; the Most Holy Trinity (the central scene); the Baptism of Jesus; Palm

Sunday; the Resurrection of Jesus Christ; the Ascension of the Lord; the Synaxis of the Holy

Twelve Apostles; the Transfiguration of the Lord; the Dormition of the Virgin.


The conservation of the pieces is provisional for the state of the painted surface and the metal

riza. It is necessary to separate the riza from the wood panels to investigate possible damages

due to the contact between the two materials (wood and metal).


Structural consolidation will be provided after the disassembly of the riza, followed by the

cleaning of the metal riza covering. Chromatic restoration of the painted surface will be

completed and careful analysis will be carried out.

Total Cost: € 50.000 ( for the four icons)


70 71

THE DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE

The PAVM “Director’s Circle” is a group of committed Patrons who, through their incredible

stewardship, form a special circle of giving convened around our Director, Dr. Barbara Jatta.

The relationship between the Museums and the Patrons has developed over time. Our Patrons

extend their generosity to the advancement of a dynamic assortment of projects that range

in variety, scale, and medium. Our dedicated Patrons understand the evolving needs of the

Vatican Museums.

To support the Director’s most urgent and significant requests, a Director’s Circle was recently

established. These Patrons actively collaborate in assisting with the funding of restoration

and special projects that are the Museums Director’s top priorities. To be part of the Director’s

Circle, there are three basic criteria:

• A desire to assist the Museums’ Director with the most urgent needs of the institution

• A proven willingness to promote the Patrons by hosting or underwriting local or regional

events

• A grant toward a restoration project or other specified need of the Museums of $ 100,000

made payable over three years

These Director’s Circle grants will allow our Patrons to help our Director in “sustaining our

operations, advancing our mission, and securing the future of our institution”.

For example, under our Director’s Circle scheme with a grant of $ 100,000, approximately 80%

goes to the restoration of a specific project, 10% to sustaining our administrative and operating

costs, and approximately 10% will be set aside to secure our future long-term conservation

needs. While the specifics of each Director’s Circle grant will vary, the overall goal to sustain

the mission and activity of the Museums’ Director will be achieved. These Patrons will be more

involved in the multiple aspects of our organization since their grant will provide for the urgent

needs of the Museums administration as well as secure the future of our mission.

72 73

Director’s Circle Weekend

Director’s Circle Patrons will have the chance to connect with others of the same giving

capacity at an annual event hosted explicitly for them within the Vatican City State. We look

forward to sharing one special weekend of the year with this community of Patrons, who will

benefit from this unique opportunity to build relationships with each other and the Museums.

Events during the Director’s Circle Weekend will include elegant dinners and private viewings

of the Museums. The highlight will be an in-depth meeting with Barbara Jatta, during which

she will share an update on the Museums and discuss some of the current challenges and

future opportunities. Patrons will, in turn, be invited to offer their input and support. This unique

opportunity will increase our Patrons’ knowledge and understanding of the limitations of

operating and sustaining a five-hundred-year-old museum. There will also be opportunities

to meet other key leadership members of the Vatican Museums, such as the Deputy Director

Msgr. Paolo Nicolini, Chief Scientific Delegate Prof. Guido Cornini, and Cardinal Bertello.

Director’s Circle Benefits

Director’s Circle Patrons will be entitled to special privileges and benefits that are above and

beyond those already offered in the other tiers of memberships. The Bernini Award will be

conferred to all Director’s Circle donors upon completion of their $ 100,000 gift, which can

be made payable over three years. The Bernini Award is the first of a series of medals, which

include the Bramante ($ 250,000), the Raphael ($ 500,000), and the Michelangelo Awards ($ 1

million). They are offered to our major donors by the Cardinal Prefect of the Governorate of the

Vatican City State.

,

74 75

Dear Patrons and Friends,

I would first like to express my gratitude toward all of you. This has been an unprecedented

year for the Vatican Museums and like nothing I have experienced in my five years as the

Director. There are always lessons to be learned during difficult times. We have been using this

moment to continue pursuing excellence in ways that maintain our commitment to exploring

the power of art, beauty, and faith. This would not be possible without the help of the Patrons to

advance our mission of promotion, restoration, and conservation. Even before the pandemic,

your impact has been profound and is visible throughout our many galleries, hallways, chapels,

courtyards, and gardens.

To overcome the challenges of operating a world-renowned institution, it has become crucial

for the Vatican Museums to establish a group of financially committed Patrons that include the

name of my position, the “Director’s Circle”. As the Museums continue to make historic strides, I

would like to extend an invitation to our Patrons and friends to join the “Director’s Circle”. Support

and commitment at this level has a profound effect on our mission to promote, preserve, and

restore the Vatican Museums, and the funds from the Patrons of the Director’s Circle have a

direct impact on keeping our collections safe, relevant, accessible, and connected to the world.

I look forward to continuing this active collaboration with you and fostering new relationships.

I hope that one day we can all be together in the Vatican Museums to discuss the value that

the Director’s Circle brings to the restoration and future of our collections. I encourage you to

join me in this exciting new endeavor!

Barbara Jatta

BARBARA JATTA

DIRECTOR OF THE VATICAN MUSEUMS

Artist: Unknown

Date: II-III century A.D.

Dimensions: 383 cm

Materials: Gilded bronze


This colossal bronze-gilded statue was found in 1864 under the courtyard of Palazzo Pio

Righetti in Campo de’ Fiori in the area of the ancient theater of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. It

was donated to Pope Pius IX (Mastai). At the moment of the retrieval of the work, the statue

was horizontally inside a pit, covered by travertine slabs with the engraved letters: FCS, or

F(ulgur) C(onditum) S(ummanium). Lightning struck the statue, and it underwent a ritual burial

according to the custom of the Romans. Pietro Tenerani extensively restored the statue with

additions made mainly in plaster. A young Hercules leans on the club with the apples of the

Hesperides in his left hand. Perhaps a model of the Scuola Attica (390-370 B.C.) inspired the

work. Scholars previously dated it between the end of the I and beginning of the III century A.D.


The restoration of this monumental work is very complex because the structure and size

(almost 4 meters high) of this colossal bronze is from the early II-III century A.D.


The intervention aims to accomplish conservation and aesthetic restoration. Restorers will

clean the gilded surface of the bronze and verify the superimposed layers. They will then

consolidate and revise the previous integrations and add a final protection. An in-depth

scientific investigation campaign, which included checking the static nature of the sculpture,

was previously carried out by the Scientific Research Laboratory during the year 2020.


MASTAI HERCULES

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DI R ECTOR ’ S C I RCLE PROJ ECTS

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COLOSSAL HEAD OF AUGUSTUS

Artist: Unknown

Date: I century A.D.

Dimensions: 250 cm x 170 cm

Materials: Marble


At the end of the XVIII century, the colossal marble head, already known since the XVI century,

was recognized by Ennio Quirino Visconti as the gigantic face of Emperor Augustus. There have

been many discussions about the identification of the ancient statue. Considering the size of

the head, it must have been assembled from several separately worked portions and it must

have reached ten meters. Colossal portraits of the first emperor, erected after his death in 14

A.D., are cited in literary sources and imperial coinage. In particular, we remember the statue

erected in 22 A.D. near the Theatre of Marcellus and the one located in the Forum of Augustus.

Surely, the head - found at the end of the XVI century on the Aventine, but perhaps was not

kept there in Roman times - was purchased by Ciriaco Mattei.

Mounted on a modern bust and widely integrated, it adorned the Villa Celimontana, as

testified by the catalog of the sculptural collection, Vetera Monumenta Matthaeiana, published

between 1776 and 1779 by G.C. Amaduzzi and R. Venuti. The Colossal Head of Augustus

without the XVI century bust, was purchased by Pius VII in 1802. It was placed in the Bramante

Courtyard, along the outside wall of the Chiaramonti Gallery, only in 1824, after the completion

of the Braccio Nuovo.

It is impossible to establish with certainty which monument of ancient Rome housed the

gigantic sculpture. Only the head remained, a witness of the most colossal portrait of Augustus,

that eternalized the Emperor in the hieratic pose of a god.

D I R ECTOR ’ S C I RCLE PROJ ECTS

80 81


The Colossal Head of Augustus Mattei is one of the most imposing works present in the

Bramante Courtyard in addition to the bronze Pinecone. Due to its monumental size and its

historical and archaeological importance, a preliminary study was deemed necessary. The

Colossal Head of Augustus Mattei leans against one of the internal façades of the Courtyard

(East Wall), adding an element of conservative interest related to the structural part of the

monument.


The previous multiple restorations must be identified and monitored to evaluate future

procedures. In some cases, these past attempts considerably disfigure the aesthetic reading

of the sculpture. The outdoor permanence severely exposed the statue’s marble surface.

The biological patina present on the surface is also aesthetically disfiguring. With preliminary

studies and some products of consolidation, a suitable restoration procedure will be adopted.


(two Director’s Circle donors at € 100.000 each)


Artwork: Raphael Tapestry of Anania

Artist: Raphael, Peter Van Aelst Manifactury

Date: Early XVI century


Materials: Wool, silk


The last Raphael tapestry in the Vatican Museums that needs restoration is the Death of Anania.

It arrived in Rome before the end of 1521. In December of the same year, this precious and

valuable work was pawned, with the others from the same series, to a German banker named

John Welser to pay off the large debts that Pope Leo X accumulated during his pontificate.

The tapestry depicts the passage of the Acts of the Apostles that narrates the death of

Anania. The neophytes punished Anania for disregarding their communal attitude because

he kept part of the proceeds that he received from the selling of his possessions. Punished

for his actions by Peter, Anania lays on the ground in agony surrounded by terrified and

stupefied men and women. In the heroic, classic, and large composition, Raphael wisely mixes

references to ancient and modern art.

The protagonist standing on the stage refers, in fact, to the later antique relief of the Horatio

Agustus of the Arch of Constantine. Also, Anania lying on the ground resembles the ancient

statue of the dying Gaul. The pose of the woman with the arms raised on the right is a

character of the Punishment of Aman from Michelangelo’s vault. Raphael’s imitation harnesses

an antique and modern approach, which in turn creates a new style.

The tapestry 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.

RAPHAEL TAPESTRY OF ANANIA WITH

TWO SIDE TAPESTRIES OF CLEMENT VI I

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8584


The tapestry is in fair condition. It needs a new lining, which is an essential intervention for a

correct distribution of tensions over the entire surface. This operation has been standardized

and can be found in the other School of Raphael tapestries. The original portion of the tapestry

presents several missing and worn threads. This is typical in works of art that include woven

materials. Also, the colors of the thread have been altered, which prevents an accurate

reading of the tapestry.


To start, restorers will take note of previous interventions to study the fibers and identify the

original colors of the fiber threads. This process will help them correctly color and dye the spun

yarns and textiles. They will clean and wash the fibers with deionized water and non-ionic

surface cleaner. Afterward, they will remove the lining and attach a covering on the front and

back to avoid further breakdown of the fabric. After the restoration of the tapestry, there will be

a photographic documentation campaign.


Artwork: Two Side Tapestries of Clement VII

Artist: Unknown

Date: 1523-1534

Dimensions: 490 x 70 cm and 477 x 60 cm

Materials: Wool, silk, gilded silver

Inventory Numbers: 43877, 43879

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. They have been recorded in the ancient papal inventories as “columns’’

with sphinxes and satyrs from Raphael’s splendid and refined design.

The friezes were from the cultural climate of Raphael. At that time, the world was fascinated by

ancient Rome and the recently discovered grotesques in the Domus, the luxurious residence

of Emperor Nero. Raphael visited them with his disciple Giovanni da Udine. Vasari recounts the

enthusiasm of the two artists in front of the amazing paintings of the Domus, and they began

to copy them. We know that in the workshop of Raphael circulated drawings, now dispersed, of

the rooms of Nero’s Domus.

The sketches were once part of a precious collection of antiquarian graphic material

conserved in the workshop of the Master. They served as a source of inspiration to Raphael

and the anonymous author of these cartoons where elements are clearly drawn from the

Domus Aurea on the two borders. The refined decorative repertoire is made of small fanciful

figurines of spirals and the Medici coat of arms. They closely echo that extraordinary visual

imagery already used by Raphael in other works, found in the Vatican and the Vatican Loggias.

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88 89


The friezes have a diffused surface layer of dust, and numerous visible areas have experienced

a loss of texture. The fibers are weak and missing in various areas. Several gaps pose damage

to the friezes. Both are lined with bands, which provide important support and stability.


Restorers will analyze the incoherent deposits, perform chemical-physical investigations

aimed at the identification of the fibers, and evaluate the degree of contamination.

With the help of the Scientific Research Laboratory, restorers will identify and carry out a

colorimetric analysis. Afterward, they will remove the old lining in a conservative type of

intervention. This process will help them stitch the numerous open gaps to create a new lining.

After the restoration of both friezes, there will be a photographic campaign.

Total Cost € 200.000


90

Artist: Paris Bordon

Date: Mid XIV century

Dimensions: 290 X 189 cm

Medium: Oil on panel


This large painting decorated the altar of the Franciscan church of St. George in Noale near

Venice. It remained there until 1769. The altarpiece is a masterpiece of the youthful activity

of Paris Bordon (Treviso 1500 - Venezia 1571). Pupil of Titian, Bordon soon became one of the

leading exponents of Venetian Mannerism. His vibrant colorism, the sculptural power emitted

by the protagonists, and the bold perspective foreshortening in diagonal, which characterize

this painting, were all typical of the style of a Pordenone painter.


In recent years, the fragile conservation conditions of the artwork have been reported.

The painting has undergone several restoration interventions, mainly aimed at solving the

conservation problems caused by its support. In 1954 Giovanni Micozzi realized a complete

restoration of the work by securing the detachments of the pictorial film. Currently, the painted

surface, in addition to the problems of adhesion to the support, presents a strong darkening

caused by the alteration of the overlaid varnishes.


The work requires both an anoxic treatment and a brush treatment using suitable permethrin-

based products. The cracks and joints of the boards will be fixed and a new system of

containment will be provided. The consolidation of the pictorial film will be completed with a

paint reintegration using water and varnish colors. A nebulized varnish will give the work a final

protective layer.


SAINT GEORGE SLAYS THE DRAGON

91


Artist: To be determined

Date XVIII century


Materials: Oil on wood panel


The panel was registered in 1935 in the inventory of the Pinacoteca with the generic attribution

to “Florentine school, XVI century”. The unique quality of the painting and its silent drama

presents a striking affinity with the Pietàs painted or sculpted in Florence around the middle

of the XVI century by masters such as Agnolo Bronzino and Baccio Bandinelli. Bronzino’s Pietà

in the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d’Archéologie de Besançon was painted in 1545 for the chapel

of Eleonora di Toledo in Palazzo Vecchio. The two artworks by Bandinelli are in the crypt of

the Santa Croce Basilica and in the Pazzi Chapel of the Santissima Annunziata Basilica, which

were executed respectively between 1546 and 1552 for the high altar of the cathedral of Santa

Maria del Fiore. The comparison with some drawings and a passage from Vasari’s Lives could

support the panel’s attribution to a great master of Florentine Mannerism. The restoration of

this work could confirm important new findings regarding Italian Art of the late Renaissance.


The panel’s wood presents fractures and fissures on the entire surface causing flaking of

painted layers and loss of colors.

Restoration procedures

The work needs both an anoxic and a brush treatment using suitable permethrin-based

products. Restorers propose to remove the parquetry and restore the support. The artwork will

be provided with a containment system to prevent the movement of the wood and alleviate

the weight of the work on the support. Lastly, a protection treatment with virgin beeswax will be

performed.


PIETÀ WITH THE VIRGIN MARY, AN ANGEL, AND NICODEMUS

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Artist: José Alvarez y Cubero

Date: 1812

Dimensions: Various

Materials: Plaster

Inventory Numbers: 16274 - 16297

José Alvarez y Cubero sculpted twenty-four large sections of bas-reliefs in plaster and they are

currently stored in the deposits of the Vatican Museums. They make up four large horizontal

sculptural stories with unique subjects, taken from history and ancient literature.

• Cicero, to whom Jupiter appears in a dream indicating Octavian as the new Augustus

• Leonidas’ Spartan camp on the night before the Battle of Thermopylae

• The apparition to Achilles of the simulacrum of Patroclus

• Julius Caesar and his soldiers the night before the Battle of Pharsalus

The occasion of their realization was truly unique. The stories were designed to compose

the frieze that surrounded the ceiling of Napoleon Bonaparte’s bedroom in his new Roman

residence in the Quirinal Palace (the center of the papal administrative power at that time

uprooted by the French Army for a few years, and today the seat of the Presidency of the

Italian Republic). The room, like the rest of the wing of the Quirinal Palace, was remodeled in

1812 by the neoclassical architect Raffaele Stern to house the apartment of the French Emperor

and new King of Italy. The plan was very short-lived, as Napoleon never saw the city of Rome,

which he elected as the second city of the empire. The apartment was dismantled in 1815 when

the Pontiff returned from exile.

The reliefs ended up shortly afterward (between 1817 and 1820) in the storerooms of the Vatican

Museums, where they have never left. José Alvarez y Cubero was a pupil of the French sculptor

Miguel Verdiguier at Cordova and studied at the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid. In 1799

Charles IV awarded him a grant to visit Paris. In 1804 he executed a statue of Ganymede, which

gained him immediate recognition as a sculptor. However, his refusal to recognize Joseph

NAPOLEONIC BAS-RELIEFS FROM THE QUIRINALE PALACE

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Bonaparte as King of Spain led to his imprisonment in Rome in 1805. Napoleon hired him after

his release to decorate the Quirinal Palace. During his time in the Eternal City, he met Antonio

Canova. Cubero became a friend and protege of Canova and he followed his artistic model

throughout his life. He spent the remainder of his life working on commissions from Italian,

French, and Spanish patrons in Rome until the last year of his life when he returned to Spain to

teach at the Academy of San Fernando.


The surfaces are currently covered by deposits of several substances. Oxidations of the

reinforcements are present, and, in some cases, there are plaster fractures. The reliefs are

devoid of frames and anchoring systems.


Restorers will clean the surfaces with agar-based gel and will respect the original patina of

the work. If necessary, an intervention with laser instruments is foreseen. The restoration of

cracks, lesions, and fractures will be carried out, preferably, with the same original materials

(alabaster plaster). In the most compromised areas of the back, glass fibers mixed with plaster

will be applied to recreate continuity with the original materials. All exposed reinforcements

will be treated to avoid oxidation and, where necessary, reintegrated with new metal elements

fixed ad hoc. An integral part of the recovery of the entire work will consist of the realization of

individual steel frames made for each relief. They will not be visible but easily reversible. The

new frames will allow the reliefs to be effortlessly displayed on the wall to reconstruct the entire

sequence, which is about 40 meters long.


(two Director’s Circle donors at € 100.000 each)


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The outreach of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums extends beyond restoration

projects. Funds are also needed to promote the collections and scientific research through

public displays, exhibitions, and catalogs. These funding opportunities endorse scholarship,

which increases the knowledge of a wider circle of visitors and academics to the Vatican

Museums collection.

On October 13th, 1822, the grand sculptor Antonio Canova died in Possagno, his birthplace.

A grand artist, father of Neoclassicism, fiercely anti-Jacobin, and a loyal servant of the

Pontificate State. Canova was not only a celebrated sculptor loved by princes and royalty,

but he also played a fundamental role in Vatican politics during the critical years of the

Napoleonic occupation and the papal restoration. Canova was responsible for the recovery of

the artworks taken by France during the Napoleonic invasion at the end of the XVIII century. He

acted with great diplomatic finesse, extreme disinterestedness, and dedication to the cause.

In 1815, Canova left for Paris risking his life to recover the numerous Vatican masterpieces in

the name of the Pope. Successful in his mission, Canova became the Director of the Vatican

Museums, which he led with insight and vision towards modernity. 2022 will be the bicentenary

occasion of the death of the sublime artist. The Vatican Museums intend to honor his memory

and work with a series of initiatives that focus on the diverse aspects of his multifaceted

personality.

An itinerary inside the Museums will highlight the inspirations of the artist and his dialogue

with classical antiques. The Apollo Belvedere, the Torso, the Laocoon, and the Hermes were

the stimulus and impulse for his works. Canova’s Perseus Triumphant, purchased by Pio VII

and placed in the Octagonal Courtyard, replaced the Apollo Belvedere, taken to France by

Napoleon. The mythological hero exhibiting the terrifying trophy of the decapitated head of

Medusa and the two Pugilists were and still are, the only modern artworks in the Octagonal

Courtyard, the pantheon of the antiquities of the popes, origin, and heart of the Vatican

collections. The ideal course of celebration will start from the Cabinet of Canova, and will

YEAR OF CANOVA CELEBRATIONS

EXHIBITION HOMMAGE TO CANOVA - October 2022


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continue to the other Canova sites such as, among the best known, the Chiaramonti Museum

and the Braccio Nuovo, a large hall in the purest neoclassical spirit. An itinerary inside the

Vatican Pinacoteca will culminate in the magnificent Raphael Hall and highlight the significant

diplomatic efforts of Canova in France. This special itinerary will signal the various works

recovered by Canova, and Room XVII, our temporary exhibition room, will provide an in-depth

thematic study of the artist.

The epicenter of the celebration will be a new room entirely dedicated to Antonio Canova that

will permit the public to admire the artist’s works in a display that has not been visible until

now. A new exhibition in the elegant Hall of the Ladies (Sala delle Dame) with its beautiful vault

frescoed by Guido Reni, and located in the heart of the Museums’ itinerary, will make it possible

to exhibit the large group of Canova sculptures and casts conserved at the Vatican Museums.

The exhibit will include the two versions of the Lamentation on the body of Abel, the plaster

model of the unfortunate but never realized sculpture of the Catholic religion, numerous busts,

and self-portraits of the artist. For the first time ever, some recently restored plaster casts

found in Canova’s studio by his friend and trusted collaborator, Antonio D’Este, at the time of his

death will be on display. These plaster casts are remarkable testimonies to the great sculptor’s

contribution.

Novel Phidias -as contemporaries define Canova - represented for the XIX century what

Raphael was for the XVI century. Both were divine artists who were capable of absorbing the

ancient and “making it as natural as life itself”. The Vatican Museums continue to follow the

path towards modernity that was undertaken by the enlightened and far-sighted thinking of

Antonio Canova.



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This project focuses on the research and investigation of the ongoing excavation of the

numerous sculpture productions of the goddess Sekhmet. It aims to provide a visible

reconstruction of its original arrangement within the temple, including its technical

construction and the organization of this gigantic building site. The funerary temple of

Amenhotep III (1390-1352 B.C.) is the largest in the Nile Valley of the most powerful and greatest

pharaoh in Egyptian history. He commissioned the most impressive setting of sculptures ever

made. Situated in Kom el-Hettan in West Thebes (modern Luxor), where today is the Colossi

of Memnon, the site has, for the last twenty years, been providing exceptional traces and

evidence of the sculptural production of the New Kingdom. The archaeological excavations

conducted in this temple revealed hundreds of statues of the goddess Sekhmet, some

completed and others fragmented.

The mission aims at reconstructing the largest statuary museum in situ in Egypt. The Sekhmet

statues, found in the excavation and subjected to cleaning and conservation, are currently in

storerooms, close to the archaeological site. The study and understanding of this fascinating

statuary complex will finally allow the philological relocation of the goddess’ statues in their

original context, contributing to the restitution of the grandiose funerary temple of Amenhotep

III as an open-air museum.

The goddess appears with the head of a lioness, generally crowned with the solar disc and the

uraeus, and is one of the most important goddesses in the Egyptian Pantheon. She was the

daughter of the Sun-god Re. She was simultaneously the healing goddess and a terrific lioness

who guaranteed royal power. There are two typologies of the goddess: sitting on a throne,

holding an ankh, the symbol of life, in the left hand, and standing, holding a papyrus scepter,

the epitome of regeneration, in the left hand. This unique group of statues celebrated the Sed

festival, or royal 30th years jubilee, of the pharaoh, Amenhotep III. This celebration was supposed

to guarantee the king stable power for millions of years.

Studies estimated that between 700 and 1000 statues of the goddess were carved and

placed in position within the temple, one next to the other, to form a mighty line of protection

THE SEKHMET RESEARCH PROJECT


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against the forces of Chaos that daily threatened the Order (Maat) of the created world. More

than two hundred Sekhmet statues are currently scattered in museums all around the world

(Egypt, London, Paris, Rome, Turin, Berlin, Tokyo, New York, etc.). These statues have fascinated

archaeologists and travelers ever since the XIX century when they were able to be transported

all over the world to enhance the most relevant collections of Egyptian antiquities. Launched in

2016 following the restoration of the Sekhmet statues conserved in the Vatican Museums, the

project continued to investigate the collection of Sekhmet statues in the Egyptian Museum in

Turin, as well as those on-site in Egypt.

The Vatican Museums Egyptian and Ancient Near East Department, led by curator Alessia

Amenta, began an extreme investigation of Sekhmet. In 2016, following the restoration of the

Sekhmet statues in the Vatican Museums, together with the Egyptian Museum in Turin, they

began to develop software and methods of 3D analysis.


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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Data Programmer (Mathematics and Computer Science) Fellowship

• Sekhmet software (cluster analysis)

• Update of the Sekhmet software

• Development GUI of the Sekhmet software

• Validation of classification/predictive existing models

• Adding new classification/predictive models

• Computer Vision (image classification of the 3D - models of the statues)

• Development of the interface between the Sekhmet software and the collected Sekhmet

statues database

• Development of a website for the Sekhmet Project

Cost: € 90.000

3D Scan, 3D Modeling, and Documentation Fellowship

• Measurement and comparison of the statues’ dimensions, proportions, and iconography

• 3D models of Kom el-Hettan statues, and in other museum collections around the globe

• 3D virtual models of the sculptural processes

Cost: € 90.000

0 50

50

100

150

200

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100 cm

cod. 22662prospetto frontale


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This conservation project aims to preserve the Necropolis of Santa Rosa. Part of this Necropolis

was discovered in 1956, and excavations continued until 1958. The second area was discovered

in 2003 during the construction of a Vatican parking garage. This site was generously financed

by the PAVM Canada Chapter. They extended their generosity to sponsor the excavation work

that took place in 2011, which reconnected the two archaeological sites. To date, the extension

of the entire Santa Rosa Necropolis offers a wonderful chance for visitors to explore an ancient

burial site from the I century B.C. to the III A.D. Since the entire site is underground, it suffers

from microbiological attacks because of the humidity, which affects the artworks and tombs

located in the archaeological sites. Several areas are affected by the efflorescences of salts.

These stains are on the painted frescoes of the walls of the tombs because the salts emerge

from the inside of the walls and break down the pigments of the colored surfaces of the tombs.

These situations compromise not only the state of preservation of the sepulchers but prevent

the visitors from having a clear view of the architectural elements and decorated walls.

A continuous conservation and climate control process will help prevent further damage.

The intervention will consist of a complete dusting of all architectural elements and artworks.

Additionally, a scientific analysis will take place to assess the state of preservation of the

sepulchers, artworks, sarcophagi, and funerary urns. Furthermore, the conservation will allow

the reassembly of the stuccoes on the ceilings of four Columbari (sepulchers II, III, XVII, XVIII),

which will provide the site with “new” wonderful views of the antique world. Another exciting

element in the Santa Rosa Necropolis Conservation project is the Alcimus tomb, one of the

most popular on the site. Alcimus was the scenographer of Emperor Nero. The area and

elements around the Alcimus tomb will be studied in-depth and restored since they were

seriously affected by microbiological attacks. Several funerary artworks are on display in the

burial site and display cases, which will be restored during the conservation process.


ONGOING CONSERVATION OF SANTA ROSA


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CONSERVATION OF THE SISTINE CHAPEL


Periodic Maintenance Plan of the Sistine Chapel

The Direction of the Vatican Museums instituted the Periodical Maintenance Plan of the Sistine

Chapel in 2012 for the effective prevention of every possible future alteration on the frescoes

after the discovery of subtle alterations on their surface. It consists of periodic checks of the

painted plaster and the climatological values of the Sistine Chapel since, as is well known, the

good health of the paintings is always correlated to the chemical-physical conditions of the

environment that contains them.

The plan provides for the monitoring, periodic dusting, and documentation of the state of

preservation of the surfaces. Specific supporting studies help track the current state of the

paintings, which were previously subjected to the removal treatment. Since 2014, the year of

the installment of the new air conditioning and lighting systems, there are regular inspections

that take place to ensure operation and conservation compatibility. The Conservator’s Office,

which oversees a monitoring or “control network” consisting of thirty or more sensors that

record twenty-four hours a day, supports the control of the environmental conditions. They

integrated a plan of activity for the environmental parameters of the chapel and the possible

alterations produced by the presence of visitors at various times of the day.

The annual maintenance activity of the Sistine Chapel involves many laboratories, offices, and

services of the Museums. In particular, this includes: the Cabinet of Scientific Research, the

Painting Restoration Laboratory, the Logistics Office, the maintenance team, the custodians,

the Conservator’s Office, and the custodians of the Apostolic Palace. The study is carried out

over five weeks, usually from January to mid-February. An aerial “spider” equipped with an

articulated arm that reaches up to 20 meters in height allows conservers to quickly reach and

inspect the frescoes that cover the walls and the vault, the terminals of the air conditioning

and lighting systems, and the complex network of environmental sensors. Thus, the restorers of

the Painting Restoration Laboratory, assisted by the scientific experts of the Scientific Research

Laboratory, carry out a series of checks on the surfaces of the paintings, ascertaining their

state of health and comparing recent and past records.

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The trained eye of the restorer is fundamental, but science also comes to the rescue. Modern

imaging techniques (such as the new HMI technology equipped with Scientific Research

Laboratory) make it possible to evaluate even modest variations in paintings at a distance.

These are “non-destructive” investigations of a physical nature that include the interaction

between electromagnetic radiation and matter, without resorting to any collection of material.

The technicians of the Carrier company and those of DIIS, as well as, the Infrastructure and

Services Directorate of the Governorate, all can work to adjust the calibration system to

humidify, dehumidify, heat, or cool the exchanged or circulated air. They must repeat this

calibration process every year. Osram’s lighting system is also subject to periodical checks.


A FEATHER HEADDRESS WITH CAPE

AND TWO PARIKO DIADEMS

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Artifact: Feather Headdress With Cape

Artist: Unknown

Date: Late XIX - early XX century

Dimensions: 113 x 80 x 88 cm

Materials: Feathers, vegetable fibers, wood, cotton

Inventory Number: MV 101422

The Toucan headdress includes a neck cape with feathers of different colors. The crown has

a structure of two wooden sticks bent into a ring reinforced in the center by two other canes

tied in a cross. Along its circumference, yellow, orange, red, and blue feathers are in a radiant

position. A long tail of vegetable fibers and feathers with black, blue, and green shades act as a

neck cover and hang from the crown.

Artifacts: Two Pariko Diadems

Artist Unknown

Period: Late XIX - early XX century

Dimensions: 65.5 x 83.5 x 6 cm

Materials: Macaw feathers, parrot feathers, babaçu palm, cotton

Inventory Numbers: MV 101431, MV 101432

The other two items are Pariko diadems from the Bororo Population. Pariko diadems are male

semicircular crowns composed of two rows of overlapping feathers arranged in descending

direction from the center. The first row is made of blue tail feathers of a red macaw (Ara

chloroptera). The second row, which acts as a lining of the chain, is made up of multicolored

feathers, mainly green, of parrot (Amazona aestiva) and black feathers streaked with white

female mutum. All of the feathers have trimmed tips. The spinnerets are placed into a flexible

support of leaf veins of the babaçu palm (Orbignya speciosa). The whole is held together with

palm fiber rope. Hanging cotton cords tie the ornament to the garment on the sides of the support.


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State of Conservation

The three diadems of the Anima Mundi Museum’s Americas collection present similar

constituent materials and types of alteration. The vegetable fibers of their structures are weak,

loosened due to defibration and dehydration. Additionally, the feathers are fragile and broken.

There are also large areas of mechanical disorder affecting the beards and barbules of the

feathers which limit an overall reading of the artifacts, particularly in the case of the MV101341

diadem. The proposed intervention aims to follow the experimental work conducted by the

Ethnological Materials Conservation Laboratory in collaboration with the Scientific Research

Laboratory for Conservation and Restoration using laser technology to clean plumaria

(feathers), which began in 2014. Plumaria is one of the most fragile constituent materials of

ethnological collections and its cleaning is one of the most delicate phases of conservation

and restoration. Traditional cleaning methods, mechanical or chemical, do not always offer

satisfactory results and are not always applicable. The first experimental use of the laser was

conducted on a selected series of feathers representative of the different types of plumaria

present in the Museums’ collections and gave positive results for most of the samples. The

conservation and restoration intervention on the three diadems is an important opportunity

for an in-depth study and also a chance to consolidate the practice of a cleaning method

that has never been done before.


Preliminary scientific investigations will be completed together with the creation of temporary

support for carrying out all phases of the conservation intervention. Anoxic disinfestation will be

required. The very new technique of using lasers in cleaning operations will follow the preliminary

study of the different types of feathers, the selection of representative feathers out of the

originals, and cleaning tests on sample feathers based on the same experimentation protocol

established during the first phase of restoration. Vegetable fibers and broken feathers will be

consolidated with the insertion of supporting microstructures or using natural adhesives.



118 119

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123

Artist: Unknown

Date: XIX-XX century


Materials: Vegetable fibers, wood, pigments

Inventory Numbers: MV 116367, MV 116368

Also available for restoration are some pieces that will be displayed in the Africa Section

of the Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum. This first shield is decorated with red and black

geometric patterns, symbolic of the entrance door to the chieftain’s house. Wooden sticks that

support a rigid fabric of woven plant fibers compose the main structure. The second shield is

decorated with red geometric patterns, symbolic of the gateway to the chieftain’s house. The

main structure consists of wooden sticks supporting a rigid fabric of woven plant fibers. These

two shields, once restored, will be on display in the new Africa section of the Anima Mundi

Ethnological Museums. A portion of the restoration costs will fund part of the new display cases.


The shield is in poor conservation condition. The wooden perimeter structure is very weak; the

sticks are broken, deformed, brittle, and no longer serving their support function. The vegetable

fibers are also deformed, brittle, abraded, sometimes broken, and dehydrated. Their ends, no

longer maintained by the wooden structure, are very fragile. The central interweaving is very

delicate and partially deformed. The pigment used for the decorative motifs is partially loose,

abraded, and incomplete. Finally, the entire surface is covered with an incoherent deposit layer.


Preliminary scientific investigations will be completed together with the creation of temporary

support. The first step of the restoration will consist of creating a protective structure around

the artwork. The restorers will secure the unstable fibers and wooden elements with temporary

bindings on the most damaged areas. A dry cleaning and chemical cleaning will follow.


TWO SHIELDS FROM RWANDA

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MALE COSTUME OF THE PORO SOCIETY

Artist: Unknown

Date: End of the XIX - early XX century

Dimensions: 170 x 90 x 70 cm

Materials: Vegetable fibers, cotton canvas, wood, leather, metal, shells, glass, hair

Inventory Number: MV 100966

The Mende people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Sierra Leone. They are mostly

farmers and hunters.

The Poro male secret society is widespread in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the north of the

Ivory Coast. It focuses on the figure of a female ancestral spirit, guardian of the social order,

and traditions passed down in initiation ceremonies to the younger members that are still

very active. Secret societies are an integral part of the culture of Sierra Leone. Their role is

to regulate social behavior and relate young people to the spiritual world. The Poro society

educates boys to belong to a secret association as a prerequisite for full membership in the

tribe which is necessary to be considered an adult ready for marriage. In rural areas, secret

societies play a fundamental role in maintaining law and order.

The characteristic ornaments of the costume include a cloak of vegetable fibers, wooden

elements hanging on the back (rectangular with writings and signs), and canvas fabrics

(in red, white, and black). The mask is made up of different items such as limestone on the

head, two lateral protuberances to simulate the ears, and pendants anchored along the

circumference of the neck and back.

The mask is made of skin, hair, bark, a cotton canvas of different colors, vegetable fibers,

mirrors, metal parts, shells of the cauri type, and other non-identified materials. Underneath the

mask and the cloak, there is a tunic of raw canvas with petrol blue stripes. It has long sleeves

ending in a tuft of vegetable fibers that simulate hands, and a pair of trousers, produced with

the same canvas, completed by the same vegetable fiber that hides the feet. There is also a

breastplate and an over-skirt, both are made of loose vegetable fibers.


126 127


The work suffers from strong dehydration of organic materials (fibers and fabrics). The tunic

and trousers show deformations due to prolonged exposure to unsuitable support. The skin of

the mask is widely abraded and delaminated, a tear is evident. Overall, the glass is stained and

opaque, and the golden metal elements appear oxidized.


Preliminary scientific investigations will be completed together with the creation of

temporary support. This step is necessary for carrying out the remaining phases of the

conservation intervention. Anoxic disinfestation and disassembly of the various elements

from the old support mannequin will be completed together with graphic and photographic

documentation. Suction, with the help of micro-nozzles, of the widespread incoherent deposits

will be performed together with the remodeling of the deformations. The stability of the plant

fiber anchors and all ornaments will be carefully controlled. Lastly, a suitable support will be

created.



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This chapter provides an update on the ongoing and long-term conservation improvements

that are funded by Patrons’ generosity. We will first look at conservation and maintenance

methodologies, which are essential for the preservation of the Vatican’s historic architecture.

It is equally important to analyze the spaces that provide a protective function for the

Museums’ displays. We must constantly renovate these areas with innovative technologies

that will increase the visibility of the exhibited objects and improve the flow of foot traffic

through the Museums. We will also take a closer look at long-term projects that still require

funding, the Bramante Courtyard and the Anima Mundi Museum. Lastly, we want to showcase

the PAVM Endowment Fund because it will provide for our future and long-term conservation

and restoration needs.

SECURING THE FUTURELONG-TERM CONSERVATION NEEDS& PAVM ENDOWMENT FUND

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On October 12, 2018, the Vatican Museums hosted a unique world conference entitled:

Preventive Conservation in Major Museums: Comparing Strategies. Directors of the top

museums in the world, The Getty, The Hermitage, The Louvre, The National Gallery in London,

The New York Metropolitan, attended. They discussed their concerns about long-term

conservation, which started a dialogue that shared common strategies and solutions with the

world. In 2021, the Vatican Museums published the proceedings, and, today, many of the world’s

major museums still struggle with the negative effects that the environment bears on their

collections.

It has become increasingly evident that museums must balance many overarching priorities:

to conserve the works of art themselves; to provide the optimal conditions of the environment

that protects and displays these works; to care for the people and employees that visit or

work in the museums. In a five-hundred-year-old institution like the Vatican, these issues

are heightened since it is made up of several historical buildings and apartments that, over

time, have been transformed into a museum. Thus, as an older institution, we have two

additional priorities that are challenging. How to maintain the architecture of our palatial halls

and provide the optimal flow for our visitors? How to provide the ideal climate, lighting, and

protective environment that can both preserve and display these works in an efficient, eco-

friendly, and sustainable way?

INTRODUCTION TO LONG-TERM CONSERVATION

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RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION

Restoration and conservation are not mutually exclusive processes. They are top prerogatives

when works of art are constantly exposed to the ravages of the environment (light, air

temperature, humidity, pollutant concentration, dirt, and dust). Our restorers are conscious

of conservation and are utilizing innovative technologies to preserve their interventions.

Climatized frames are an example of palliative care and an immediate management tool.

In 2020, the New England Chapter adopted the restoration of the Passion of Christ by the

Master of the Trevi Crucifix, and the Chapter agreed to fund a climatized frame. The restoration

team and chief curator, Adele Breda, will enclose all five pieces in this state-of-the-art

environment to better preserve these paintings. The frame will line the interior of the panels

with impermeable materials and seal it between glass and a backboard to offer a controlled

climate. Upon the Passion of Christ’s return to the Pinacoteca, it will be displayed among

several other restored paintings from this era that are encased in climatized frames.

Dealing effectively with a work of art’s physical environment requires knowledge of the larger

museum as an ecosystem. It is worth understanding the type of building it occupies, the

systems within the building, and the organization of galleries, storerooms, and showcases. The

Pinacoteca in the Vatican Museums is benefitting from long-term conservation efforts as we

strive to make this entire gallery an optimal condition for the works of art on display. Recent

construction to the Raphael Hall within the Pinacoteca transformed the space into an optimal

environment. Now, we have control of the temperature, humidity, and natural light. Additionally,

last year, the installation of a lighting system in the Raphael Hall of the Pinacoteca impacted

the entire visual presentation of the tapestries as well as the paintings hung therein. However,

this is just one room of the entire Pinacoteca gallery. We need to consider the lighting and

climate control of the entire gallery as well, such as Room IX, which is most notable for the only

Leonardo da Vinci contribution in the entire Museums, St. Jerome in the Wilderness.

OPTIMAL ENVIRONMENTS THAT BEST DISPLAY,

PROTECT, AND CONSERVE THESE WORKS

Pre-covid, the crowds that filled our galleries presented challenges. In 2017 the Vatican

Museums held a conference that focused precisely on visitor experience and long-term

conservation. The discussions from the conference shaped our perspective of the Museums,

we must view them as ecosystems that need to serve the visitors.

During the high season, visitor safety, as well as the safety of the collection, is compromised

by the large crowds. Visitor numbers were at an all-time high with more than six million people

in 2019. This is a dramatic increase from the record number of visitors for the Great Jubilee,

which was 2.5 million. In last year’s Wishbook, we emphasized that the Museums were taking

a hard look at crowd management because mass tourism had suffocated many galleries

with tour groups. However, when the coronavirus pandemic hit, the Vatican Museums were

shut on two occasions for long periods. Our longest closure tallied at 88 days (November -

February) without a single visitor. The Museums used the opportunity to continue enhancing

the historic and artistic heritage through maintenance work that took weeks instead of months

to complete. The latter approach required small amounts of work done outside of visitation

hours to avoid interfering with daily tours. Also, visitors now have to reserve a ticket and meet

health protocols upon entry. Efforts continue to be made throughout the entire Museums that

will optimize their experiences. Specifically, long-term conservation will be implemented in the

Bramante Courtyard and the Anima Mundi to improve the overall congestion in the Vatican

Museums.

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IMPROVING THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT

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The Bramante Courtyard is an example of a long-term and large-scale project that requires

restoration, conservation, and maintenance improvements. The first phase of the project concerned

the restoration of the historical architecture. This last phase will consist of performing the final

touches and deferred aspects such as state-of-the-art lighting, drainage, and security system.

At the beginning of the XVI century, Pope Julius II, a real patron of the arts, employed some of the

most talented Italian artists at the peak of their careers. He commissioned Donato Bramante as the

chief architect for the new design and initial construction of the new St. Peter’s Basilica, Michelangelo

to fresco the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and Raphael Sanzio to decorate his papal apartments, including

the Stanza Della Segnatura with the School of Athens. In 1505, Pope Julius II also commissioned

architect Donato Bramante to design an eccentric multi-level plaza. Its dramatic façade would

integrate nature, provide access to the most beloved antique statues, and offer a serene walk

throughout the Vatican Apostolic Palace. Upon Pope Pius IV’s (Medici 1560-65) request, architect

Pirro Ligorio completed the designs of Bramante after his death in 1514. Ligorio granted the Vatican

Museums a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture that recreates the Roman glory in a Christian

setting. This magnificent and wide-open area, now known as the Bramante Courtyard, is the

centerpiece of the Vatican Museums.

The Vatican Museums have entrusted the Patrons of the Arts to sponsor the restoration of some of

the most well-known pieces in the collection - frescoes in the Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms,

Colossus of the Nile, the Perseus, and hundreds of other masterpieces. Given the architectural and

iconic significance of the Bramante Courtyard, the Vatican Museums will rely on Patrons’ financial

support.

BRAMANTE COURTYARD

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To date, restorers have completed their work on the North, South, and West Walls, and the

results are stunning. Additionally, thanks to Thrivent, the famous bronze Pinecone has been

restored. With additional funding from the Patrons, we will complete the fourth and final stage

of this architectural restoration by the fall of 2022.

The total cost of the Bramante Courtyard restoration is approx. € 7.7 million. From the gifts

we received, we have raised € 4.8 million. In pledges, we have commitments that equal € 1.5

million. We have funded 80% of the restoration costs thus far. To complete the last phase, the

East Wall and other additional improvements will require € 1.4 million.

RESTORATION AND FINANCIAL UPDATE

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The Patrons of the Arts and the restorers now turn their attention to the final wall - the East

Wall - which still requires € 1.4 million in funding. The last walling is the most complex and

challenging phase of the restoration. We must secure financial support so restorers can

complete the removal of residue from previous treatments, fix the layers of damaged plaster,

reconstruct missing elements of the architectural moldings, and secure the overall stability

since the wall supports the Chiaramonti Gallery. Additional and necessary improvements to

the East Wall include a state-of-the-art lighting system and other security and accessibility

features.

An extensive lighting system will accentuate the details of Bramante’s architecture and equip

this evocative gathering space for a wide array of evening events. Countless visitors will

continue to enjoy this magnificent product of High Renaissance architecture during the day

and evening, where they can gaze up at St Peter’s Dome on the distant horizon. Other finishing

touches of the Bramante Courtyard will include an improved drainage system, state-of-the-

art surveillance cameras, a P.A. system, and more security and safety features.

Total Cost: € 1.4 Million

EAST WALL AND FINISHING TOUCHES


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Masagung Family

von Opel Family

Halle Foundation

Thrivent Foundation

New York Chapter

Canada Chapter

California Chapter

Louisiana Chapter

Popolo Family

Altig Family

Nishimoto Family

Donna D’Urso

Esther Milstead & Mark Villamar

Gregory Oussani

Georgia Chapter

Northwest Chapter

Tay Family

Chang Family

Stewart Family

Claugus Family

Williams Family

Michigan Chapter

New England Chapter

Illinois Chapter

Haley Family

Del Rio Family

DC Chapter

Kozak Family

Toomy Family

Colorado Chapter

Michael Vales & Denise Derbes

Fuselier Family

Kerrigan Family

Eden Family

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR BRAMANTE COURTYARD DONORS

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ANIMA MUNDI ETHNOLOGICAL MUSEUM

Anima Mundi is the Ethnological section of the Vatican Museums. The 80,000 objects in the

collection display a selection of works representing the artistic, cultural, and spiritual traditions

and testimonies of non-European peoples. To name a few of the many works, the collection

includes totems, shields, feather headdresses, and painted eyes peeking out behind wooden

masks. These objects and the cultures that they represent are the real protagonists of the

Ethnological section.

The mission of this museum is to feature the diversity of beauty, preserve it from the threats

of extinction, and share with all a world of inclusion, creativity, and heritage. The history of the

Vatican Ethnological collection began in 1692 when Pope Innocent XII received various Pre-

Columbian objects.

Those works would later become part of Cardinal Stegano Borgia’s (1731-1804) collection. He

had a deep passion for “exotic curiosities”, and he displayed them within the Vatican. The

Pontiff received objects and works of art from every corner of the globe, and the collection

continued to grow over time. In 1925, Pope Pius XI inaugurated a temporary exhibition that

presented objects, cultures, and religions of the world according to their geographical region.

With more than 40,000 items and artworks on display, and millions of visitors who attended

the show, the Pontiff decided to transform this event into a permanent exhibition. Thus, the

Missionary Ethnological Museum was born, and Father Wilhelm Schmidt, the best known

Catholic Ethnologist of the XX century, was the first director. The museum, housed in the Lateran

Palace until the beginning of the 1970s, was then moved to its current home, underneath the

Pius Christian Museum.

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THE RENOVATION OF ANIMA MUNDI

New display areas, depositories, restoration laboratory, and a new approach to

understanding the world

After nearly half a century, it became evident that the present display areas and depositories

posed risks to the integrity of the objects that are all made of perishable organic materials.

Thus, to optimize their conservation, these works of art should be in climate-controlled spaces

that provide ideal conditions. Additionally, their beauty should be visible in totality.

So now, glass atrium cases will benefit from the natural light that passes through the sunken

patios of the Zitella Courtyard and show the objects in a lucid 360 degrees. This transparent

installation aims to place them effectively in an open dialogue among themselves and the

visitors. Upon its completion, the Anima Mundi will cover almost 7000 square meters and

contain over 700 meters of a walkway with galleries dedicated to different geographical

areas (Africa, The Americas, Asia, Australia, and Oceania). Even the new upper depositories

will be encased in transparent glass, offering a glimpse of the artifacts in storage. Neither

hidden nor tucked away, the new Ethnological Materials Conservation Laboratory will also be

encased with a transparent wall to give visitors visual access to the restorers who work within

the Ethnological gallery space. It is an opportunity for visitors to gain an intimate viewing

experience and see these professionals address the environmental threats posed to the

works. Fr. Nicola Mapelli, current Anima Mundi Curator, would also like to offer a new approach

for a better understanding of these artifacts. The new and latest technologies, including the

use of QR codes, will improve the accessibility of the collection and allow it to reach a more

global audience. Also, Fr. Mapelli aims to enhance the visitor experience through multisensory

simulations, which will emulate the cultural surroundings and birthplace of these objects.

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For the past three years, the Anima Mundi Museum has been undergoing renovation, and more

construction will take place in the future. The Vatican Museums Direction invites the Patrons to

participate in this diverse and historic project. Our Patrons will have the chance to engage with

the heart of our mission and celebrate the diversity of beauty and artistic expression.

There are still many funding opportunities available. We hope that you consider donating to

this monumental project. Each of the following galleries will have its own recognition plaque.

GIVING OPPORTUNITIES

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The new entrance of the Anima Mundi will provide an expansive and sweeping view. Before

visitors descend to the lower atrium, they discern a comprehensive perspective of the entire

collection and have a taste for the variety of cultures represented.

This new entrance will also be a practical safety measure that will prioritize the flow of visitors.

Currently, only one door grants access to this section of the Museum, which is not sustainable

for a large number of tours.

Estimated Cost: € 900.000

NEW ENTRANCE

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MULTISENSORY CULTURAL ENHANCEMENTS

All the galleries - with the help of multisensory enhancements - will be layered experiences

aimed at improving the outreach of the represented cultures. This project will take advantage

of the latest technologies that will provide the context of these ethnicities through auditory,

visual, and olfactory enhancements. It will allow visitors to develop their cognitive and

emotional experiences by engaging with the “phenomena” behind the objects, which will make

the stories, people, and time more accessible and meaningful to a wide variety of visitors.

Estimated Cost: € 1.2 Million

NEW EXIT

A new exit will give unprecedented access to sections that have yet to be fully explored. It will

lead out into the lush Vatican Gardens, the area known as the Giardino Quadrato. Most visitors

have not seen this part of the Museums nor the nearby Carriage Museum. The exit will also

increase the flow of foot traffic to mitigate the congestion caused by the daily tours, improving

the overall visitor experience in the Museums.

Estimated Cost: € 600.000


WORLD MAPWORLD MAP

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The majority of the thousands of artifacts in this

section come from the Sub-Saharan parts of the

African continent, but there is also a significant

collection from North Africa. Most of these

artifacts were sent as gifts to Pope Pious XI for

a great exhibit organized in the Vatican in 1925.

One example is the colorful Ikenga statue from

Nigeria shown here. One piece in this section is

also the oldest artifact in the Vatican Museums:

a chopping tool from South Africa, dated to two

million years ago. There is also a series of black

and white photos by Alfred M. Duggan-Cronin

from the beginning of the XX century.

AFRICAEstimated Cost: € 1 Mil l ion

The beginning of the Anima Mundi Museum is

traced back to The Americas: a set of five artifacts

sent from the Tairona people of Colombia in 1691

to Pope Innocent XII. This collection gives voice

to the different cultural expressions of peoples

from all over the continent, from Alaska to Tierra

del Fuego, from the American Southwest to the

Amazon, from Canada to Brazil, from the Pacific

Northwest to Chile. The Americas section includes

pre-Columbian artifacts from Central and South

America. An example is shown here: the world-

famous Aztec statue from Mexico representing

Quetzalcoatl, the “Feathered Serpent”.

THE AMERICASEstimated Cost: € 1 Mil l ion

There are thousands of objects representing the

many different cultures of Asia. One of the most

famous is an ancient Chinese eight meters long

handscroll representing the Great Wall of China,

which was part of the personal collection of Card.

Stefano Borgia. Other masterpieces include XVII

century Japanese kakemonos, a XI century stele

from India representing Vishnu, and the ‘Silk Letter’

from Korea describing the persecution against

Christians in 1801. Most of the Asian artifacts are an

expression of traditional beliefs, such as the rare

statue of Buddha shown here. This section was

funded by the Nishimoto Family.

ASIAFunded

AUSTRALIA & OCEANIAEstimated Cost: € 1 Mil l ion

The renovation of the Australia and Oceania section

is part of the first phase of the restructuring of the

Anima Mundi Museum, and the construction of

this section is nearly complete. The Australia and

Oceania collection of the Vatican Museums is one

of the most remarkable in the world. It includes

artifacts sent to Pope Pius IX in the mid-XIX century

representing Indigenous Australian cultures, and

rare ancient Oceania artifacts from Papua New

Guinea, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. One

of the most remarkable pieces is the statue of the

god Tu, shown here, sent from the Polynesian island

of Mangareva in 1836 as a gift to Pope Gregory XVI.


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Upon the inauguration of the Anima Mundi in the Vatican Museums in 1973, there was

no established restoration laboratory for protecting these works. Due to the different

types of mediums within the collection, a temporary Ethnological Materials Conservation

Laboratory was established in 2000. Despite its makeshift conditions, the laboratory was a

significant contribution to the Vatican Museums because professional restorers with specific

competencies relating to a wide range of composite materials offered diverse restoration

and conservation techniques. Now, a permanent facility with state-of-the-art laboratory

technology will provide a proper space and essential tools to assist the restorers’ diligent work.

Estimated Cost: € 1.5 Million

ETHNOLOGICAL MATERIALS CONSERVATION LABORATORY


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To meet the long-term conservation needs of a five-hundred-year-old building is a colossal

endeavor that goes beyond routine maintenance and periodic capital improvements. In

recent decades, we have faced two extreme challenges: the first is flow issues from the high

volume of daily visitors and the second is the forced closures because of the world pandemic.

Most world museums, whether publicly or privately funded, have established endowments

in the past decades which provide a constant stream of revenue that can be dedicated

to sustaining their restoration department or long-term conservation needs. Until now, the

Vatican Museums has never had an endowment.

The PAVM Endowment Fund

Even before the pandemic, some Patrons in North America have been discussing with the

International Director the launch of a PAVM Endowment Fund in the United States. Over time,

it would grow to provide for the long-term restoration and conservation needs of the Vatican

Museums. A meeting was held in the fall of 2020 and an initial group of committed Patrons is

starting to emerge. The overarching goal is to galvanize a special group of “founding donors”

who will be the impetus for the establishment of an endowment that will one day generate

enough funding to cover the annual restoration costs of the Vatican Museums. That is to

say, a $ 100 million endowment would yield an annual return to cover the annual operating

budget of the six restoration laboratories in the Vatican and other conservation needs. Such

a goal will require many donors and will take several years to generate enough capital to

reach this goal. We are in the “quiet phase” of this endeavor, actively seeking a group of 15-20

people, who will pledge a gift of $ 1 million or more (paid over 3-5 years). These Patrons will

forever hold a special place in the history of the Vatican Museums for their leadership, and

will secure an initial corpus of $ 20 million.

THE CARDINAL’S CIRCLE AND THE LAUNCH OF

THE PAVM ENDOWMENT FUND

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The “Cardinal’s Circle” of Michelangelo Donors

In past years, individuals who made a $ 1 million gift to the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican

Museums earned the prestigious Michelangelo Award, which was conferred by the Cardinal

President of the Governorate of the Vatican City State. Nevertheless, there have been few

occasions in the past for these special donors to meet each other and to become better

acquainted with the Leadership of the Vatican Museums. In conjunction with the Vatican

Museums and Cardinal President of the Vatican City State - His Eminence Cardinal Giuseppe

Bertello - The Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums are establishing the “Cardinal’s Circle’’.

This will be the most prestigious circle of donors, assembled exclusively by and for those who

make a gift of $ 1 million or more to the Vatican Museums, whether it be to this endowment or

to another restoration project.

The Cardinal’s Circle will hold an annual meeting in the Vatican with the Museums’ Director,

senior staff, and the President of the Vatican City State, His Eminence, Cardinal Giuseppe

Bertello, to duly recognize these donors for their generosity, leadership, and vision. Naturally, the

focus of the annual meeting will center around updates on the Vatican Museums, its financial

goals, an endowment review, and other Patrons of the Arts activities.

To find out more about the Cardinal’s Circle, or about making a gift to the PAVM Endowment

Fund, contact Father Kevin Lixey L.C., the International Director of the Patrons of the Arts in the

Vatican Museums.

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GIUSEPPE CARD. BERTELLO

PRESIDENT OF THE VATICAN CITY STATE

Dear Patrons and friends,

The year 2020 was quite challenging for the Vatican Museums and the Vatican City State, as I

am sure it has also been for all our Patrons in different ways.

I am grateful for your support and prayers during this difficult time. Your generosity which

helped us fund the work of restoring beauty - precisely at a time when so many plans and

other things were coming undone - was a source of inspiration and hope for us all.

In his recent book entitled “Let Us Dream”, Pope Francis notes how every crisis changes

us; either for the better or the worse, a crisis never allows us to stay the same. This time of

lockdown and isolation has allowed us to re-think plans and come up with new ideas and

clearer priorities.

I am pleased to know that some of our Patrons have been thinking of how they can help us

provide not only for our immediate restoration needs but also for future conservation needs

through the creation of a PAVM Endowment Fund.

I wholeheartedly welcome this endeavor and thank you, Patrons and friends, for your

farsightedness and continued generosity, especially during these precarious times.

May God bless you, your families, and all your loved ones, so that in His infinite mercy the world

may enjoy the return of good health and the blessed fruits of peace and prosperity.

Sincerely yours,

Giuseppe Card. Bertello

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HOW TO GIVE

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There are many ways you can support the mission of the PAVM.

• An annual Membership donation (we encourage you to consider the Bronze, Silver and

Gold levels)

• An adoption of a restoration project found in this Wishbook, or on our website https://www.

patronsvaticanmuseums.org. Note that these are limited in number and adoption is on

a first-come, first-serve basis. Contact Romina Cometti ([email protected]) if

there is a project that you are interested in adopting.

• A donation of any amount to our restoration fund. In this time of unprecedented crisis,

we enabled the possibility to make donations through PayPal. You can choose to support

three categories: Unrestricted Restoration Fund, the restoration of the Bramante Courtyard,

or the Anima Mundi renovation

HOW TO GIVE

LIFETIME GIFTS

The most common types of lifetime gifts are:

• Gifts of Cash: Donors may make cash gifts directly to PAVM NASO or their local Patrons

Chapter. Instructions are below, depending upon your residency.

• Gifts of Appreciated Securities: Donors may contribute appreciated securities directly

to PAVM NASO and/or a local Patrons Chapter. Donors who give gifts of Appreciated

Securities avoid any capital gains tax that would otherwise have been generated if

those same assets had been sold to generate a cash gift. Please contact Denise Molitsky

at (651)560-6119 or [email protected] for wire instructions and to make gifts of

Appreciated Securities.

• Gifts of Other Assets: Donors may contribute real estate and certain other types of assets

directly to PAVM NASO and/or a local Patrons Chapter. If you have a specific asset that

you wish to give, we would be pleased to discuss your gift options. Please contact Denise

Molitsky at (651)560-6119 or [email protected] to start the discussion.

• Gifts from Retirement Accounts. The IRS has recently loosened its restrictions on charitable

gifts out of retirement accounts. Talk to your advisors about your ability to make charitable

gifts out of your retirement accounts.

For cash donations inside the United States

Checks should be made payable to PAVM -North American Services Office and sent to:

Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums

North American Services Office

Attn: Denise Molitsky

835 North Rush Street

Chicago, IL 60611 USA

For cash donations outside the United States

Checks should be made payable to Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums and sent to:

The Patrons Office

Vatican Museums

V-00120 Vatican City State

Phone: +39 06 698 64499

[email protected]

www.patronsvaticanmuseums.org

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Testamentary gifts and bequests to the PAVM support projects that contribute to the promotion,

restoration, and conservation of the artistic patrimony of the Vatican Museums. The most

common types of testamentary gifts and bequests are:

• Bequests of Cash: In their estate plans, donors may direct a specific dollar amount to be

given to PAVM NASO and/or a local Patrons Chapter.

• Bequests of Securities, Real Estate, and other Assets: Donors may directspecific assets in

their estate plans (securities, real estate, and tangible personal property, such as works of

art and antiques), to be given to PAVM NASO and/or local Patrons Chapter.

• Gifts from IRAs and 401Ks: Donors may name PAVM NASO and/or a local Patrons Chapter as

a primary or contingent beneficiary of all or a portion of their retirement accounts (IRA, 401(k)

403(b) or pension) at their death. Retirement accounts are the most tax efficient sources for

testamentary gifts to charity.

• Gift of the Residue of an Estate/Trust: Donors may direct in their estate plans that PAVM NASO

and/or a local Patrons Chapter be named as a beneficiary of all (or a percentage) of the

residue of their estate or trust after all other specific bequests and administration expenses

are paid.

If you are considering including PAVM NASO in your estate plan, we recommend the following

language:

I hereby give [DESCRIBE YOUR GIFT] to Patrons of the Arts of the Vatican Museums -North

American Services Office, an Illinois not-for-profit corporation (:EIN 83:1045934), for its general

use and purpose.

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TESTAMENTARY GIFTS AND BEQUESTS

If you have any questions about leaving a bequest, please contact Denise Molitsky at

(651)560-6119 or [email protected]. We would be happy to assist you.

Please let us know if you have included PAVM NASO and/or a local Patrons Chapter in your

estate plan. We would like to thank you and recognize you for your generosity.

If a bequest is not originating from North America, it can still be directed to the Vatican

Museums. Please contact our PAVM Vatican Office for further information:

[email protected]

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2021 WISHBOOK CREDITS

Governorate of the Vatican City State

His Eminence Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello

His Excellency Most Reverend Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, L.C.

Direction of the Vatican Museums

Barbara Jatta, Msgr. Paolo Nicolini, Guido Cornini, Roberto Romano

Curators

Christian Antiquities Department - Umberto Utro

Greek and Roman Antiquities Department - Giandomenico Spinola

Gregorian Etruscan Department - Maurizio Sannibale

Decorative Arts Department - Maria Serlupi Crescenzi

Medieval Byzantine - Adele Breda

XV-XVI Century Art Department - Guido Cornini

XVII-XVIII and Textiles Department - Alessandra Rodolfo

XIX-XX Century Art Department - Micol Forti

Oriental Antiquities Department - Alessia Amenta

Ethnological Department Anima Mundi - Fr. Nicola Mapelli

Department of the Historical Collection - Sandro Barbagallo

Architectural Heritage of the Vatican Museums - Vitale Zanchettin

Chief Restorers

Painting Restoration Laboratory - Francesca Persegati

Stone Materials Restoration Laboratory - Guy Devreux

Paper Restoration Laboratory - Chiara Fornaciari

Metal and Ceramic Restoration Laboratory - Flavia Callori

Tapestries and Textiles Laboratory - Chiara Pavan

Ethnological Materials Conservation Laboratory - Stefania Pandozy

Mosaic and Restoration Laboratory - Roberto Cassio

Scientific Research Laboratory - Ulderico Santamaria

Publication Curated by

Romina Cometti

Copy Editing

Fr. Kevin Lixey, L.C., Romina Cometti, Chiara Lorenzetti, Sophia Špralja, Martina Suozzo, Jill Alexy

Editorial Coordination & Graphic Design

Chiara Lorenzetti

Editorial Content Development & Translations from Italian

Sophia Špralja

Photo Credits

Photos © Governatorato SCV, Direzione Musei Vaticani e dei Beni Culturali

Images and Rights Office

Rosanna Di Pinto, Filippo Petrignani, Gabriele Mattioli

Secretary of Departments

Daniela Valci, Gianfranco Mastrangeli, Andrea Breno

Secretary of the Restoration Laboratories

Fabrizio Cosimo, Carmen Madeo, Mariachiara Cesa

Photographers

Alessandro Bracchetti, Giampaolo Capone, Luigi Giordano, Danilo Pivato, Alessandro Prinzivalle

Photo Library

Paola Di Giammaria

Printed by

Tipografia Vaticana

A special thank you to the following offices for their “behind the scenes” work that allows the Patrons of the Arts

to proceed with our mission— to promote, restore, and conserve the artistic patrimony of the Vatican Museums.

In particular, we would like to thank the Scientific and Administrative Offices, Secretary of the Director, Secretary of

the Direction, Conservator’s Office, Historical Archive, Web and Multimedia Office, Editorial Office, Press Office, Logistic

Coordination Office, Compatibility and Budget Office, Technological Support Office, Contracts Services Office,

Personnel Office, Relations and Services with the Public Office, and Museums Guard Coordination Office.

A special thank you for photo contributions by: ©The Colossi of Memnon and Amenhotep III Temple Conservation

Project (The Sekhmet Research Project); ©Vatican Media & ©Mediacor (Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum).

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We Look Forward To Seeing You...

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To Promote, Restore, Conserve The Artistic Patrimony of