VATICAN MUSEUMS - APOSTOLIC VATICAN LIBRARY (first part)

BIBLIOTECA APOSTOLICA VATICANA

Founded by Nicholas V Parentucelli (1447/55) in 1451 and made “official” by Sixtus IV Della Rovere (1471/84)

The building was erected in the years 1587/89 by Domenico Fontana (1543/1607) for Sixtus V Peretti (1585/90) dividing in two, the Belvedere courtyard by Bramante

About 800,000 printed volumes, 100,000 maps and engravings, 75,000 manuscripts, 70,000 archival volumes, more than 100,000 separate original documents, about 8,200 incunabula

 

Gallery of Urban VIII

Decoration begun by Giovanni Paolo Schor (1615/74) and resumed in 1756

Two “Planispheres” of 1529, one by Diego Ribera, and one by Giovanni da Verrazano, in which the New World was still largely “Terra Incognita”

“Celestial globe painted” 1567 by Giovanni Antonio Vanosio (1535/93) for Cardinal Marco Sittico Altemps

It was attributed to Giulio Romano for a misunderstood phrase written by Giorgio Vasari

 

Two Sistine Rooms

Walls

“Episodes of the pontificate of Sixtus V Peretti 1585/90”

Lunettes

“St. Peter's Basilica according to the design of Michelangelo” and “Transportation of the obelisk in St. Peter's Square” 1590 by Giovanni Guerra (1544/1618) and Cesare Nebbia (1536/1614)

Four tiny fragments of the moon collected by the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission and given to the pope by the U.S. President Richard Nixon

They are exhibited near a Vatican flag that was taken to the moon by the same astronauts

Small Gallery of the Library

“Hebrew Bible” 1295 by the Urbinate

 

Sistine Hall

1587/89 Domenico Fontana 80 x 16 m (262 x 53 feet)

It was the reading room of the library

Pendentives and lunettes “Views of Rome”

Between the windows “The book through the centuries” and “Glorification of the pontificate of Sixtus V”

The decoration was directed by Giovanni Guerra (1544/1618) and Cesare Nebbia (1536/1614) and executed by Paul Brill (1554/1626), Ventura Salimbeni (1568/1613), G.B. Ricci (about 1550/1624), Andrea Lilio (about 1555/1632), Orazio Lomi aka Orazio Gentileschi (1563/1639), G.B. Pozzo (1561/91), Avanzino Nucci (1552/1629) and others

“What Ventura Salimbeni had in mind was the unusual color effect, the originality in composition: he cared little for careful preparation and diligent execution. And since the enormous works done under Sixtus V and Clement VIII did not allow a careful examination of individual works, Salimbeni obtained the desired result: his work was chromatically distinguished from the other painters' and attracted the attention” (Hermann Voss)

The wooden cabinets of 1645 once contained manuscripts

 

Two Pauline Rooms

Prepared for Paul V Borghese (1605/21) for storing Greek codes

“Episodes from the Life of Paul V” 1620 by G.B. Ricci (about 1550/1624)

In Room II

“Machine to prepare papal bulls” invented by Donato Bramante (1444/1514)

VATICAN MUSEUMS - MUSEUMS OF THE APOSTOLIC VATICAN LIBRARY (first part)

MUSEI DELLA BIBLIOTECA VATICANA

Room of the messages to Pius IX

1877, the messages for presents received by Pius IX (1846/78) used to be kept here

Byzantine liturgical vestments and fabrics

“Frontal of altar and elements in silk and golden silver threads” from the mass vestments of Clement VIII Aldobrandini (1592/1605) woven as tapestries by Guasparri di Bartolomeo Papini of the Florentine Grand Ducal Manufactures from cartoons of the years 1593/97 by Alessandro Allori aka Bronzino (1533/1607) a pupil of Agnolo di Cosimo aka Bronzino

“Original artifacts from Pompeii“

Important “Original Greek marble bas-relief of a knight” of the fourth century BC

 

 

Chapel of St. Pius V

For St. Pius V Ghislieri(1566/72)

Frescoes “Stories of St. Peter Martyr” 1570 by Jacopo Zucchi (about 1542/96) designed by his master Giorgio Vasari (1511/74)

Objects of the treasury of the Sancta Sanctorum of the Lateran dating from the fourth to the eleventh century

 

 

Room of the Messages

It used to keep the messages for presents received by Leo XIII Pecci (1878/1903) and St. Pius X Sarto (1903/14)

Early Christian and Roman glass and enamels, ivories and metals from Medieval to Modern times:

“Glass” of the fourth century with scale-like marine animals from Cologne

“Disk” with the oldest depiction of Sts. Peter and Paul

“Enamels of Limoges” with stories of Christ from the old Basilica of St. Peter

“Diptych from Rambona” tenth century, from the Abbey of St. Mary Rambona in the province of Macerata in the Marche region

The name comes from the altar of the Bona Dea, which was replaced at the end of the ninth century with the Abbey

“Ivory pyx” from Milan, sixth century

 

 

Room of the Aldobrandini Wedding

Designed by Flaminio Ponzio (1560/1613) for Paul V Borghese (1605/21)

On the ceiling “Stories of Samson” 1607/08 by Guido Reni (1575/1642) who, during the same period, also the frescoed the ceiling of the HALL OF DAMES with the “Pentecost”

On the floor mosaic “Achilles drags Hector's body” third century AD

The room contains an impressive collection of paintings at least 1,800 years old:

Frescoes

Wedding scene with “The Marriage of Alexander and Roxane” also known as Nozze Aldobrandini (Aldobrandini Wedding) of the Augustan period found in 1605 by the Arch of Gallienus

It was preserved in the Villa Aldobrandini at Magnanapoli and since 1818 in the Vatican

It is one of the most beautiful and best preserved paintings that we have from antiquity

“Heroines of Tormarancia” third century AD found in 1816 in the ruins of a villa. There are various heroines of Greek tragedy represented

“Odyssey Landscapes” first century BC from the frieze of a room discovered in 1848 on the Esquiline Hill

“Cargo Ship with wheat” third century AD found in Ostia in 1865

“Processions of children” third century AD found in Ostia in 1868

“Race of chariots driven by putti and pulled by tigers and deer”

Mosaics

“Garlands of leaves and fruits” from Villa Adriana in Tivoli

“Landscape and animals” from the Aventine Hill