sff_corgi_lj (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sff_corgi_lj) wrote2003-09-14 12:24 am
sff_corgi_lj) wrote2003-09-14 12:24 am
Had a full day...
.
I was given a ticket to Saint Peter and the Vatican: the Legacy of the Popes for today. Actually, if you look at the exhibit schedule, you'll see I was actually lucky -- it's skipping around pretty broadly, and to have it within easy driving distance....
If you have a chance, you SHOULD see this. It doesn't matter if you're Catholic, 'generic' Christian, or even anti-christian of some stripe -- this is an important chunk of the history of Western civilisation. See it from the inside.
Also, the Vatican has maintained a collection of art and artifacts that is unparalleled, mostly because of the contiguity of the existence of the Pontifical office over millenia (amazing thought, isn't it?). The exhibit has artifacts dating back to the 4th century. THE FOURTH BLEEDING CENTURY!!! It's also interesting to see the consistency of the depictions of Peter in the earliest art -- apparently he had compelling eyes.
Some notes for the SCAdians (there's some manuscripts that the Scribes' Guild would faint and die in ecstasy over):
Papal tiara
1871
The tiara of Pope Pius IX gave me a thrill because I was able to look at it very closely... and the construction and style of the actual crown-pieces is extremely similar to that of a pair of the royal Trimarian crowns!
You can't see it very well in this image, but there's pins holding the panels together at hinges. Each panel has a stone surrounded by a cross of smaller stones, usually of a different colour.
For those who might like an explanation of the Papal tiara, which hasn't been used since Pope Paul VI (early '60s), each tier has a symbolic value -- depending on who you talk to, it's mundane authority, spiritual authority and royal authority; or Father, Son and Holy Spirit; or the three theological virtues (whatever those are); or even the church of the living (Church Militant), the dead (in Purgatory) and in heaven (Church Triumphant).
Dated end of the 14th century, Cretan school
My lords and ladies, I present to you further documentation for PINK! Yes, one of the saints is depicted wearing a pink garment. Since the rest of the painting includes garnet, yellow-gold, saffron-orange and vermilion, it's not pink-due-to-fading or somesuch other loophole. The strength of the colours is actually pretty surprising.
16th century
I nearly drooled over this one. Larger than ledger size, this was copied in a flawless... FLAWLESS and clear hand; I don't know the technical name for the lettering style, but it's a sort of roundhand. The large letters had very fat strokes, in proportion to their size, though. The psalter had occasional illuminated capitals, painted instead of penned, and gilded.
Various
There were some embroidered items which would make a Laurel weep to see them. The Poor Clares worked one chasuble with little scenes all over it with such incredible detail in faces and backgrounds that you wonder how they did it. Another piece from 1852-61, with uncredited artists, has stitches so tiny... it's indescribable. My mother, who was the other guest of our friends, thought it was actually painted.
One last piece on which I took notes was a letter from the Armenian Bishop Elia to Pope Alexander VII, dated 1687. The body of the letter is in the bishop's native language and alphabet, but at the top of the letter is a title or header of some sort... and each of the illuminated characters is a bird. Or birds. Charming!
We (the five of us attending the exhibit) were perplexed by one item, described on the placard as 'liturgical drinking straw'. I had to go digging through the exhibit catalog and the Internet for a definition to share:
The pope consumes the smaller part of the Host, and communicates from the chalice through a little tube called the fistula. He then divides the other part of the Host, gives communion to the deacon and subdeacon, and gives them the kiss of peace, after which he receives the wine of the purification from another chalice and purifies his fingers in a little cup. The deacon and subdeacon, having returned to the altar, partake of the chalice through the fistula, the subdeacon consumes the particle of the Host in the chalice, and both the deacon and the subdeacon consume the wine and the water used in the purification of the chalice.
(http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12232a.htm)
From the catalog's description, it was originally used to test the quality of the Communion wine -- liiiike, lack of poison, for one. Wanna bet it started being used during the period of the Borgias?
As I mentioned, I did buy the exhibit catalog if anyone local would like to see it. It has excellent photos of the items I've mentioned, although I wish there were closeups on the embroidery.
I was given a ticket to Saint Peter and the Vatican: the Legacy of the Popes for today. Actually, if you look at the exhibit schedule, you'll see I was actually lucky -- it's skipping around pretty broadly, and to have it within easy driving distance....
If you have a chance, you SHOULD see this. It doesn't matter if you're Catholic, 'generic' Christian, or even anti-christian of some stripe -- this is an important chunk of the history of Western civilisation. See it from the inside.
Also, the Vatican has maintained a collection of art and artifacts that is unparalleled, mostly because of the contiguity of the existence of the Pontifical office over millenia (amazing thought, isn't it?). The exhibit has artifacts dating back to the 4th century. THE FOURTH BLEEDING CENTURY!!! It's also interesting to see the consistency of the depictions of Peter in the earliest art -- apparently he had compelling eyes.
Some notes for the SCAdians (there's some manuscripts that the Scribes' Guild would faint and die in ecstasy over):
Papal tiara
1871
The tiara of Pope Pius IX gave me a thrill because I was able to look at it very closely... and the construction and style of the actual crown-pieces is extremely similar to that of a pair of the royal Trimarian crowns!
You can't see it very well in this image, but there's pins holding the panels together at hinges. Each panel has a stone surrounded by a cross of smaller stones, usually of a different colour.
For those who might like an explanation of the Papal tiara, which hasn't been used since Pope Paul VI (early '60s), each tier has a symbolic value -- depending on who you talk to, it's mundane authority, spiritual authority and royal authority; or Father, Son and Holy Spirit; or the three theological virtues (whatever those are); or even the church of the living (Church Militant), the dead (in Purgatory) and in heaven (Church Triumphant).
Dated end of the 14th century, Cretan school
My lords and ladies, I present to you further documentation for PINK! Yes, one of the saints is depicted wearing a pink garment. Since the rest of the painting includes garnet, yellow-gold, saffron-orange and vermilion, it's not pink-due-to-fading or somesuch other loophole. The strength of the colours is actually pretty surprising.
16th century
I nearly drooled over this one. Larger than ledger size, this was copied in a flawless... FLAWLESS and clear hand; I don't know the technical name for the lettering style, but it's a sort of roundhand. The large letters had very fat strokes, in proportion to their size, though. The psalter had occasional illuminated capitals, painted instead of penned, and gilded.
Various
There were some embroidered items which would make a Laurel weep to see them. The Poor Clares worked one chasuble with little scenes all over it with such incredible detail in faces and backgrounds that you wonder how they did it. Another piece from 1852-61, with uncredited artists, has stitches so tiny... it's indescribable. My mother, who was the other guest of our friends, thought it was actually painted.
One last piece on which I took notes was a letter from the Armenian Bishop Elia to Pope Alexander VII, dated 1687. The body of the letter is in the bishop's native language and alphabet, but at the top of the letter is a title or header of some sort... and each of the illuminated characters is a bird. Or birds. Charming!
We (the five of us attending the exhibit) were perplexed by one item, described on the placard as 'liturgical drinking straw'. I had to go digging through the exhibit catalog and the Internet for a definition to share:
The pope consumes the smaller part of the Host, and communicates from the chalice through a little tube called the fistula. He then divides the other part of the Host, gives communion to the deacon and subdeacon, and gives them the kiss of peace, after which he receives the wine of the purification from another chalice and purifies his fingers in a little cup. The deacon and subdeacon, having returned to the altar, partake of the chalice through the fistula, the subdeacon consumes the particle of the Host in the chalice, and both the deacon and the subdeacon consume the wine and the water used in the purification of the chalice.
(http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12232a.htm)
From the catalog's description, it was originally used to test the quality of the Communion wine -- liiiike, lack of poison, for one. Wanna bet it started being used during the period of the Borgias?
As I mentioned, I did buy the exhibit catalog if anyone local would like to see it. It has excellent photos of the items I've mentioned, although I wish there were closeups on the embroidery.