A fresco by Fra Angelico, ca. 1447, in the Niccoline Chapel
The Church of Rome has been the single greatest patron of art and architecture in European history. The popes were among the first patrons to open their collections to the public in the 16th century, and the Vatican remains the most important expression, in a single place, of that long cultural dominance and display.
In a richly illustrated seminar, art historian Nigel McGilchrist looks at the Vatican’s magnificent collection of paintings and antiquities, as well as St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, Papal Apartments, Secret Archives, and the Vatican gardens and catacombs—all of which comprise an ensemble with an importance unique in the world.
9:30–10:45 a.m. St. Peter’s and the Vatican’s Artistic Monuments
Follow the evolution of St. Peter’s from a tiny shrine to a monumental basilica encompassing the great dome of Michelangelo and his Pieta and the piazza and altar of Bernini. Trace why and how the Vatican grew and evolved as it has.
11 a.m–12:15 p.m. History’s Greatest Artifacts Under One Roof
Learn the stories behind some of the collection’s highlights: from the Apollo Belvedere to Leonardo’s unfinished St. Jerome, Roman imperial portraits to Fra Angelico’s Cappella Niccolina frescos, Etruscan bronzes, mosaics, ancient marbles, and manuscripts.
12:15–1:30 p.m. Lunch (participants enjoy Italian-style specialties).
1:30–2:45 p.m. The Sistine Chapel, Raphael Rooms, and Papal Apartments
These famous spaces, decorated by Botticelli, Perugino, Michelangelo, Raphael, and their followers, are among the most-visited and admired works of Western art. Designed to embody specific and complex ideas, the fraught history behind their sublime meaning is explored.
3–4:15 p.m. The Vatican Collection Today—and Beyond
Examine the problems and possibilities inherent in conserving such a vast and comprehensive collection. Consider paintings that may lie behind existing works, and other artistic riddles that await discovery.
McGilchrist worked for the Italian Ministry of Arts as a conservator of wall paintings, established the Anglo-Italian Institute in Rome, and worked for the Italian Ministry of Culture at the time when the conservation of the Sistine Chapel was in progress.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit
