Vatican City, Italy (Enclave of Rome): Vatican Museums: Gallery of Maps: Sicily
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Authors
Sheppard, Beth M.
Issue Date
20-May-19
Type
Image
Language
Keywords
Italy , Vatican City , Rome , Vatican Museums , Musei Vaticani , Art Museums , Sacred Art , Church Art , Greek Antiquities , Roman Antiquities , Paintings , Gallery of Maps , Galleria Delle Carte Geografiche , Maps , Painted Maps , Maps of Sicily , Ignazio Danti , Optical Illusions , Sicily in Art
Alternative Title
Abstract
A painting of the island of Sicily within the Gallery of Maps, which is part of the Vatican Museums. These are public museums that display about 20,000 of 70K works collected by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries. The museums were founded by Pope Julius II in the early 16th century. Only the Louvre in France receives more annual visitors than the Vatican Museums. The museums consist of 24 galleries, with the Sistine Chapel being the last room visited. The Gallery of Maps (Galleria delle Carte Geografiche) houses the largest cycle of geographical paintings (40) in the world. The pictures, commissioned by Gregory XIII and completed between 1580 and 1581, depict various Italian provinces and territories belonging to the Papal States. This image of Sicily was painted by Ignazio Danti and his workshop. It is supplemented with detailed views of individual cities (lower right): Syracuse, Messina, and Panormus (Palermo) that appear to be secured with tacks, but are actually painted on top of the sea (an optical illusion). The lower right part of the painting is cut off in this image. That part is an elaborate medallion with text that provides geographical information, such as the circumference of the island and its distance to Africa.
Description
Citation
Publisher
License
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0