FOUR PRICELESS TAPESTRIES DESIGNED BY THE RENAISSANCE MASTER RAPHAEL HAVE GONE ON DISPLAY WITH THEIR ORIGINAL DRAWINGS FOR THE FIRST TIME AT AN EXHIBITION IN LONDON TO COINCIDE WITH POPE BENEDICT'S VISIT TO BRITAIN. THE FRAGILE ARTWORKS, WOVEN FROM WOOL, SILK, GOLD AND SILVER, WERE CREATED FOR THE SISTINE CHAPEL AND ARE CONSIDERED TO BE AMONG THE GREATEST TREASURES OF THE HIGH RENAISSANCE. THE VATICAN HAS NEVER LENT FOUR OF ITS RAPHAEL TAPESTRIES AT THE SAME TIME BEFORE, BUT AGREED TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION AT LONDON'S VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM TO MARK THIS MONTH'S PAPAL VISIT. TEH RESTORED WORKS HAVE BEEN HUNG NEXT TO THE ARTIST'S FULL-SIZE PREPARATORY DESIGNS, KNOWN AS THE RAPHAEL CARTOON, DERIVED FROM THE ITALIAN WORD FOR A LARGE SHEET OF PAPER. PROFESSOR ARNOLD NESSELRATH, A DIRECTOR AT THE VATICAN MUSEUMS, SAID IT WAS SYMBOLIC TO REUNITE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH'S TAPESTRIES WITH THE CARTOONS, WHICH BELONG TO THE QUEEN, HEAD OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. COMMISSIONED BY POPE LEO X IN 1515, THE TAPESTRIES COST ABOUT THREE AND A HALF TIMES THE AMOUNT MICHELANGELO RECEIVED FOR THE PAINTING THE SISTINE CHAPEL'S CEILING. 'EACH TAPESTRY TOOK OVER A YEAR TO WEAVE', SAID MARK EVANS, A CURATOR AT THE V&A. 'TAPESTRY WAS THE MOST EXPENSIVE ART FORM THEN AVAILABLE BECAUSE OF ITS SIZE AND THE EXPENSE OF THE MATERIAL.' WEAVERS IN BRUSSELS USED RAPHAEL'S PAPER DESIGNS TO CREATE THE INTRICATE TAPESTRIES. THE FINISHED WORKS WERE SENT TO ROME AND ROYAL FAMILY BOUGHT THE CARTOONS IN 1623. RAPHAEL'S DESIGNS WERE HUGELY INFLUENTIAL AMONG ARTISTS FOR CENTURIES AND BY THE 18th CENTURY WERE ARGUABLY THE MOST FAMOUS WORKS OF ART IN THE WORLD, EVANS ADDED. THE GREAT ITALIAN ART HISTORIAN VASARI DESCRIBED RAPHAEL AS A 'MORTAL GOD' AND SAID HIS DESIGNS FOR THE TAPESTRIES WERE A 'MIRACLE RATHER THAN A PRODUCTION OF HUMAN ART.' WITH SUBTLE COLOURS AND INTRICATE DETAIL, THEY SHOW SCENES FROM THE BIBLE INVOLVING ST PETER, THE FIRST POPE, AND ST PAUL, ONE OF THE CENTRAL FIGURES OF THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
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