JEWELRY ONCE BELONGING TO POPE PAUL VI TO BE AUCTIONED

IN THE MOST UNLIKELY LOCATION OF A NORTH CAROLINA JEWELRY STORE NEAR THE BEACH, A LAVISHLY JEWELED CROSS AND A RING ONCE OWNED BY POPE PAUL VI SIT UNDER LOCK AND KEY, AWAITING TRANSFER TO AN EVEN LESS FAMILIAR VENUE FOR SYMBOLS OF ROMAN CATHOLIC AUTHORITY: AN eBAY AUCTION. THE ITEMS HAVE TURNED UP AT A WILMINGTON STORE OWNED BY A SOUTHERN BAPTIST WITH A FLAIR FOR SELF-PROMOTION. IT'S THE LATEST STOP IN A STRANGE JOURNEY INVOLVING LUMINARIES RANGING FROM UN SECRETARY GENERAL U THANT TO EVEL KNIEVEL, AND WHICH BEGAN WITH PAUL VI's NOVEL DECISION TO ALLOW SOME OF HIS JEWELRY TO BE SOLD TO RAISE MONEY FOR CHARITY. ONE OF THE ITEMS IS A PECTORAL CROSS, GIVEN TO CLERGY WHO ATTAIN THE RANK OF BISHOP OR HIGHER TO SIGNIFY THEIR OFFICE. THE POPE'S DONATION WAS A TESTAMENT TO HIS WILLINGNESS TO ENGAGE THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD BY DE-EMPHASIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF SUCH REGALIA. 'THIS IS NEW FOR ME', SAID JEWELRY STORE OWNER ALAN PERRY, WHO THINKS THE ITEMS MIGHT FETCH $800,000 TO $900,000 AT AUCTION. 'THAT'S WHY WE'RE GOING TO PUT IT UP ON eBAY. IT'S ONLY WORTH WHAT SOMEONE'S WILLING TO PAY FOR IT, AND eBAY MIGHT BA A GOOD MEASURE TO SEE IF PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED.' PERRY WAS ENLISTED BY A WIDOW IN WILMINGTON WHOSE HUSBAND HAD BOUGHT THE RING AND CROSS IN THE 1970s. A NEW YORK FIRM HAD TRIED TO SELL THE ITEMS FOR $1.25 MILLION, BUT HADN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIND A BUYER. AFTER SERVING THE BOARD OF A LOCAL CHARITY WITH PERRY, THE WOMAN ASKED IF HE WOULD TRY HIS LUCK. IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT HIS STORE, PERRY's EMPORIUM, HAS MADE HEADLINES. PERRY APPEARED ON ABC's GOOD MORNING AMERICA AFTER HE VOWED LAST YEAR TO REFUND THE COST OF JEWELRY BOUGHT OVER A TWO-WEEK PERIOD IF A CITY IN THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS HAD THREE INCHES OF SNOW ON CHRISTMAS. IT DID, AND HE PAID OUT ROUGHLY $400,000 THAT WAS COVERED BY INSURANCE. HE PLANS TO PUT THE CROSS AND RING ON PUBLIC DISPLAY STARTING 14.APRIL THROUGH HOLY WEEK WITH AN ARMED GUARD. THE VATICAN CONFIRMED THAT THE ITEMS ARE THE 'PERSONAL' RING AND PECTORAL CROSS OF PAUL VI. EACH POPE'S OFFICIAL RING IS SMASHED WITH A HAMMER WHEN HE DIES. PAUL VI IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED, PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE ENDURING POPULARITY OF THE PONTIFFS WHOSE REIGNS BRACKETED HIS. HE SUCCEEDED THE CHARISMATIC JOHN XXIII, WHO CALLED THE HISTORIC SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL. AFTER PAUL's DEATH IN 1978, THE NEXT POPE DIED ROUGHLY A MONTH LATER, TO BE FOLLOWED BY JOHN PAUL II, REVERED BY CATHOLICS AND NON-CATHOLICS AROUND THE WORLD. THE FIRST PONTIFF TO REALLY TRAVEL THE GLOBE, PAUL VI DONATED THE RING AND CROSS DURING A 1965 VISIT TO THE UN. HE INTENDED THE ITEMS TO BE AUCTIONED AND THE PROCEEDS USED TO RELIEVE HUMAN SUFFERING. THEY WERE BOUGHT IN 1967 FOR $64,000 BY CHICAGO JEWELER HARRY LEVINSON, WITH THE MONEY BEING SPLIT AMONG FOUR UN AGENCIES. THE ITEMS CHANGED HANDS SEVERAL TIMES AFTER THAT, INCLUDING A PERIOD WHEN THEY WERE OWNED BY EVEL KNIEVEL, ACCORDING TO A 2004 BIOGRAPHY OF THE DAREDEVIL, WHICH REFEREED TO THE ITEMS AS KNIEVEL's 'MOST EXTRAVAGANT JEWELRY PURCHASE' IN AN INVENTORY THAT ALSO INCLUDED A 13 CARAT DIAMOND RING SHAPED LIKE A MOTORCYCLE. POPE PAUL VI ALSO DONATED HIS PAPAL TIARA, THE THREE-TIERED CROWN SYMBOLIZING THE POPE's AUTHORITY, AS A FUNDRAISING TOOL TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AMERICA. IT REMAINS ON DISPLAY AT THE BASILICA OF THE NATIONAL SHRINE, AND NONE OF HIS SUCCESSORS HAVE BEEN CROWNED WITH TIARAS.

CHAZEN MUSEUM OF ART PRESENTS EXHIBITION OF RUSSIAN ICONS

THE ICON IS A DISTINCTIVE FORM OF HOLY IMAGE IN EASTERN ORTHODOX CULTURES, INTENDED TO EVOKE SACRED PRESENCE BY APPEALING TO THE SENSES. HOLY IMAGE, SACRED PRESENCE: RUSSIAN ICONS, 1500-1900 PRESENTS ABOUT THIRTY WORKS FROM THE CHAZEN MUSEUM OF ART'S PERMANENT COLLECTION TO EXPLORE THE DISTINCTIVE DEVOTIONAL FUNCTIONS, RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES, ICONOGRAPHY AND CHANGING STYLES OF RUSSIAN ICONS FROM THE 16th TO THE EARLY 20th CENTURIES. EXAMPLES INCLUDE A MANDYLION (MIRACULOUS IMAGE OF THE FACE OF JESUS), PROSKYNETARIA AND ICONOSTASIS PANELS FROM ORTHODOX CHURCHES, AND SMALL DEVOTIONAL ICONS FOR PRIVATE USE. THE EXHIBITION IS ON VIEW 12.MARCH THROUGH 5.JUNE. FOLLOWING THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION OF 1917, MANY MONASTERIES AND CHURCHES WERE CLOSED AND TEH BEST ICONS WERE COLLECTED IN STATE MUSEUMS. THOSE DATING FROM THE 11th TO THE 17th CENTURY WERE PRIZED AS REPRESENTING TRADITIONAL RUSSIAN CULTURE. BY CONTRAST, SOVIET EXPERTS DENIGRATED THE STYLE AND ICONOGRAPHY OF LATER ICONS FROM THE 18th TO THE EARLY 20th CENTURIES AS 'CONTAMINATED' BY WESTERN EUROPEAN INFLUENCE. IT WAS THESE ICONS THAT THE SOVIETS EITHER RELEGATED TO MUSEUMS OF RELIGION OR, BEGINNING IN THE 1930s, SOLD TO FOREIGN TOURISTS AND DIPLOMATS IN GOVERNMENT-RUN SHOPS. AMERICAN COLLECTORS FIRST BECAME AWARE OF RUSSIAN ICONS IN THE 1920s AT OFFICIAL SOVIET EXHIBITIONS IN NEW YORK AND BOSTON, AND THROUGH SALES OF 'IMPERIAL RUSSIAN TREASURES' IN DEPARTMENT STORES IN THE EARLY 1930s. THE MUSEUM'S ICON COLLECTION ORIGINATED IN 1937 WITH THE GIFT OF 23 ICONS BY JOSEPH E DAVIES, A PROMINENT LAWYER, UW ALUMNUS, AND AMERICAN AMBASSADOR TO THE SOVIET UNION.

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS FORT LAUDERDALE PRESENTS 'VATICAN SPLENDORS'

A SMALL MARBLE RELIEF OF JESUS CHRIST FLANKED BY TWO ANGELS AND BEING HELD UP BY MARY WAS ONE OF THE LAST PIECES THAT ITALIAN RENAISSANCE MASTER MICHELANGELO EVER CREATED. THE STUNNING MARBLE WORK IS BEING DISPLAYED NEXT TO A CAST OF ONE OF HIS OTHER GREAT WORKS, THE PIETA, DEPICTING CHRIST IN HIS MOTHER'S ARMS AFTER HIS CRUCIFIXION. THEY ARE PART OF ABOUT 170 WORKS ON DISPLAY AS PART OF THE EXHIBIT 'VATICAN SPLENDORS: A JOURNEY THROUGH FAITH AND ART', WHICH OPENED SATURDAY AT THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA. IT IS THE EXHIBIT'S LAST STOP ON A THREE CITY TOUR IN THE UNITED STATES. AFTER IT ENDS 24.APRIL, THE PIECES GO BACK TO THE VATICAN AND WILL NOT BE ON DISPLAY. MANY OF THE PIECES WILL NEVER BE SHOWN IN THE US AGAIN. 'NO WORK IS MORE IMPORTANT OR LESS IMPORTANT. THEY ARE SORT OF LIKE THE TILES OF A MOSAICS, EACH ONE CONTRIBUTES TO THE LARGER IMAGE', MONSIGNOR ROBERTO ZAGNOLI, THE CURATOR OF THE SHOW, SAID THROUGH A TRANSLATOR. THE EXHIBIT BEGINS WITH THE TOMB OF ST PETER, A FITTING STARTING POINT, ZAGNOLI SAID. IT FINISHES WITH THE MOST RECENT POPES, PETER'S SUCCESSORS, HE SAID. PETER IS CONSIDERED THE FIRST POPE OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. TWO PAPAL SWISS GUARD UNIFORMS FLANK THE ENTRANCE AS VISITORS TRAVEL THROUGH THE CHRONOLOGICAL ERAS OF THE VATICAN'S HISTORY. FIRST, A VIDEO PRESENTATION DESCRIBES ST PETER'S ROLE IN THE CHURCH. THE FINAL SECTION INCLUDES A CAST OF POPE JOHN PAUL II's HANDS AND ENDS WITH A PORTRAIT OF CURRENT POPE BENEDICT XVI, MADE IN 2008. MUSEUM DIRECTOR IRVIN LIPPMAN SAID THE OBJECTS ASSOCIATED WITH JOHN PAUL II WILL TAKE ON A DEEPER MEANING 1.MAY WHEN HE IS BEATIFIED, A KEY STEP TO BEING DECLARED A SAINT. THE TOUR HAS ALSO BEEN TO ST LOUIS AND PITTSBURGH SINCE IT BEGAN IN MAY, THOUGH THE OBJECTS WILL SOON BE RETURNED TO THE VATICAN. BY LAW, THEY CANNOT BE OUTSIDE THE VATICAN'S WALLS MORE THAN A YEAR. AS THE SHOW BEGINS, A BRICK FROM ST PAUL'S TOMB IS ENCASED IN A WOODEN BOX WRAPPED WITH A GOLD-COLOURED ROPE. THERE ARE ALSO CLAY IL LAMPS FOUND DURING THE EXCAVATIONS THAT REVEALED PETER'S TOMB IN A CEMETERY BELOW ST PETER'S BASILICA. A GOLD AND SILVER RELIQUARY, A DECORATIVE CONTAINER USED TO HOLD RELIGIOUS RELICS, THAT HAS NEVER BEEN OUTSIDE THE VATICAN IS SAID TO ENCASE THE BONES OF ST PETER, ST PAUL AND OTHER SAINTS, THOUGH IT IS NOT CERTAIN WHO THE BONES BELONG TO. ANOTHER RELIEF, A REPLICA OF THE 15th CENTURY ORIGINAL, SHOWS ST PETER SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE WHILE HE IS BEING CRUCIFIED UPSIDE DOWN. OTHER DISPLAYS FOCUS ON TOOLS USED TO CREATE ART AND ARCHITECTURE. FOR INSTANCE, A CALIPER BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN MICHELANGELO'S IS ON DISPLAY. THERE ARE ALSO TWO GILDED WOOD ANGELS FROM THE WORKSHOP OF GIAN LORENZO BERNINI. THE ORNATE ARTIFACTS DON'T END THERE. IN THE MIDDLE OF ONE ROOM IS A GILDED CROSS USED IN MASS PROCESSIONS, DATING TO THE 15th CENTURY. VISITORS CAN EXAMINE POPE PIUS XI's PAPAL THRONE, A CREATION OF WOOD, VELVET AND GOLD-PLATED METAL. ZAGNOLI, THE VATICAN OFFICIAL, SAID THE CONNECTION BETWEEN RELIGION AND ART IS STRONG, A POINT HE MAKES BY CITING A PASSAGE BY RUSSIAN AUTHOR FYODOR DOSTOYEVSKY THAT HE SAID WAS OFTEN QUOTED BY POPE JOHN PAUL II. 'BEAUTY WILL SAVE THE WORLD', ZAGNOLI SAID. 'THE POPE WAS SAYING THAT SEEING SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL CAN CALM THE HEARTS OF MAN AND WITH THAT TRANQUILITY HE IS ABLE TO PUT HIMSELF IN DIALOGUE WITH OTHER PEOPLE.'

MEADOWS MUSEUM PRESENTS 'THE LOST MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE SISTINE CHAPEL'

RARE, LAVISHLY-ILLUSTRATED MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE SISTINE CHAPEL THAT WERE RESCUED FROM NAPOLEON'S ARMY, ONLY TO FALL UNDER THE RADAR SCREEN OF ART HISTORY FOR TWO CENTURIES, HAVE RECENTLY GONE ON DISPLAY IN DALLAS. THE EXHIBIT AT SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY'S MEADOWS MUSEUM, WHICH RUNS UNTIL 23.APRIL, IS THE ONLY CHANCE FOR THE US PUBLIC TO SEE THE STUNNING, HAND-MADE CODICES OR MANUSCRIPTS. 'THE LOST MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE SISTINE CHAPEL: AN EPIC JOURNEY FROM ROME TO TOLEDO' FEATURES 40 CODICES THAT RANGE IN DATE FROM THE 11th TO THE 18th CENTURY. THESE WERE IN THE SACRISTY OF THE SISTINE CHAPEL SO THESE WERE THE MOST PRIVATE BOOKS READ BY THE POPES AND CARDINALS AT VERY SPECIAL CEREMONIES. THERE ARE SOME CODICES HERE THAT MICHELANGELO WOULD HAVE HEARD OR READ FROM', SAID MEADOWS DIRECTOR MARK ROGLAN. ASIDE FROM THEIR ARTISTIC VALUE, THE WRITINGS IN THE CODICES ARE LITURGICAL TREASURE TROVES WHICH INCLUDE BLESSINGS, MISSALS AND PREPARATIONS FOR MASSES. THEIR JOURNEY TO DALLAS HAS BEEN IMPROBABLE. THEY WERE LOOTED AT THE END OF THE 18th CENTURY FROM THE VATICAN BY NAPOLEON'S RAMPAGING ARMIES AND MANY WERE SLICED AND DICED AND SOLD IN FRAGMENTS. BUT THE HEROIC EFFORTS OF THE ARCHBISHOP OF TOLEDO ENABLED MANY OF THEM TO BE RESCUED, THOUGH OVER THE YEARS THEY WERE LARGELY FORGOTTEN. THEIR REDISCOVERY OCCURRED IN 1997 WHEN ART HISTORIAN ELENA DE LAURENTIIS, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF GENOA, STUMBLED UPON A PHOTOGRAPH OF ONE OF THE CODICES IN AN ARCHIVE AND RECOGNIZED ITS SIGNIFICANCE. THE MANUSCRIPTS ARE EYE-CATCHING, WITH THEIR ELEGANT HAND-WRITTEN SCRIPT, STUNNING IMAGES AND BEAUTIFUL BINDINGS. ONE ARRESTING AND COLOURFUL ILLUSTRATION FROM THE LATE 15th CENTURY IN INK, PIGMENT AND GOLD ON VELLUM DEPICTS THE CRUCIFIXION, A COMMON MOTIF.

MEADOWS MUSEUM TO PRESENT 'THE LOST MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE SISTINE CHAPEL'

ON 23.JANUARY.2011, THE ONLY REMAINING SET OF CODICES FROM THE SACRISTY OF THE SISTINE CHAPEL WILL BE ON DISPLAY AT THE MEADOWS MUSEUM AS PART OF THE EXHIBITION 'THE LOST MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE SISTINE CHAPEL: AN EPIC JOURNEY FROM ROME TO TOLEDO. FEATURING 40 CODICES THAT RANGE IN DATE FROM THE 11th TO THE 18th CENTURY, THE COLLECTION REPRESENTS SOME OF THE FINEST ILLUMINATIONS EVER DISCOVERED, AND FOLLOWS THE TRAJECTORY OF AN EXCITING AND SIGNIFICANT TIME AT THE VATICAN AND SISTINE CHAPEL. THE CODICES WERE LOOTED FROM THE VATICAN BY NAPOLEON'S ARMIES AND THEN RESCUED BY THE DYNAMIC ARCHBISHOP OF TOLEDO, CARDINAL FRANCESCO ANTONIO JOSE DE LORENZANA Y BUITRON, WHO GAVE THEM ALL TO THE BIBLIOTECA CAPITULAR DE TOLEDO FOR SAFEKEEPING. FOR 200 YEARS THE CODICES ALL BUT DISAPPEARED FROM HISTORY, UNTIL THE LATE 1990s WHEN THE ITALIAN SCHOLAR DR ELENA DE LAURENTIIS SAW A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE CODICES WITH THE BARBERINI SEAL AND TRACED THEIR LOCATION TO THE CATHEDRAL IN TOLEDO. SINCE THEIR DISCOVERY SCHOLARS HAVE BEEN CATALOGING AND STUDYING THE MANUSCRIPTS, PIECING TOGETHER ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE COLLECTIONS OF LITURGICAL MANUSCRIPTS IN THE WORLD. THE OPENING OF THE LOST MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE SISTINE CHAPEL AT THE MEADOWS MUSEUM REPRESENTS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS WILL BE ON DISPLAY IN THE US. THE EXHIBITION WILL FEATURE A BROAD RANGE OF LITURGICAL WRITINGS USED BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, INCLUDING BENEDICTIONALS, BLESSINGS, BREVIARIES, EPISTOLARIES, EVANGELISTARIES, MISSALS AND PREPARATIONS FOR MASS. THOUGH THE MANUSCRIPTS WERE UNDISCOVERED FOR YEARS, THE ILLUSTRATIONS REMAIN IN PRISTINE CONDITION, AND DEMONSTRATE SOME OF THE BEST PRESERVED EXAMPLES OF THE COMPLEX DECORATIVE SCHEMES EXECUTED AND INFLUENCED BY MASTER ILLUMINATORS OF THE PAPAL SCRIPTORIUM, SUCH AS THE FRENCH ILLUMINATOR VINCENT RAYMOND AND THE ITALIAN ILLUMINATOR APOLLONIO DE' BONFRATELLI. NOTABLE AMONG THE REDISCOVERED MANUSCRIPTS IS THE 'MISSAL WITH CHRISTMAS MASS OF CARDINAL ANTONIOTTO PALLAVICINI', WHICH DATES TO BETWEEN 1503 AND 1509, AND IS REGARDED AS ONE OF THE RICHEST AND MOST EXQUISITE CODICES FROM THE SISTINE SACRISTY COLLECTION.

STRANGE PHENOMENON AT THE LIVERPOOL'S WALKER ART GALLERY

A 350 YEAR OLD PAINTING OF THE BABY JESUS IS AT THE CENTER OF A BIZARRE OPTICAL ILLUSION AT THE LIVERPOOL'S WALKER ART GALLERY. SURPRISED VISITORS SAY THEY HAVE SEEN THE REFLECTION OF A HAND POINTING DIRECTLY AT THE MESSIAH IN MATTIA PRETI'S 1660 WORK 'THE ADORATION OF THE SHEPARD'S'. THE PAINTING DEPICTS ONLOOKERS SURROUNDING THE HOLY CHILD. THE STRANGE PHENOMENON OCCURRED WHEN THE JOHN MOORES PAINTING PRIZE EXHIBITION OPENED LAST MONTH. ONE OF THE WORKS, 'THERE YOU ARE!' BY CORNELIA BALTES, FEATURES A LARGE HAND PAINTED ONTO THE WALLS OF THE WALKER. 'BY SOME COMPLETE FLUKE THIS PAINTED HAND SEEMS TO HAVE REFLECTED THROUGH GLASS DOORS AND ONTO THE PRETI PAINTING, EVEN THOUGH IT'S IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GALLERY', REYAHN KING, DIRECTOR OF ART GALLERIES, SAID. 'THIS IS AN UNCANNY THING TO HAVE HAPPENED. WE HAVE A PAINTING IN THE JOHN MOORES EXHIBITION WHICH IS NOW REFLECTING ONTO ANOTHER WALL IN A SEPARATE GALLERY. IT'S COMPLETELY ACCIDENTAL AND A BIZARRE COINCIDENCE THAT THE HAND SEEMS TO POINT AT THE BABY JESUS. WE'VE HAD LOTS OF VISITORS TO THE JOHN MOORES SHOW WHO HAVE COMMENTED ON THIS. EVERYONE IS QUITE MYSTIFIED.' IN ANOTHER COINCIDENCE, THE WINNING PAINTING IN THIS YEAR'S JOHN MOORES PAINTING PRIZE IS CALLED 'SPECTRUM JESUS' BY KEITH COVENTRY. DEPICTING THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST, 'SPECTRUM JESUS' IS A BLUE MONOCHROMATIC IMAGE, PART OF A SERIES RENDERED IN THE PALETTE AND STYLE OF THE GERMAN EXPRESSIONIST EMIL NOLDE. THE WINNING WORK WAS QUICKLY LABELED 'BLUE JESUS' BY SECTIONS OF THE MEDIA. 'SPECTRUM JESUS' HAS BEEN ACQUIRED FOR THE WALKER ART GALLERY'S PERMANENT COLLECTIONS. THE PAINTING WILL NOW JOIN THE GALLERY'S IMPRESSIVE COLLECTION OF BRITISH PAINTING.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II WELCOMES POPE BENEDICT XVI TO BRITAIN

FREEDOM OF RELIGION IS AT THE HEART OF BRITISH SOCIETY, THE QUEEN SAID AS SHE WELCOMED POPE BENEDICT XVI TO BRITAIN. MEETING THE POPE FOR THE FIRST TIME AT HOLYROODHOUSE PALACE, HER OFFICIAL RESIDENCE IN SCOTLAND, SHE PRAISED THE CONTRIBUTION OF CHRISTIANITY TO WORLD DEVELOPMENT. THE QUEEN ALSO PRAISED THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN HELPING THE POOR, EDUCATING THE YOUNG AND BRINGING ABOUT PEACE IN NORTHERN IRELAND. HER COMMENTS ECHOED THOSE MADE BY BARONESS WARSI, THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY CHAIRMAN, WHO SAID EARLIER THIS WEEK THAT 'FAITH IS VERY MUCH ALIVE AND KICKING' IN BRITAIN. THE PAPAL PLANE TOUCHED DOWN AT EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THURSDAY MORNING AND IN A BREAK WITH TRADITION THE PONTIFF WAS GREETED BY THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH. THE ENTOURAGE SWEPT ONTO THE COURTYARD OF HOLYROODHOUSE PALACE IN LIMOUSINES WHERE THE QUEEN AND THE POPE SHOOK HANDS AT THE FORMAL WELCOME. THE TWO HEADS OF STATE STOOD SHOULDER TO SHOULDER, WITH THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH BEHIND THEM, ON A SMALL DIAS IN FRONT OF A GUARD OF HONOR FORMED OF MEN FROM THE QUEEN'S HISTORIC BODYGUARD FROM SCOTLAND, THE ROYAL COMPANY OR ARCHERS, WHO CARRY LONGBOWS AND WEAR BONNETS DECORATED WITH A SINGLE EAGLE FEATHER. THE PAPAL ANTHEM AND THE NATIONAL ANTHEM WERE PLAYED BY THE BAND OF THE ROYAL REGIMENT OF SCOTLAND, BEFORE THE QUEEN INTRODUCED THE POPE TO THE LINE OF DIGNITARIES INCLUDING THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, DR ROWAN WILLIAMS; THE DEPUTY MINISTER, NICK CLEGG; AND ALEX SALMOND, THE FIRST MINISTER OF SCOTLAND. THE QUEEN, THE POPE AND THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH EXCHANGED GIFTS IN THE MORNING DRAWING ROOM. BENEDICT WAS PRESENTED WITH A FACSIMILE OF 85 DRAWINGS BY HANS HOLBEIN THE YOUNGER, AND THEN GAVE THE QUEEN A COPY OF THE BOOK OF THE LORSCH GOSPELS DATING FROM 778 TO 820. SHE THANKED HIM AND DESCRIBED THE BOOK AS 'LOVELY'. HUNDREDS OF GUESTS WERE INVITED TO THE RECEPTION INCLUDING LEADERS OF MAJOR RELIGIONS AND POLITICIANS. THE QUEEN APPEARED AT A LECTERN AT THE BACK OF THE PALACE, DRESSED IN A DUCK EGG-BLUE COAT AND MATCHING HAT ALONG WITH BLACK GLOVES, AND SPOKE FOR ALMOST FIVE MINUTES. SHE BEGAN BY RECALLING THE VISIT OF THE PREVIOUS POPE, JOHN PAUL II, TO BRITAIN IN 1982 AND CHANGES IN THE WORLD SINCE THEN. 'IN THIS COUNTRY WE DEEPLY APPRECIATE THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE HOLY SEE IN THE DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT IN THE SITUATION IN NORTHERN IRELAND.' ADDRESSING THE POPE DIRECTLY, THE QUEEN WENT ON: 'YOUR HOLINESS, YOUR PRESENCE HERE TODAY REMINDS US OF OUR COMMON CHRISTIAN HERITAGE AND OF THE CHRISTIAN CONTRIBUTION TO THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF WORLD PEACE, AND TO THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE LESS PROSPEROUS COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD.' THE QUEEN QUOTED THE POPE'S COMMENT THAT RELIGIONS SHOULD NEVER BECOME 'VEHICLES OF HATRED' AND CONCLUDED: 'TODAY, IN THIS COUNTRY, WE STAND UNITED IN THAT CONVICTION. WE HOLD THAT FREEDOM TO WORSHIP IS AT THE CORE OF OUR TOLERANT AND DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY. ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED KINGDOMS, I WISH YOU A MOST FRUITFUL AND MEMORABLE VISIT.'

VATICAN'S APOSTOLIC LIBRARY REOPENS AFTER RENOVATION

THE VATICAN'S APOSTOLIC LIBRARY IS REOPENING TO SCHOLARS FOLLOWING A THREE-YEARS, $11.5 MILLION RENOVATION TO INSTALL CLIMATE CONTROLLED ROOMS FOR ITS PRECIOUS MANUSCRIPTS AND STATE OF THE ART SECURITY MEASURES TO PREVENT THEFT AND LOSS. THE LIBRARY, STARTED BY POPE NICHOLAS V IN THE 1450s, HOUSES ONE IF THE WORLD'S BEST COLLECTIONS OF ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS. IT INCLUDES THE OLDEST KNOWN COMPLETE BIBLE, DATING FROM ABOUT 325 AND BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE 50 BIBLES COMMISSIONED BY EMPEROR CONSTANTINE, THE FIRST CHRISTIAN ROMAN LEADER. IT REOPENS ITS FRESCOED HALLS TO SCHOLARS 20.SEPTEMBER. LIBRARY OFFICIALS TOOK PAINS TO NOTE THAT THE RENOVATION WORK WAS COMPLETED ON TIME, A RARITY IN ITALY BUT ALSO AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE INCONVENIENCE THE THREE YEAR CLOSURE CAUSED MANY SCHOLARS WHO HAD TO SUSPEND THEIR RESEARCH WHILE ITS COLLECTIONS OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF VOLUMES WERE IN STORAGE. SOME 4,000 TO 5,000 SCHOLARS ARE GIVEN PERMISSION TO CONDUCT RESEARCH IN THE LIBRARY EVERY YEAR; ACCESS IS GENERALLY RESTRICTED TO ACADEMICS CONDUCTING POST-GRADUATE LEVEL RESEARCH. NONE OF THE ITEMS IN THE LIBRARY CAN BE CHECKED OUT, AND RULES FOR WORKING INSIDE ARE STRICT: NO PENS, FOOD OR EVEN MINERAL WATER ARE ALLOWED IN THE MANUSCRIPT READING ROOM. RESEARCHERS WILL NOW FIND IMPROVED COMMUNICATIONS AND ELEVATOR ACCESS TO THE VATICAN'S VAST COLLECTION, AS WELL AS A NEW TOWER INSIDE THE VATICAN'S BELVEDERE CONSULTATION ROOMS. INSIDE THE BUNKER ITSELF, FIRE PROOF AND DUST PROOF FLOORS AND WALLS INSTALLED TO FURTHER PROTECT AND MANUSCRIPTS. THE LIBRARY'S 70,000 BOOKS HAVE BEEN OUTFITTED WITH COMPUTER CHIPS TO PREVENT LOSS AND THEFT, CLOSED CIRCUIT CAMERAS HAVE BEEN INSTALLED AND NEW AUTOMATED ENTRY AND EXIT GATES KEEP TABS ON WHO IS COMING AND GOING. THE SECURITY MEASURES STEM IN PART FROM AN INCIDENT IN WHICH AN OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY ART HISTORY PROFESSOR, ANTHONY MELNIKAS, SMUGGLED PAGES TORN FROM A 14th CENTURY VATICAN MANUSCRIPT THAT ONCE BELONGED TO PETRARCH. HE WAS SENTENCED IN 1996 TO 14 MONTHS IN PRISON AFTER ADMITTING HE TOOK THE PAGES DURING A RESEARCH VISIT IN 1987. DURING THE PRESENTATION AND TOUR OF THE LIBRARY RECENTLY, OFFICIALS SHOWED OFF A REPLICA OF THE ILLUMINATED URBINO BIBLE, PRODUCED FOR THE DUKE OF URBINO IN 1476-78 BY DAVID AND DOMINICO GHIRLANDAIO AND OTHERS. THE BIBLE, ONE OF THE FINEST WORKS OF ART IN THE 15th CENTURY, IS SAID TO CONTAIN OVER A KILO OF GOLD IN ITS ILLUSTRATED PAGES.

SISTINE CHAPEL IN DANGER DUE TO POLLUTANTS

THE VATICAN MUSEUMS CHIEF WARNED THAT DUST AND POLLUTING AGENTS BROUGHT INTO THE SISTINE CHAPEL BY THOUSANDS OF TOURISTS EVERY DAY RISK ONE DAY ENDANGERING ITS PRICELESS ARTWORKS. ANTONIO PAOLUCCI TOLD THE NEWSPAPER LA REPUBBLICA IN COMMENTS PUBLISHED THURSDAY THAT IN ORDER TO PRESERVE MICHELANGELO'S LAST JUDGMENT AND OTHER TREASURES IN THE SISTINE CHAPEL, NEW TOOLS TO CONTROL TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY MUST BE STUDIED AND IMPLEMENTED. BETWEEN 15,000 AND 20,000 PEOPLE A DAY, OR OVER 4 MILLION A YEAR, VISIT THE CHAPEL WHERE POPES GET ELECTED, TO ADMIRE ITS FRESCOES, FLOOR MOSAICS AND PAINTINGS. 'IN THIS CHAPEL PEOPLE OFTEN INVOKE THE HOLY SPIRIT. BUT THE PEOPLE WHO FILL THIS ROOM EVERY DAY AREN'T PURE SPIRITS', PAOLUCCI TOLD THE NEWSPAPER. SUCH A CROWD... EMANATES SWEAT, BREATH, CARBON DIOXIDE, ALL SORTS OF DUST', HE SAID. 'THIS DEADLY COMBINATION IS MOVED AROUND BY WINDS AND ENDS UP ON THE WALLS, MEANING ON THE ARTWORK.' PAOLUCI SAID BETTER TOOLS WERE NECESSARY TO AVOID 'SERIOUS DAMAGE' TO THE CHAPEL. VISITORS WHO WANT TO SEE LEONARDO DA VINCI'S 'THE LAST SUPPER' IN MILAN MUST GO THROUGH A FILTRATION SYSTEM TO HELP REDUCE THE WORK'S EXPOSURE TO DUST AND POLLUTANTS. THIS HAS MADE SEEING DA VINCI'S MASTERPIECE MORE DIFFICULT: 25 VISITORS ARE ADMITTED EVERY 15 MINUTES. THE SISTINE CHAPEL, FEATURING WORKS BY MICHELANGELO, BOTTICELLI AND PERUGINO, UNDERWENT A MASSIVE RESTORATION THAT ENDED IN THE LATE 1990s. THE RESTORATION WAS CONTROVERSIAL BECAUSE SOME CRITICS SAID THE REFURBISHING MADE THE COLOURS BRIGHTER THAN ORIGINALLY INTENDED.

VIRGIN MARY STATUE CLAD IN LOUIS VUITTON

THE DEVIL MAY WELL WEAR PRADA, BUT AT THE RECENT BIENNIAL EXHIBITION OF SACRED ART IN ITALY, A STATUE OF THE VIRGIN MARY IS CLAD IN UNIQUE LOUIS VUITTON ROBES. THE VEIL WHICH TRADITIONALLY COVERS THE VIRGIN'S HEAD BEARS THE ICONIC FRENCH LUXURY BRAND'S TRADEMARK 'LV' LOGO IN GOLDEN LETTERS. FRANCESCO DE MOLFETTA SAID HE CREATED THE CONTROVERSIAL WORK TO 'DENOUNCE A SOCIETY BASED ON THE CULT OF APPEARANCE THROUGH THE USE OF A BRAND THAT REPRESENTS THE SEARCH FOR EPHEMERAL HAPPINESS.' 'THIS NEW WAY OF INTERPRETING SACRED ART IS ALONG THE LINES OF THE FAMOUS WORK PRESENTED IN 1999 IN VENICE BY MAURIZIO CATTELAN THAT SHOWED A WAX ICON DEPICTING POPE JOHN II BEING CRUSHED BY A METEOR', THE CURATOR OF THE BIENNIAL GIUSEPPE BACCI TOLD IL CENTRO. 'IT IS A WAY TO HIT THE VISITORS' UNCONSCIOUS', HE ADDED. THE BIENNIAL IS HELD AT ISOLA DEL GRAN SASSO IN THE CENTRAL REGION OF ABRUZZO.

PAINTING AT CENTER OF CARAVAGGIO MYSTERY UNVEILED

ART OFFICIALS ON TUESDAY UNVEILED THE PAINTING AT THE CENTER OF THE LATEST CARAVAGGIO MYSTERY, AFTER THE VATICAN NEWSPAPER FIRST SUGGESTED AND THEN DENIED THAT THE CANVAS WAS THE WORK OF THE ITALIAN MASTER. THE 'MARTYRDOM OF ST LAWRENCE' WILL NOW BE SUBJECTED TO X-RAYS AND OTHER ANALYSIS TO ASCERTAIN ITS ATTRIBUTION. BUT ART OFFICIALS AND SCHOLARS ATTENDING THE UNVEILING AGREED THE PAINTING DID NOT LOOK LIKE A CARAVAGGIO, BUT RATHER LIKE THE WORK OF ONE OR MORE OF HIS FOLLOWERS. 'IT'S A VERY INTERESTING PAINTING BUT I BELIEVE WE CAN RULE OUT, AT LEAST FOR NOW, THAT IT'S A CARAVAGGIO', SAID ART SUPERINTENDENT ROSSELLA VODRET. 'THE QUALITY OF THE PAINTING DOESN'T HOLD UP.' VODRET THEATRICALLY OPENED THE CURTAIN ON THE PAINTING IN A JESUIT CHURCH IN ROME, REVEALING A CANVAS DOMINATED BY A FIGURE OF ST LAWRENCE BEING GRILLED TO DEATH, HIS THREE EXECUTIONERS IN THE BACKGROUND. THE 183 BY 130.5 CENTIMETER PAINTING WAS RECENTLY CLEANED AND FEATURES THE DRAMATIC CHIAROSCURO TYPICAL OF CARAVAGGIO AND HIS SCHOOL. THE PAINTING WILL NOT BE ON PUBLIC DISPLAY. THE VATICAN NEWSPAPER, L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO, SET THE ART WORLD AFLUTTER LAST WEEK WITH A FRONT PAGE ARTICLE HEADLINED 'A NEW CARAVAGGIO'. THE ARTICLE MADE CLEAR THAT NO CERTAIN ATTRIBUTION HAD BEEN MADE AND THAT FURTHER TESTS WERE REQUIRED. BUT THE DEFINITIVE-SOUNDING HEADLINE AND THE FACT THAT THE CLAIM WAS MADE ON THE DAY MARKING THE 400th ANNIVERSARY OF THE MASTER'S DEATH HAD RAISED EXPECTATIONS. THE VATICAN HAS IN THE PAST ANNOUNCED SUCH ART-WORLD NEWS IN L'OSSERVATORE, SOMETIMES COINCIDING WITH AN ANNIVERSARY. BUT ON MONDAY, THE NEWSPAPER REVERSED ITSELF AND PUBLISHED AN ARTICLE BY THE VATICAN'S TOP ART HISTORIAN SHOOTING DOWN THE CLAIM. UNDER THE FRONT PAGE HEADLINE 'A NEW CARAVAGGIO? NOT REALLY?', VATICAN MUSEUMS CHIEF ANTONIO PAOLUCCI WROTE THAT THE WORK WAS NOT OF CARAVAGGIO'S QUALITY AND TERMED IT 'MODEST' AT BEST. THE TESTS ON THE 'MARTYRDOM OS ST LAWRENCE' WILL BEGIN IN SEPTEMBER, ACCOMPANIED BY RESEARCH OF ARCHIVES AND DOCUMENTS IN ORDER TO TRACE THE HISTORY OF THE PAINTING AND WHO COMMISSIONED IT. THE RESEARCH WILL TAKE SEVERAL MONTHS.

DAVID MACH CREATES LARGE SCALE 'COAT-HANGER" CRUCIFIXION

DAVID MACH, FAMED FOR HIS DYNAMIC LARGE SCALE COLLAGES, SCULPTURES AND BOLD INSTALLATIONS, TODAY LAUNCHES HIS MAJOR NEW PROJECT TO CELEBRATE THE 400th ANNIVERSARY OF THE KING JAMES BIBLE IN 2011 WITH THE INSTALLATION OF A MASSIVE COAT-HANGER CRUCIFIXION FIGURE, SUSPENDED FROM STEAL SUPPORTS, OUTSIDE ST GILES CHURCH IN EDINBURGH. THIS IS THE FIRST OF FOUR COAT-HANGER CRUCIFIXION FIGURES, INCLUDING A CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURAL VERSION OF CALVARY, WHICH WILL BE DISPLAYED IN THE EXHIBITION AT EDINBURGH'S CITY ART CENTER IN THE SUMMER OF 2011. CENTRAL TO THE PROJECT WILL BE A LARGE-SCALE LIMITED EDITION ARTIST'S VERSION OF THE KING JAMES BIBLE. AN ARRAY OF MACH'S LARGE SCALE COLLAGES WILL BE ON DISPLAY. CINEMATIC IN SCALE, THE COLLAGES WILL BRING A CONTEMPORARY DIMENSION TO BIBLICAL STORIES SUCH AS THE FLOOD, CROSSING THE RED SEA, JESUS' MIRACLES AND THE EPIC VISIONS OF ST JOHN. THE FIRST COLLAGE IN THE PROJECT, TOWER OF BABEL, IS CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY IN THE ROYAL ACADEMY'S SUMMER EXHIBITION, 14.JUNE THROUGH 22.AUGUST. FURTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO SEE ELEMENTS OF THE PROJECT DURING THE YEAR INCLUDE: IN THE AUTUMN A COLLAGE AT ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL AND A CRUCIFIXION SCULPTURE AT GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL; ALSO UNDER NEGOTIATION IS A MAJOR EXHIBITION OF THE CRUCIFIXION AT TORRE ABBEY, TOBAY AT EASTER.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVER FACES OF APOSTLES USING LASER TECHNOLOGY

ARCHAEOLOGISTS AND ART RESTORERS USING NEW LASER TECHNOLOGY HAVE DISCOVERED WHAT THEY BELIEVE ARE THE OLDEST PAINTINGS OF THE FACES OF JESUS CHRIST'S APOSTLES. THE IMAGES IN A BRANCH OF THE CATACOMBS IF ST TECLA NEAR ST PAUL'S BASILICA, JUST OUTSIDE THE WALLS OF ANCIENT ROME, WERE PAINTED AT THE END OF THE 4th CENTURY OR THE START OF THE 5th CENTURY. ARCHAEOLOGISTS BELIEVE THAT THE IMAGES MAY HAVE BEEN AMONG THOSE THAT MOST INFLUENCED LATER ARTISTS' DEPICTIONS OF THE FACES OF CHRIST'S MOST IMPORTANT EARLY FOLLOWERS. 'THESE ARE THE FIRST IMAGES THAT WE KNOW OF THE FACES OF THESE FOUR APOSTLES', SAID PROFESSOR FABRIZIO BISCONTI, THE HEAD OF ARCHAEOLOGY FOR ROME'S NUMEROUS CATACOMBS, WHICH ARE OWNED AND MAINTAINED BY THE VATICAN. THE FRESCOES WERE KNOWN BUT THEIR DETAILS CAME TO LIGHT DURING A RESTORATION PROJECT THAT STARTED TWO YEARS AGO AND WHOSE RESULTS WERE ANNOUNCED ON TUESDAY AT A NEW CONFERENCE. THE FULL-FACE ICONS INCLUDE VISAGES OF ST PETER, ST ANDREW AND ST JOHN, WHO WERE AMONG CHRIST'S ORIGINAL 12 APOSTLES, AND ST PAUL, WHO BECAME AN APOSTLE AFTER CHRIST'S DEATH. THE PAINTINGS HAVE THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS AS LATER IMAGES, SUCH AS ST PAUL'S RUGGED, WRINKLED AND ELONGATED FOREHEAD AND BALDING HEAD AND POINTY BEARD, INDICATING THEY MAY HAVE BEEN THE ONES WHICH SET THE STANDARD. THE FOUR CIRCLES, ABOUT 50cm IN DIAMETER, ARE ON THE CEILING OF THE UNDERGROUND BURIAL PLACE OF A NOBLEWOMAN WHO IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN CONVERTED TO CHRISTIANITY AT THE END OF THE SAME CENTURY WHEN THE EMPEROR CONSTANTINE MADE THE FAITH LEGAL. BISCONTI EXPLAINED THAT OLDER PAINTINGS OF THE APOSTLES SHOW THEM IN A GROUP, WITH SMALLER FACES WHOSE DETAILS ARE DIFFICULT TO DISTINGUISH. 'THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT DISCOVERY IN THE HISTORY OF THE EARLY CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES OF ROME', BISCONTI ADDED.

BONHAM'S TO SELL RARE JOAN OF ARC ALMS DISH

A UNIQUE BRASS ALMS DISH DECORATED WITH THE ARMS OF THE FRENCH NATIONAL HEROINE AND CATHOLIC SAINT, JOAN OF ARC (1412-1431), IS TO BE SOLD AT BONHAM'S, LONDON, AT ITS MONTHLY PERIOD DESIGN SALE ON 6.JULY. BELIEVED TO DATE FROM THE EARLY 15th CENTURY AND INSCRIBED 1429, THE DISH HAS ATTRACTED A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF £3,000 – 5,000. THE DISH COMMEMORATES JOAN OF ARC'S VICTORY AT ORLEANS IN THE HUNDRED YEARS' WAR IN 1429, WHICH RESULTED IN THE CORONATION OF CHARLES VII. IT IS INSCRIBED WITH 18th CENTURY FRENCH TEXT: 'IN 1429, AFTER THE RELIEF OF ORLEANS, KING CHARLES VII, WHO WAS STAYING AT CHINON, BESTOWED ON JOAN OF ARC THE COAT OF ARMS, WHICH THE MODEL SHOWS OPPOSITE, TO DECORATE HER STANDARD AND HERSELF.' JOAN OF ARC HAS REMAINED AN IMPORTANT FIGURE IN WESTERN CULTURE AND THE STORY OF HER LIFE HAS INSPIRED WORKS BY COMPOSERS AND WRITER INCLUDING VERDI, TCHAIKOVSKY, SHAKESPEARE AND GEORGE BERNARD SHAW. THE GREAT AMERICAN WRITER MARK TWAIN DESCRIBED JOAN AS 'PERHAPS THE ONLY ENTIRELY UNSELFISH PERSON WHOSE NAME HAS A PLACE IN PROFANE HISTORY'.

ISRAEL MUSEUM COMPLETES RESTORATION ON 15th CENTURY HEBREW MANUSCRIPT

EXPERTS AT ISRAEL'S NATIONAL MUSEUM HAVE COMPLETED THE RESTORATION OF A 15th CENTURY HEBREW MANUSCRIPT WITH EXQUISITE ILLUSTRATIONS MADE BY MASTER ITALIAN ARTISANS, OFFICIALS SAD THURSDAY. THE RENAISSANCE MASTERPIECE IS A COPY OF THE MISHNEH TORAH, AN IMPORTANT WORK OF JEWISH LAW WRITTEN THREE CENTURIES EARLIER BY THE MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHER AND RABBI MAIMONIDES. THE MANUSCRIPT, WRITTEN ON ANIMAL SKIN, DISCUSSES LAWS GOVERNING PROPERTY, RITUAL PURITY AND AGRICULTURE. IT INCLUDES HEBREW WORDS IN GOLD LEAF AND MINIATURE FIGURES IN COLOURFUL DRESS AGAINST BRILLIANT SKIES OF BLUE SHADE MADE FROM LAPIS LAZULI STONES. IT TOOK A YEAR FOR A TEAM AT THE ISRAEL MUSEUM IN JERUSALEM TO REPAIR THE MANUSCRIPT AND PREPARE IT FOR DISPLAY, CURATOR ANNA NIZZA SAID. THE MUSEUM HAS HALF OF THE ORIGINAL BOOK, WHICH WAS DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS IN THE 19th CENTURY. THE OTHER HALF IS OWNED BY THE VATICAN LIBRARY. THE MANUSCRIPT DISPLAYED TO REPORTERS AT A RECENT PRESS CONFERENCE WAS CREATED IN ITALY JUST AS THE ERA OF GREAT ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS WAS DRAWING TO A CLOSE AND THE ART OF BOOKMAKING IN EUROPE WAS BEING PERMANENTLY ALTERED BY THE ADVENT OF THE PRINTING PRESS. A US COUPLE BOUGHT THE WORK FROM A FAMILY IN FRANKFURT, GERMANY, FOR AN UNDISCLOSED AMOUNT IN 2007 AND HAS LENT IT TO THE MUSEUM. IT IS SLATED TO GO ON DISPLAY IN JULY.

HAMBURGER KUNSTHALLE CENTRES PRESENTS 'THE JESUS SCANDAL'

THE EXHIBITION 'THE JESUS SCANDAL' AT THE HAMBURGER KUNSTHALLE CENTRES ON AN OIL PAINTING OF PIVOTAL STANDING, 'THE TWELVE YEAR OLD JESUS IN THE TEMPLE'. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT WORKS BY MAX LIEBERMANN (1847–1935), IT IS BEING HIGHLIGHTED TO MARK THE 75th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARTIST'S DEATH. WHEN THE ARTIST SHOWED THE PAINTING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1879 AT THE MUNICH INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION IT SPARKED A SCANDAL. CONTEMPORARY CRITICS TOOK OFFENSE THAT THE JEWISH PAINTER SHOULD DARE TO ADDRESS THE CHRISTIAN THEME OF THE 'THE TWELVE YEAR OLD JESUS IN THE TEMPLE', ESPECIALLY AS HE DEPICTED THE 'SAVIOR' AS A 'JEWISH URCHIN' OFF THE STREETS. LIEBERMANN WAS ADMONISHED FOR HAVING STRAYED TOO FAR FROM THE TRADITIONAL PORTRAYAL OF THE YOUNG CHRIST AS A DIVINE YOUTH AND OF HIS INTELLECTUAL SUPERIORITY OVER THE JEWISH SCHOLARS. YET THE ANTI-SEMITICALLY TINGED ACCUSATIONS FAILED, ON THE ONE HAND, TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT LIEBERMANN LED HIS LIFE AS AN ASSIMILATED JEW. ON THE OTHER, THEY MISJUDGED HIS ARTISTIC INTENTION OF SEEKING TO RENDER THE SCENE IN THE MOST REALISTIC WAY POSSIBLE. THE OUTRAGE THIS PAINTING EXCITED UPSET LIEBERMANN SO MUCH THAT IN THE FOLLOWING YEARS HE OVER-PAINTED THE FIGURE OF CHRIST. 'THE TWELVE YEAR OLD JESUS IN THE TEMPLE' IS ONE OF THE FEW RELIGIOUS PAINTINGS BY LIEBERMANN, AS WELL AS ONE OF HIS EARLIEST. TODAY IT HAS LOST NONE OF ITS RELEVANCE AND FASCINATION, AND WITH A SUBJECT THAT STRIKES AT THE ROOTS OF BOTH RELIGIONS, JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY, REMAINS HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL. THIS WORK FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE HAMBURGER KUNSTHALLE STILL RAISES NUMEROUS QUESTIONS CONCERNING ITS ORIGINS AND HISTORY AND IN TERMS OF THE SCANDAL AND LIEBERMANN'S OWN POSITION IN THE CONTEXT OF THE RELIGIOUS DEBATES AND SOCIAL CHANGES IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.hamburger-kunsthalle.de

SHROUD OF TURIN TO BE DISPLAYED FOR SIX WEEKS

THE LONG LINEN WITH THE FADED IMAGE OF A BEARDED MAN IS THE OBJECT OF CENTURIES-OLD FASCINATION AND WONDERMENT, AND CLOSELY KEPT UNDER WRAP. STARTING 10.APRIL, AND BEING EXHIBITED FOR SIX WEEKS, BOTH THE CURIOUS AND THOSE CONVINCED THE TURIN SHROUD IS THE BURIAL CLOTH OF CHRIST CAN HAVE A BRIEF LOOK. BY LATE FRIDAY, 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE HAD RESERVED THEIR FIVE MINUTE CHANCE TO GAZE AT THE CLOTH, WHICH IS KEPT IN A BULLETPROOF, CLIMATE-CONTROLLED CASE. ORGANIZERS SAID EARLIER THIS YEAR THEY HOPED SOME 2 MILLION PILGRIMS AND TOURISTS WOULD SEE THE LINEN DURING THE SPECIAL VIEWING FROM 19.APRIL TO 23.MAY. THAT NUMBER DOESN'T INCLUDE POPE BENEDICT XVI, WHO WILL FLY TO TURIN ON 2.MAY FOR A DAY TRIP TO PRAY BEFORE THE SHROUD. TRADITIONALLY, THE PUBLIC GETS A PEEK AT THE 14 FOOT LONG, 3.5 FOOT WIDE CLOTH ONLY ONCE EVERY 25 YEARS. BUT RECENT DECADES HAVE SEEN MUCH LONGER INTERVALS. THE SHROUD WENT ON DISPLAY IN 1998 AFTER A 20 YEAR WAIT AND THEN AGAIN IN 2000 DURING THE MILLENNIUM CELEBRATIONS. SINCE THE LINEN'S PREVIOUS SHOWING A DECADE EARLIER, RESTORERS HAVE REMOVED PATCHES SEWN ON BY NUNS IN 1534, TWO YEARS AFTER A FIRE DAMAGED THE CASE THEN HOLDING THE SHROUD, A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SHROUD MUSEUM SAID IN A RECENT INTERVIEW. TAKING OFF THE PATCHES ALLOWED THE LINEN TO BE FULLY EXTENDED AND LET RESTORERS SMOOTH OUT CREASES IN WHAT FOR CENTURIES HAD BEEN A ROLLED-UP CLOTH, MAKING FOR WHAT RESTORERS HOPE WILL BE BETTER PRESERVATION.

ARTIST CARVES ST BARTHOLOMEW'S FROM A GRAIN OF SAND

A TALENTED MICRO-SCULPTOR HAS PROVEN YOU REALLY CAN SEE THE WORLD IN A GRAIN OF SAND, AFTER CARVING AN INTRICATELY DETAILED CHURCH FROM A SINGLE GRANULE THAT FITS INSIDE THE EYE OF A NEEDLE. WILLIAM WIGAN HAS MADE A NAME FOR HIMSELF BY SCULPTING TINY RECREATIONS OF EVERYTHING FROM BARACK OBAMA AND HIS FAMILY, TO NEIL ARMSTRONG ON THE MOON'S SURFACE. HE WAS CHALLENGED BY HIS GIRLFRIEND WHO LIVES AT THE FOOT OF CHOSEN HILL IN CHURCHDOWN, NEAR GLOUCESTER, TO SCULPT THE HILLTOP PARISH CHURCH ST BARTHOLOMEW'S. 'I LOOKED AT THE CHURCH AND THOUGHT IT WAS WONDERFUL', WILLARD SAID. 'IT TOOK ABOUT SIX WEEKS AND IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT BECAUSE I HAD TO GET MY PROPORTIONS RIGHT.' WILLARD USES TINY SHARDS OF GLASS STUCK TO A NEEDLE, AND A BRUSH MADE FROM ONE OF HIS EYELASHES TO CREATE HIS MINUTE MASTERPIECES. 'IF I MADE A MISTAKE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE TO FIX. I WANTED TO PUT IN AS MUCH DETAIL AS I POSSIBLY COULD. I PUT IN SOME STAINED GLASS WINDOWS. THE WHOLE SCULPTURE IS THE SIZE OF A FULL STOP IN A NEWSPAPER. IT'S QUITE PAINSTAKING, IN FACT IT WAS DRIVING ME INSANE. WHEN YOU'RE WORKING ON SOMETHING SO SMALL IT CAUSES A PROBLEM IF YOU APPLY TOO MUCH PRESSURE. AND I'VE MADE THINGS SO SMALL IN THE PAST THAT I'VE SOMETIMES INHALED THEM.' WILLARD SAYS WORK OF THIS SCALE IS HIS PASSION AND HOPES TO ARRANGE AN EXHIBITION IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE IN THE FUTURE.

CHRISTIE'S TO SELL ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS VALUED AT £16 MILLION

AN 'OUTSTANDING' AN UNIQUE COLLECTION OF ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS OWNED BY KINGS, BISHOPS AND THE ARISTOCRACY IS EXPECTED TO FETCH UP TO £16 MILLION WHEN IT GOES UP FOR AUCTION. THE PRIVATE COLLECTION, WHICH CHRISTIE'S DESCRIBES AS THE MOST VALUABLE OF ITS KIND EVER TO BE OFFERED AT AUCTION, INCLUDES THE PERSONAL PRAYER-BOOKS OF KING FRANCOIS I OF FRANCE AND ELIZABETH DE BOHUN, DAUGHTER OF KING HENRY V OF ENGLAND. THE ARCANA COLLECTION: EXCEPTIONAL ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS AND INCUNABULA, WHICH HAS A TOTAL ESTIMATE OF BETWEEN £11 MILLION AND £16 MILLION, WILL GO ON SALE IN JULY. BUT THE SALE IS JUST THE FIRST PART OF THE AUCTION AND MORE WORKS WHICH ARE CURRENTLY BEING VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO BE OFFERED TO BIDDERS OVER THE NEXT 18 MONTHS. THE MANUSCRIPTS ARE OWNED BY AN ANONYMOUS AMERICAN COLLECTOR, WHO SPENT THREE DECADES AMASSING THE HISTORIC ITEMS. THE ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS ARE INTRICATELY HANDWRITTEN BOOKS WITH ILLUSTRATIONS AND DECORATIONS PAINTED IN BRILLIANT COLOURS AND GOLD. MARGARET FORD, HEAD OF BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPTS AT THE LONDON AUCTION HOUSE, SAID, 'THIS IS A TRULY EXCEPTIONAL COLLECTION. . . THEY ARE MASTERPIECES OF MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE ART, MANY COMMISSIONED BY IMPORTANT PATRONS. BOOK OF HOURS ARE AMONG THE MOST PERSONAL ARTWORKS. USED FOR PRIVATE DEVOTION, THEY ARE ALSO INTENDED TO REFLECT THE WEALTH AND STATUS OF THE OWNER AND LEADING ARTISTS AND CRAFTSMEN WERE ENGAGED IN THEIR CREATION. THE ARCANA COLLECTION OFFERS THE BEST EXAMPLES OF THEIR TYPE, RANGING FROM BOOKS OF HOURS TO WORKS OF LITERATURE AND ON THE NATURAL WORLD.' THE COLLECTION OF 48 STUNNING LOTS WILL GO UNDER THE HAMMER ON 7.JULY AT CHRISTIE'S LONDON.
The collection of 48 lots will go under the hammer on July 7 in London.

MISSOURI HISTORY MUSEUM TO PRESENT 'VATICAN SPLENDORS: A JOURNEY THROUGH FAITH AND ART'

ONE OF THE LARGEST COLLECTIONS OF ART, DOCUMENTS AND HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT OBJECTS FROM THE VATICAN EVER TO TOUR NORTH AMERICA IS COMING TO THE MISSOURI HISTORY MUSEUM IN ST LOUIS FOR A LIMITED ENGAGEMENT BEGINNING 15.MAY. 'VATICAN SPLENDORS: A JOURNEY THROUGH FAITH AND ART' WILL PRESENT UNIQUE OBJECTS ILLUSTRATING THE VATICAN'S IMPACT ON HISTORY AND CULTURE THROUGH 2,000 YEARS. APPROXIMATELY 170 OBJECTS WILL BE PRESENTED IN GALLERIES AND RECREATED ENVIRONMENTS THAT ENHANCE THE VISITOR'S UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR HISTORICAL AND ARTISTIC SIGNIFICANCE. ITEMS IN THE COLLECTION INCLUDE A STUNNING ARRAY WHICH INCLUDES MOSAICS, FRESCOES, PAINTINGS BY RENAISSANCE MASTERS, WORKS BY WELL KNOWN SCULPTORS, PRECIOUS OBJECTS FROM THE PAPAL MASS, UNIFORMS OF THE PAPAL SWISS GUARDS AND HISTORICAL MAPS, DOCUMENTS AND RELICS. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EXHIBITION INCLUDE ARTWORK BY MICHELANGELO, SIGNED DOCUMENTS AND PERSONAL OBJECTS SUCH AS HIS DRAWING CALIPER, AND TOOLS USED IN WORKS ON THE SISTINE CHAPEL AND BASILICA OF SAINT PETER'S, AND VENERATED RELICS (BONE FRAGMENTS) OF SAINT PETER AND SAINT PAUL ALONG WITH OBJECTS DISCOVERED AT THEIR TOMBS. THE EXHIBITION WILL ONLY APPEAR IN THREE NORTH AMERICAN CITIES, AFTER WHICH THE ITEMS WILL RETURN TO THE VATICAN, FROM WHICH THEY CANNOT BE ABSENT FOR MORE THAN A YEAR.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.mohistory.org/home