The Barberini tapestries
Subtitle: woven monuments of baroque Rome
By: James Gordon Harper ; with a chapter on conservation by Marlene Eidelheit ; photography by John Bigelow Taylor and Dianne Dubler
Contributors: Eidelheit, Marlene, author; Taylor, John Bigelow, photographer; Dubler, Dianne, photographer; Cathedral of St. John the Divine (New York, N.Y.); Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
Publisher: Officina Libraria srl
Published: 2017
Language: eng
Number of pages: 187
ISBN-13: 9788899765316
Subjects: Baroque Tapestry; Conservation and restoration; Exhibitions; Tapestry
Description: This book is the first sustained scholastic treatment of the Life of Christ tapestries, which were commissioned by Pope Urban VIII's nephew, Cardinal Francesco Barberini. Covering over 2800 square feet, the series is one of the grandest monuments of seventeenth century Rome. A close reading of each panel sets the tapestries into a number of overlapping contexts; they indicate the stylistic advances of the high Baroque period, as well the political and social agendas of their patrons. The introductory chapter lays out the context of Urban VIII's Rome. Subsequent chapters reconstruct the history of Cardinal Barberini's private tapestry commissions, and the activity of Giovanni Francesco Romanelli, the supervising designer of the Life of Christ. The contemporary usage and display of the tapestries is discussed, as is the transfer of the series to the United States and its subsequent display in New York's Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The final chapter is dedicated to technical aspects of the panels, recounting their recent conservation. Exhibition: Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, USA (3-21-2017-.6-21-2017) / Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Oregon, USA (9-23-2017 - 01-21-2018).
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction : the Barberini and 17th century Rome; title: Weaving a reputation : the Barberini tapestry manufactory; title: Giovanni Francesco Romanelli and the design of tapestry; title: A close look at the Barberini Life of Christ; title: The installation of tapestry in seventeenth century Rome; title: The afterlife of the Barberini Life of Christ and the taste for tapestry in America; title: The conservation of the Barberini Life of Christ from 1891 to 2016.