Du 23 mars au 25 juin 2017
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
1047 Amsterdam Ave
New York, NY 10025
États-Unis
La cathédrale Saint-Jean le Théologien de New York, qui est le siège du diocèse de New York au sein de l’Église épiscopale des États-Unis, expose la collection de douze tapisseries baroques évoquant la vie du Christ, qui n’ont jamais été rassemblées depuis longtemps.
Les cartons sont de Giovanni Francesco Romanelli et les tapisseries ont été commandées pour Francesco Barberini, le neveu du Pape Urban VIII, et tissées dans ses propres ateliers à une époque où la majorité des tapisseries était faites dans d’autres ateliers, ailleurs en Europe.
Les tapisseries ont été accrochées au Vatican et au Palais Barberini, avant de venir en Amérique à la fin du XIXe siècle, achetées par la cathédrale.
Over fifteen and a half feet tall and ranging from twelve to nineteen feet in length, these heroically scaled panels, in vibrant colors, never forget the intimate and homey details that make the divine human and the past present.
Admired by early worshippers at the Cathedral, where they hung in the apse, and seen on rotation at various periods since then, the collection, freshly conserved, is an unparalleled glimpse into seventeenth-century Roman craftsmanship and imagination.
In 2001, a major fire destroyed the Cathedral’s north transept and seriously damaged several
of the Life of Christ tapestries. The Textile Conservation Laboratory, renowned worldwide for its work on antique and modern textiles, has spent the past 16 years cleaning and conserving the tapestries, culminating in this highly anticipated exhibition. Fragments from one of the most heavily damaged tapestries will be displayed in the exhibition, along with text and illustrations providing a fascinating glimpse into the advanced methods and painstaking care required to return the series to its original glory.
As the centerpiece of the exhibition, an installation of eight tapestries will envelop the Chapel of St. James, one of the Cathedral’s seven Chapels of the Tongues, dedicated to the patron saints of the first ethnic groups to immigrate to New York City upon the opening of Ellis Island in 1892 (the same year the Cathedral’s cornerstone was laid). The exhibition, with rare books, period objects, and computer kiosks offering detailed background information, will transport the visitor to the cultural, dynastic, political and religious worlds of the Barberini family.
http://www.stjohndivine.org/programs/art/current-exhibitions