The presentation of the exhibition with the “Montalto Reliquary” at the center will be held on Tuesday 25 June at 5.30 pm in the Conference Room of the Vatican Museums in Rome.
The event will be enriched by the conference entitled: “The Montalto Reliquary: a masterpiece in gems, gold and enamels” by Dr. Benedetta Montevecchi. Following, the guided tour of the exhibition, set up in Room XVII of the Vatican Pinacoteca.
The presentation will be attended by: the director of the Vatican Museums, Barbara Jatta, Monsignor Carlo Bresciani, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of San Benedetto del Tronto – Ripatransone – Montalto, the director of the Sistine Museums of Piceno, Paola Di Girolami, the vice mayor of the Municipality of Montalto of the Marche Samuele Leonardi and Dr. Benedetta Montevecchi, art historian of the “La Sapienza” University of Rome.
«Few goldsmith works can boast a history of the highest profile, like the Montalto Reliquary», are the words of the director of the Sistine Museums of Piceno, Paola Di Girolami.
HISTORY – The history of the Reliquary can be easily traced from its presence in the inventories of the Princes of the most important courts in Europe and is rich in anecdotes. The original nucleus appears in the list of the Treasury of Charles V of France (1379 – 1413), who presumably also commissioned the magnificent all-round enamels on gold (en ronde bosse).
In 1439 the Reliquary appears in the inventory of the inheritance of Frederick IV of Habsburg; in 1450 Leonello d’Este purchased it from a German merchant and in 1457 it appeared in the inventory of the assets of the Venetian cardinal Pietro Barbo, pope from 1464 to 1471 with the name of Paul II.
The current appearance of the Montalto Reliquary dates back to the modifications desired by Barbo, who inserted it into a monumental structure in gilded silver of extraordinary quality. In 1587 Pope Sixtus V identified the precious object from the Vatican Treasury and donated it to the town of Montalto, in the Marche, his “dear homeland”, where it is still preserved.
THE RETURN “HOME” – And again Paola Di Girolami: “From Rome, where Pope Sixtus V had the opportunity to identify it in the papal goldsmith workshops, the Reliquary is donated to Montalto. Now, it can be said that, in some way, the precious jewel “returns home”, to the Rome of Sixtus V, but bringing with it the nickname “of Montalto”. In fact, the artefact is today known in literature as ‘The Reliquary of Montalto’ and therefore brings with it the Piceno territory, its history and its faith which are testified by the 11 locations of the Sistine Museums of Piceno, a network born precisely from the presence of the Reliquary and the need to conserve, protect and enhance it.
THE WAITING – The Reliquary was brought to the Vatican Museums (starting from the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence where a conservative revision had been carried out) last Tuesday 18 June, in order to prepare the installation. A great emotion and great anticipation also on the part of all the staff at the moment of the “unpacking” of the cash register. Paola Di Girolami wanted to express all her gratitude to director Jatta and also wanted to anticipate the beauty of the display that the Vatican Museums wanted to reserve for the Reliquary.
The exhibition will be open from 25 June to 15 September 2024.
Entrance to the inauguration on June 25th is permitted only to those who book at [email protected]
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