Gallery of the Candelabra
Pio Clementino Museum
Vatican City
Rome Italy
2016

Gallery of the Candelabra
This gallery takes its name from the massive marble candelabra which, together with the coloured marble columns, divide the exhibition area into six sections. Arranged under Pope Pius VI Braschi between 1785 and 1788, the gallery was completely renovated during the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII Pecci (1878-1903) and this is the decoration you see today. This restructuring was carried out by Annibale Angelini, who appointed Domenico Torti and Ludwig Seitz for the paintings, and Giuseppe Rinaldi and Luigi Medici for the marble inlays. The works were arranged like furnishings, following symmetrical criteria compatible with the architecture of the gallery, to which one gains access through monumental bronze gates, still in place today.


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Important Features Of The Gallery
Luigi Medici, his son Paolo Medici, and Giuseppe Rinaldi designed the spectacular inlaid marble floor. They used marble found during excavations of the Tiber River in Testaccio.

In the middle of the gallery, you’ll see a small, cordoned-off area protecting the mosaic on the floor. It’s impossible to miss it with the brilliant and rich blue colors.

The coat of arms of Pope Leo XIII in the middle of the gallery is particularly impressive because it contains the precious stone lapis lazuli. At the time, the price was the same as gold because the only place you could get it was in the mines of a remote region of Afghanistan.



Pio Clementino Museum
The nucleus of the pontifical collections of classical sculpture dates back to the original collection of pope Julius II (1503-1513) which was housed in the Cortile delle Statue (today the Octagonal Court). During the second half of the 18th century the pontifical collections were enormously expanded both as a result of excavations being carried out in Rome and Lazio, and by donations from collectors and antiquaries. The influence of Enlightenment thinking resulted in the inauguration of a museum in the modern sense, open to the public and explicitly charged with the task of safeguarding antique works of art, and promoting the study and understanding of them. The Museum is called Pio Clementino after the two popes who oversaw its foundation, Clement XIV Ganganelli (1769-1774) and Pius VI Braschi (1775-1799). The museum fills several large exhibition halls which were obtained by adapting pre-existing rooms with new constructions both within and adjacent to the small Belvedere Palace of Innocent VIII (1484-92). Antique sculpture was brought here and ancient roman pieces have often had their missing parts completely restored. The neo-classical architecture was realised under the direction of Alessandro Dori, Michelangelo Simonetti, and Giuseppe Camporese and embellished by the work of a large number of painters and decorators.
With the Treaty of Tolentino (1797) the Papal States were forced to give up the principal masterpieces in the Museum to Napoleon and they were transported to Paris. Much later, following the defeat of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna (1815), and thanks to the diplomatic efforts of Antonio Canova, the greater part of the works were recovered.