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.

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.

JEWELRY ONCE BELONGING TO POPE PAUL VI TO BE AUCTIONED

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.

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.

CHAZEN MUSEUM OF ART PRESENTS EXHIBITION OF RUSSIAN ICONS

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.'

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.'

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS FORT LAUDERDALE PRESENTS 'VATICAN SPLENDORS'

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 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 PRESENTS '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.

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