The Gallery of Maps, commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII in the late sixteenth century for the Vatican Palace, once again shows off the topography of Italy in all its brilliant color. After a four-year conservation campaign, the forty maps, each measuring over fifteen feet square, will now vie for visitors’ attention as they head toward the Sistine Chapel. Liam Moloney reports in the Wall Street Journal.
Posted by Anne Leader
Details of Venice with St. Mark’s Square and islands in front. PHOTO: VATICAN MUSEUM
The Gallery of Maps at the Vatican PHOTO: VATICAN MUSEUMS
Map of Italy, Corsica, and Sardinia, 1580-83, fresco, Gallery of Maps, Vatican Palace. Photo: Jean-Pol Grandmont