Sunday, February 21, 2016

Gallery of Maps


Clearly, I was so mesmerized by the ceiling in the 120 meter long Gallery of Maps inside the Vatican Museums that I didn't really get any photos of the maps.  That's a shame really, because the maps were very interesting, all painted by Ignazio Danti a friar and geographer.  And, they are all of the Italian peninsula with Rome prominently displayed.  It always amazes me how clearly defined the geography in these ancient maps can be long before air travel or satellites.  Danti was commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII to decorate the gallery in 1580 and it took him 3 years to complete the work.


But, lets get back to that ceiling.  The ceiling was the work of a group of artists working in the "Mannerist" style.  That is a style of art that exaggerates proportion and balance.


As you can see in this photo, a lot of sculpted figures adorn the artwork here.


I could have spent a long time in this room just ogling this ceiling.  It's breathtaking.

4 comments:

Lowell said...

These are super photos! It's hard to imagine such a thing today because it's so beyond our experience. I'm afraid I'd have a neckache from staring at that ceiling for long periods of time!

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Oh I'm with Lowell Sharon, my neck is hurting just thinking about looking up for so long :) What a wonderfully magnificent sight it is!

William Kendall said...

A magnificent space. I would enjoy spending time in there. Beautifully photographed!

Catalyst said...

Interesting plethora of naked boys in the Vatican gallery. Hmmmm.