The intriguing origins of the Vatican Museums

It is in the human DNA to collect fine things that appeal and stimulate the creative mind. In modern-day museums, we cherish the same Greek statues that the ancient Romans once did in their time. In fact, many of the masterpieces we get to admire today, are conserved thanks to the collector. In this virtual lecture, we will explore one of the best examples of an exquisite collection turned museum, the Vatican Museums.

At first glance, antiquity collecting and modern-day museums, seem like two sides on the same coin. They display and therefore elevate an artwork’s value. But whereas modern-day museums are developed for educational purposes, how and why did the collecting of antiquities come to be in Renaissance Italy? And who were the main collectors?

Antiquity collecting exploded in Renaissance Italy laying the bedrock for modern-day museums. It is in this background that Pope Julius II began to collect and display a group of impressive ancient statues into the then Vatican palaces. He then did some extraordinary. Pope Julius II bequeathed the collection to the Catholic Church, inaugurating the glorious history of the Vatican Museums.

Join us in this virtual lecture to learn how the mechanics of the art trade could create such cut-throat competition for collectors to find the world’s finest pieces that it created not only the Vatican Museums but influenced the Renaissance art and the artist of that age, such as Michelangelo and Raphael, to produce masterpieces on par with the past.

Pairing Suggestion

For a more in-depth look at this formative period for the Vatican’s art collection, follow this class with Raphael Rooms Virtual Tour: Splendors of the Renaissance Court and The Origins of the Sistine Chapel.