 |
Neapolitan Angel and placard
|
By Giovanni di Napoli
Over the weekend I partook in one of my favorite holiday traditions and visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual Angel Tree and Neapolitan Christmas crèche installation. As usual, the museum did a splendid job decorating the towering blue spruce with some of the most beautiful angel ornaments dating from eighteenth-century Naples. At the base of the tree sits the traditional Christmas crib, or presepio, depicting the Nativity. In typical Neapolitan fashion, artistic license was taken in telling the story. In addition to the Holy Family (Mistero) and magi the sprawling diorama shows Orientals, Saracens and characters from all walks of Neapolitan life. If one didn't know any better, with the abundance of figures from Naples, one would think that the Birth of Christ took place in Napoli and not in Bethlehem.
Unfortunately, no photos of the tree or presepio are allowed so you'll have to visit the museum yourself to see how spectacular it really is.
Afterward, I took the opportunity to view some of the other works from Southern Italy that the museum has to offer. Too many to see in a single visit, I focused most of my attention on the nearby Medieval Art Galleries and European Sculpture Court on the first floor.
 |
| Marble Baptismal Font |
Among the many treasures from the Middle Ages that caught my eye was a large Marble Baptismal Font from the Abbey Church of Santa Maria del Pátir in Calabria. An inscription along the lip reads in Greek: "In the time of the illustrious King Roger [Roger II, King of Sicily], the most holy Luke [first chief abbot of the monasteries in Messina, Sicily], having been appointed to rule the monks, had this vessel made in A.D. 1137." Greek crosses and swirling vine patterns show a fusion of local and Byzantine influences.
If one looks carefully they will discover plenty of objects that are somehow related to Southern Italy, even if the artists themselves were not. For example, gracing the walls of the sculpture hall is a magnificent marble relief of Nessus Abducting Deianira by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldses. Carved c. 1821, the work was commissioned by Paolo Marulli for his palazzo in Naples. The subject itself also harks back to Southern Italy's rich Hellenic past.
 |
| Nessus Abducting Deianira by Bertel Thorvaldses |
Of course, a visit to the Met would not be complete without viewing the European Painting galleries on the second floor. In a room dedicated to the Spanish School, next to José de Ribera's Mystic Wedding of St. Catherine and Luca Giordano's Flight Into Egypt, can be found the portrait of King Philip IV of Spain by Diego Velázquez. Besides its masterly rendering, the significance of this painting to those of us who are concerned with all-things Southern Italian is the subject. His Royal Majesty Philip IV was also the king of the vice realm of Naples and it was during his reign that the Neapolitan fisherman Tommaso Aniello (Masaniello) lead a revolt against the Spanish.
 |
| Philip IV (1605-1665), King of Spain by Diego Velázquez |
Christmas came a little early for me in the guise of Salvator Rosa's Bandits on a Rocky Coast. Back from loan, this outstanding painting is finally on view again. It was recently part of the "Bandits, Wilderness & Magic" exhibit at the Kimbell Art Museum in Forth Worth, Texas, and prior to that the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London, England. I haven't had the opportunity to see this work before, so this was a real treat for me, especially because I'm a huge fan of Rosa's extensive oeuvre. Best known for his evocative landscapes the painting is a fine example of the artist's expertise in this genre. For me, it was the perfect way to cap-off another enjoyable visit to the Met.
 |
| Bandits on a Rocky Coast by Salvator Rosa Photos by New York Scugnizzo |
* * *
Coming Soon: The Renaissance Portrait, From Donatello To Bellini
I'm looking forward to the museum's forthcoming exhibit of Renaissance portraiture, which will showcase approximately 160 works in a variety of media, including paintings by the influential Sicilian Master Antonello da Messina. Da Messina's Portrait of a Man (and Christ Crowned with Thorns) is already part of the Metropolitan's permanent collection, so hopefully the curators will acquire different paintings for the show. If so, it would be a rare opportunity to see the Sicilian's works. Back in 2005 the Met exhibited several of his masterpieces—on loan from Sicily—including his Virgin Annunciate, often referred to as "Sicily's Mona Lisa." Perhaps it's a bit audacious of me, but seeing how Antonello's painting is older than Leonardo's I find it odd that the Mona Lisa (La Gioconda) isn't referred to as the "Virgin Annunciate of Tuscany." Anyway, maybe we'll get lucky and see something new.
The Renaissance Portrait, From Donatello To Bellini will open on December 21, 2011 and will run through March 18, 2012.
