A Look at the Morgan Library and Museum’s Ongoing 2024 Exhibits (Part 1)

A Kitchen Cook, Reading, 1759, black, white, and red chalk, with smudging,
on light brown paper, Jean-Baptiste Greuze (French, 1725-1805)

Thankfully, I have zero interest in the Olympics. Instead of wasting my time watching the Eldest Daughter of the Church degrade itself before the whole world with its blatantly blasphemous and perverse opening ceremony, I spent my day reveling in traditional European high art at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City.

[See Part 2] 

Highlights from ‘Liberty to the Imagination: Drawings from the Eveillard Gift’ (June 7 through October 6, 2024)

Studies for the "Arrest of Samson," ca. 1609-11, pen and brown ink and brown and gray wash, Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640)

Sleeping Female Figure, 1890s, graphite with smudging
and erasures, Auguste Rodin (French, 1840-1917)

Warwick Castle from the Kenilworth Road, ca. 1831-32, watercolor,
opaque watercolor, and black ink over black chalk with
scratching, John Constable (British, 1776-1837)

Portrait of Jenny Le Guillou, ca. 1835-40, brown wash over graphite, on paper brushed and darkened from adhesive, Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798-1863)

Study for "Judas Returning the Thirty Pieces of Silver,"
ca. 1628-29, pen and brown ink and gray wash over black chalk,
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669)

St. John the Baptist, ca. 1620, red chalk and white opaque
watercolor on pink prepared paper, Antonio d'Enrico,
called Tanzio da Varallo (Piedmont, ca. 1575-ca. 1635)

Study of Marcelle Lender Performing, 1893, red chalk
over graphite, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864-1901)

Highlights from ‘Recent Acquisitions from the Clement C. Moore Collection’ (April 23 through July, 2024)

Caernarfon Castle by Moonlight, ca. 1775, black ink and watercolor,
with white opaque watercolor, Paul Sandby (British, 1725/31-1809)

An Ambush Beside a Wood, ca. 1610, pen and brown ink with gray and brown wash, over traces of black chalk, Sebastiaen Vrancx (Flemish, 1573-1647)

A Wooded Road, a Shepherd with His Flock on a Rise at the Right, ca. 1640-50, pen and brown ink and watercolor, Lucas van Uden (Flemish, 1595-1672)

A View in Rome, ca. 1605, graphite and brush and brown wash, with
touches of red chalk, Jan Willemsz Lapp (Dutch, 1585/90-1663)

A Town Cryer with a Drum in a Village, Surrounded by a Crowd
Listening, ca. 1624-25, brush and black ink and gray wash,
over black chalk, Jan van Goyen (Dutch, 1596-1656)

Tivoli, an Evening Study, 22nd May 1781, graphite, pen
and ink, and wash, Francis Towne (British, 1739/40-1816)

Highlight from 'Capturing Atmosphere: European Nature Studies in Oil' (November 14, 2023 through August 11, 2024)

Ischia and the Bay of Naples by Moonlight, ca. 1800,
oil on paper, Pierre Henri de Valenciennes or circle

Highlight from ‘Walton Ford: Birds and Beasts of the Studio’ (April 12 through October 20, 2024)

Lion Entering a Cave, ca. 1860-, watercolor,
Gustave Doré (French, 1832-1883)

Highlights from ‘Crafting the Ballets Russes: The Robert Owen Lehman Collection’ (June 28 through September 22, 2024)

Ida Lvovna Rubinstein, ca. 1911, oil on canvas,
Howard Gardiner Cushing (1869-1916)

Comoedia illustré: numéro spécial, vol. 3, no. 17, June 1, 1911. Left page: Léon Bakst (1866-1924), illustration for Ida Rubinstein as St. Sebastian in The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian. Right page: The production's collaborators—composer Claude Debussy, poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, and artist Léon Bakst

Vaslav Nijinsky in "Afternoon of a Faun," modeled 1912,
cast 1959, bronze, marble base, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)

Self-Portrait, ca. 1907, oil on canvas, ca. 1907,
Natalia Goncharova (1881-1962)

Illustration from "Skazka ob Ivane-tsareviche,
Zhar-ptitse i o serom volke" Ivan Bilibin (1876-1942)

Program for Les Ballets de Madame Ida Rubinstein,
Académie Nationale de Musique et de Danse, May 1929

Comedia illustré souvenir program for the Ballets Russes'
June 1911 season at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris

Costume design, 1956, watercolor and pen on paper,
Alexandre Benois (1870-1960)

"Les Ballets Russes à Mogador" program, Paris, June 1922

Mme Ida Rubinstein, 1917, watercolor, gouache, and
graphite on paper, mounted on canvas, Léon Bakst (1866-1924)

"Adagio / Supplication of the Firebird"
from Firebird, Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

Michel Fokine, after 1909, lithograph, Valentin Serov (1865-1911)

Feast of San Pantaleone

San Pantaleone, ora pro nobis

July 27th is the Feast of San Pantaleone, Doctor, Miracle Worker and Martyr. One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, he is the principal patron of Ravello (SA), Vallo della Lucania (SA), Serrata (RC), Papanice (KR), and Montauro (CZ), among others. According to tradition, the Christian physician was beheaded during the Diocletian persecutions in Nicomedia (c. 305), and that a woman collected his spilled blood. The ampulla containing the saint's coagulated blood reached Ravello in the eleventh-century after a storm at sea miraculously transported the Basilian monks safeguarding the phial from the East to the Amalfi Coast. It is believed the relic chose the town for shelter. In Celebration, I’m posting an ancient prayer to San Pantaleone. The accompanying photo of the Martyrdom of San Pantaleone (1638) by Gerolamo Imperiali was taken during my 2010 pilgrimage to beautiful Ravello and its fabulous Duomo. Evviva San Pantaleone!

Prayer to San Pantaleone 

O San Pantaleone di Ravello, protector and advocate, pray to our God that frees us from sins, hunger, plague, wars and great chastisements in this world; save us out of pity! Our fate be blessed to have you as a protector. Let us have a good death our always defender. Amen.

Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola at St. Michael's Church in Staten Island, New York

Feast of Sant’Anna

Sant’Anna, ora pro nobis

July 26th is the Feast of Sant'Anna, Mother of Mary, patroness of housewives, pregnant women, mothers and grandmothers. Widely venerated across Southern Italy, she is the principal patron of Caserta (CA), Monte San Giacomo (SA), Ischia Ponte (NA), Bacoli (NA), Lettere (NA), Boscotrecase (NA), and Vernole (LE), among others. In celebration, I’m posting a Prayer to Saint Ann. The accompanying photo was taken at Saint Andrew Avellino Roman Catholic Church (35-60 158th Street) in Flushing, Queens, New York. Evviva Sant'Anna!

Prayer to Saint Ann

Good Saint Ann, you were especially favored by God to be the mother of the most holy Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Savior. By your power with your most pure daughter and with her divine Son, kindly obtain for us the grace and the favor we now seek. Please secure for us also forgiveness of our past sins, the strength to perform faithfully our daily duties and the help we need to persevere in the love of Jesus and Mary. Amen.

A Prayer in Memory of Blessed Fr. Jacques Hamel

Born Nov. 30, 1930 — Martyred July 26, 2016

Blessed be the Martyrs, who through their sacrifice, give glory to the Most High God! Blessed be the blood they shed, uniting them with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ! May the Martyrs be welcomed into the Heavenly Kingdom. Blessed be God, who gives courage to all men! May we, too, finish the race and not lose our souls. Blessed be the families of Martyrs, whose hearts have been pierced with sadness. May they be comforted by the Holy Spirit. Blessed be the witness of the Martyrs! May their courage confound the darkness and lead souls to Christ! Blessed be the courage of the Martyrs! May their example embolden and prepare the hearts of others who will soon face their mortality. Blessed be the Martyrs, now and forever! Blessed be God, now and forever! Amen.

La Giornata della Cristianità

Feast of San Giacomo il Maggiore

San Giacomo il Maggiore, ora pro nobis

July 25th is the Feast of San Giacomo Apostolo, also called James the Greater, son of Zebedee, to distinguish him from James the Lesser, son of Alphaeus. Widely venerated across Southern Italy, he is the principal patron of Monte San Giacomo (SA), Calvizzano (NA), Casalnuovo di Napoli (NA), Cicala (CZ), Fuscaldo (CS), Pietrapertosa (PZ), Roccamandolfi (IS) and Capizzi (ME), among others. Invoked against rheumatism and bad weather, he is also the patron saint of pilgrims, wayfarers, knights, soldiers, grocers, pharmacists, hatters and hosiers. 

In celebration, I’m posting a Prayer to Saint James the Apostle. The accompanying photo, courtesy of Anthony Scillia, was taken at the Santuario di San Giacomo Apostolo Maggiore in Capizzi, Sicily. Evviva San Giacomo il Maggiore!

Prayer to Saint James the Apostle

O glorious Apostle, St. James, who by reason of thy fervent and generous heart was chosen by Jesus to be a witness of His glory on Mount Tabor, and of His agony in Gethsemane; thou, whose very name is a symbol of warfare and victory: obtain for us strength and consolation in the unending warfare of this life, that, having constantly and generously followed Jesus, we may be victors in the strife and deserve to receive the victor's crown in heaven. Amen.

Feast of San Cristoforo Martire

San Cristoforo Martire, ora pro nobis

July 25th is the Feast of San Cristoforo Martire, patron saint of pilgrims and travelers. One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, San Cristoforo is invoked against storms and the plague. Widely venerated across Southern Italy, he is the principal patron of Ricigliano (SA), San Cristoforo (SA), Moscufo (PE), Valguarnera Caropepe (EN), and Giuggianello (LE), among others. 

In celebration, we're posting a prayer to St. Christopher. Pictured is a statue of the Saint carrying the Christ Child from my private makeshift shrine. Evviva San Cristoforo!

Prayer to St. Christopher

Dear Saint Christopher, protect me today in all my travels along the road's way. Give your warning sign if danger is near so that I may stop while the path is clear. Be at my window and direct me through when the vision blurs from out of the blue. Carry me safely to my destined place, like you carried Christ in your close embrace. Amen.

Infant Jesus of Prague Chaplet

O Infant Jesus, Whose truth enlightens the
darkness of our heart, have mercy on us

On the 25th of every month, devotees of the Divine Infancy should pray the Chaplet of the Infant Jesus of Prague, which includes three Our Fathers and twelve Hail Marys in celebration of the Holy Family and the first twelve years of Our Lord’s childhood. The Chaplet was composed by Venerable Sister Marguerite Parigot of the Blessed Sacrament (March 6, 1590—May 24, 1660), a Discalced Carmelite nun with a strong devotion to the Christ Child. Pleased with the devotion, Our Lord revealed Himself to Sister Marguerite and promised special graces to all who piously recite the Chaplet. In 1855 Pope Pius IX granted an Indulgence of 300 days, applicable to the Poor Souls in Purgatory, for its devout recitation.* 

In celebration, I’m posting the Infant Jesus of Prague Chaplet. The accompanying photo was taken at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Newark, New Jersey.

Infant Jesus of Prague Chaplet

Divine Infant Jesus, I adore Thy Cross and I accept all the crosses Thou wilt be pleased to send me. Adorable Trinity, I offer Thee for the glory of Thy Holy Name of God, all the adorations of the Sacred Heart of the Holy Infant Jesus.

(3x) “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us” and pray The Lord’s Prayer (Our Father)

(12x) “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us” and pray The Angelical Salutation (Hail Mary)

Holy Infant Jesus, bless and protect us. Amen.

* www.sistersofcarmel.com

Feast of Beato Saverio Bordas Piferer

Beato Saverio Bordas Piferer, ora pro nobis

July 24 is the Feast of Blessed Xavier (Javier) Piferer Bordas (1914-1936), Salesian Priest and Martyr. With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Father Xavier sought refuge at his parents property in Sarria, Barcelona. Discovered by anti-Catholic forces, he was shot for the crime of being a priest. He was Beatified on 11 March 2001 by Pope John Paul II. In celebration, we’re posting a prayer for Blessed Xavier Piferer Bordas. Evviva Beato Saverio Bordas Piferer!

Prayer

God of power and mercy, you gave Blessed Xavier Piferer Bordas, your martyr, victory over pain and suffering. Strengthen us who celebrate this day of his triumph and help us to be victorious over the evils that threaten us. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. 

Feast of Beata Mercedes del Sacro Cuore

Beata Mercedes del Sacro Cuore, ora pro nobis

July 24 is the feast of Blessed Maria Mercedes Prat (1880-1936), Teresian Sister, Virgin and Martyr. Arrested in Barcelona for being a nun by anti-Catholic forces during the Spanish Civil War, Blessed Maria Mercè was executed in cold blood while praying the Pater Noster, the Lord’s Prayer. She is the patron saint of persecuted Christians. 

In celebration, we’re posting a prayer to Blessed María Mercè of the Sacred Heart. Evviva Beata Mercedes del Sacro Cuore!

Prayer to Blessed María Mercè of the Sacred Heart

God of infinite goodness, You gave Blessed Maria Mercedes, virgin, the courage to bring to fullness in martyrdom her offering to You and to the Church. Grant us, through her intercession, the grace to be so firmly rooted in the love of Christ that nothing can ever separate us from this love. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen

Feast of the Blessed Carmelite Martyrs of Guadalajara

Blessed Carmelite Martyrs of Guadalajara, orate pro nobis

July 24 is the Feast of the Blessed Carmelite Martyrs of Guadalajara, three discalced nuns murdered by Republican forces in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War. In celebration, we’re posting a Prayer for the Canonization of the Blessed Carmelite Martyrs of Guadalajara. Beatified by Pope John Paul II on March 29, 1987, the Martyrs were Sr. María Pilar de San Francisco de Borja, Sr. María Ángeles de San José, and Sr. Teresa del Niño Jesús y de San Juan de la Cruz. Evviva Blessed Carmelite Martyrs of Guadalajara!

Prayer for the Canonization of the Blessed Carmelite Martyrs of Guadalajara 

O most loving Jesus who accepted the offer that your faithful Servants Blessed Maria Pilar, Teresa and María Ángeles made of their lives, realizing the ardent desires they had to shed their blood for the triumph of your universal Reign! For the glory they gave you proclaiming your royalty and forgiving their enemies, make all hearts submit to the sweet empire of your love and that the gifts of reconciliation and peace always shine among men and in peoples. 

Grant us the canonization of the Blessed and their ardor in the fulfillment of your Holy Will and help us with the special graces that we now ask of you through their intercession. Amen.

Feast of Blessed Martyrs of Daimiel

Blessed Martyrs of Daimiel, orate pro nobis

July 24 is the Feast of Blessed Nicefero Diez and Companions, Martyrs. Between July 23 and October 23, 1936 twenty-six Passionist priests and brothers from the Monastery of Santo Cristo de la Luz in Daimiel, Spain were murdered by Republican thugs during the Spanish Civil War. 

Beatified by John Paul II on October 1, 1989, the martyrs were Nicefero Diez Tejerina; Ildefonso García Nozal; Pedro Largo Redondo; Justiniano Cuesta Redondo; Eufrasio de Celis Santos; Maurilio Macho Rodríquez; Jose Estalayo García; Julio Mediavilla Concejero; Fulgencio Calvo Sánchez; Honorino Carracedo Ramos; Laurino Proaño Cuesta; Epifanio Sierra Conde; Abilio Ramos Ramos; Anacario Benito Nozal; Felipe Ruiz Fraile; Jose Osés Sáinz; Felix Ugalde Irurzun; Jose Maria Ruiz Martínez; Zacarias Fernández Crespo; Pablo Maria Lopez Portillo; Benito Solana Ruiz; Tomas Cuartero Gascón; Jose Maria Cuartero Gascón; German Pérez Jiménez; Juan Pedro Bengoa Aranguren; and Felipe Valcobado Granado. 

In celebration, we’re posting a prayer to the Blessed Martyrs of Daimiel. Evviva Blessed Martyrs of Daimiel!

Prayer to the Blessed Martyrs of Daimiel

Lord Jesus, Divine Martyr of Calvary, the Passionist Martyrs of Daimiel generously sacrificed their lives in order that Thy universal Kingdom of truth and life, of holiness and grace, of justice, love and peace become a reality upon earth. Through the merits of their sacrifice, united to Thine upon the Cross, grant that we may work untiringly for the coming of Thy Kingdom of salvation in the entire world, living as brothers and forgiving one another. Through the intercession of these Thy Martyrs, grant us also the particular grace we humbly implore for Thy glory and the good of our souls. Amen.

Novena to Sant'Alfonso Maria de Liguori

Sant'Alfonso de Liguori, ora pro nobis

Pray Novena for nine consecutive days, July 24th — August 1st, in preparation for the Feast on August 2nd.

Glorious Saint Alphonsus, loving father of the poor and the sick, all your life, you devoted yourself with a real heroic charity to lightening their spiritual and bodily miseries. Full of confidence in your tender pity for the sick, since you yourself have patiently borne the cross of illness, I come to you for help in my present need. 

(Mention your request here...) 

Loving father of the suffering, Saint Alphonsus, whom I invoke as the Arthritic Saint, since you suffered from the disease in your lifetime, look with compassion upon me in my suffering. Beg God to give me good health. If it is not God’s will to cure me, then give me strength to bear my cross patiently and to offer my sufferings in union with my crucified Savior and His Mother of Sorrows, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls, in reparation for my sins and those of others, for the needs of this troubled world, and for the souls in purgatory. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Saint Alphonsus, patron of the sick, pray for me. Amen.

The accompanying photo was taken outside the Saint Anthony of Padua Shrine Church (155 Sullivan St.) in Manhattan. The statue is all that remains from the Church of Saint Alphonsus Liguori (308 W. Broadway), which was closed in 1980.

Catholic Movie Night at Atrium Stadium Cinemas in Staten Island, New York

The Dynasties of Italy: The House of Chiaramonte

Reprinted from Western Exile @westernexile

Origin: Clermont, France (Disputed)

States: Kingdom of Sicily

Highest Titles: Count of Modica, Count of Caccamo, Grand Seneschal, Grand Admiral and Master Justiciar of the Kingdom of Sicily

Heraldic Blazon

Party per fess, in base argent and on a chief gules a mount of five peaks argent

A literal depiction of the family name, from chiaro meaning light and monte mountain, which is also possibly derived from the French noble House of Clermont.

Overview 

While certain legends trace the origins of the Chiaramonte to the days of Charlemagne himself, the dynasty likely arrived in the Italian South in the 12th century from the French region of Picardy, where it had been known as the House of Clermont.

The first named kin are an Edgardus of Capua and Hugo, Lord of Colubraro and Policoro, in the early 12th century, whose sons Alessandro and Riccardo were exiled by Roger II, the first King of Sicily, before the latter reconciled with the fledgling Norman monarchy.

The Chiaramonte would be infamous for their uneasy relationship with the Crown, both under the Norman Hauteville and German Hohenstaufen dynasties, before opportunity came in the chaos of the vast rebellion that convulsed the island in 1282 - the Sicilian Vespers.

On the evening of the 31st March 1282, when an Angevin soldier groped a Palermitan noblewoman on the steps of a church, her outraged father struck the Frenchman down in a spark which lit the tinderbox of revolt against Sicily's latest conqueror - Charles of Anjou.

The revolt unleashed a terrible fury, as Angevin troops and officials across the island were cut down or expelled, and the Sicilians offered the crown to King Peter III the Great of the Catalan House of Barcelona, beginning the age of Aragonese Sicily.

Manfredi Chiaramonte Prefoglio, who served King Peter loyally, would be rewarded by his son King Frederick III in 1296 with the fiefdoms of the disgraced pro-Angevin Lord of Modica, whereupon the title was elevated to a countship. The Chiaramonte dominion had begun.

Over the next hundred years, the heirs of Manfredi Chiaramonte would rival only the Archbishops of Monreale as the most powerful men in Sicily, such that the County of Modica was referred to as the Regnum in Regno - the 'Kingdom within a Kingdom'.

The Chiaramonte therefore were well placed to exploit the anarchy into which Sicily fell amid the Black Death, especially when King Louis himself succumbed to the plague without heirs in 1355, and the Castilian Civil War tied down Aragonese forces in Iberia.

Yet the rebellious Chiaramonte, complicit in the abduction of the dead King's niece in 1379 in an attempt to force an advantageous marriage, fatally overreached. Aragon, outraged, mounted a naval expedition to bring the Sicilian barons to heel.

Slowly, but surely, their allies were peeled back into the royal fold, until Andrea Chiaramonte himself was captured and executed in Palermo in 1392. The County of Modica was thereafter awarded to the Catalan House of Cabrera, and the Chiaramonte never recovered.

Illustrious Members

Manfredi I Chiaramonte (?-1321)

After allying to the Aragonese cause, and enduring incarceration in Calabria as a result, Manfredi earned the favour of Frederick III, who following the latter's coronation in 1296, ennobled him as Count of Modica.

Manfredi would repay the King's generosity by fighting with distinction and determination against the forces of Charles II of Anjou, playing a major role in crushing Angevin attempts to reconquer the island and unite it to their Neapolitan realm on the Italian mainland.

Manfredi achieved the height of his prestige when he represented Frederick III at the coronation of Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII on the 29th June 1312, negotiating within days a potent alliance between both monarchs, for which he was rewarded with an Imperial fiefdom.

Manfredi III Chiaramonte (?-1391)
Expanding the Chiaramonte realm to its greatest territorial extent, Manfredi III acquired virtually the entire southern coast of Sicily as well as the island of Malta, becoming one of the most powerful noblemen in Europe.

Andrea Chiaramonte (?-1392)
Such was the power of the dynasty that Andrea took up residence not in Modica, but the royal capital of Palermo itself, receiving the title of Admiral from Pope Boniface IX. Yet by 1392, that power was an illusion.

Widespread Chiaramontine abuses of power, and the newly ascendant Aragonese, would see Andrea's allies almost entirely abandon him in the face of King Martin of Aragon, who in 1392 landed on Sicily to crush the barons' revolt and bring an end to half a century of chaos.

After a gruelling siege, Palermo capitulated to the royal forces, who were in no mood for clemency. Convicted of high treason, Andrea Chiaramonte was beheaded in front of his own palace on the 1st June 1392, bringing the age of the Chiaramonte to the most ignoble of ends.

Architectural Legacies 

Chiaramontine Gothic

Blending Arab-Norman influences with Catalan flourishes, particularly in intricately decorated arches, the entire architectural movement which spread across 14th century Sicily takes its very name from the dynasty.

Palazzo Chiaramonte-Steri
Completed in 1307 by Count Manfredi III Chiaramonte, the imposing edifice was the dynastic seat of power in Palermo, and so too the scene of the family's downfall, as the site of Andrea Chiaramonte's execution in 1392.

Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi, Palermo
One of the finest Gothic churches to survive in the Sicilian capital, and the final resting place of many illustrious members of Palermitan aristocracy. In 1302 the Chiaramonte sponsored the beautiful façade.

Modica
The stronghold of Chiaramonte power, as the comital seat and home to the island's highest court of appeal, Modica swelled into one of Sicily's major cities, laying the foundations for her actual and architectural glory.