Exhibition
Rafael at the Palace
Royal Palace of Madrid. Gallery
Extended until July 4th 2021
Introduction by the curator, Concha Herrero
The temporary exhibition Raphael at the Palace. Tapestries for Philip II is Patrimonio Nacional’s tribute to Raphael (Raffaello Santi, 1483−1520) on the 5th centenary of his death, commemorated in 2020. It is on show in the Gallery of the Royal Palace of Madrid, a fitting backdrop to the monumentality and architectural structure of Raphael’s Acts of the Apostles tapestry series.
Two circumstances make this a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition. Firstly, the Acts of the Apostles tapestry series from the collection of Philip II (1527−1598) has never before been publicly displayed in its entirety. Secondly, the show is the last of the major international events staged in 2020 to celebrate the 5th centenary of the death of the Urbino-born artist.
In addition, this is the first temporary exhibition Patrimonio Nacional has hosted since the lockdown caused by Covid-19. This important cultural event has been organised with all the health and safety measures adopted since the reopening of the Royal Sites.
ORIGIN
This Acts of the Apostles series dates back to a commission Raphael received from Pope Leo X (1475−1521) in 1514 to paint full-scale cartoons for 10 tapestries to adorn the lower part of the Sistine Chapel on feast days. By then the best artists of the period had worked on this symbolic space in the Vatican: Perugino (c.1450−1523), Botticelli (1445−1510), Ghirlandaio (1449−1494) and Raphael’s legendary rival Michelangelo (1475−1564).
The pope and his circle of theologists chose an iconographic programme that emphasised the legitimacy of the pontiff as Saint Peter’s successor and the Church’s mission to preach the word of Christ. Raphael thoroughly documented the subject and even demanded that an assistant be permanently present to read the canonical texts aloud to him.
The result of his work was a compendium of unprecedented compositions, landscapes and majestic architecture executed according to the Renaissance principles of perspective and geometry and life-sized human figures that attest to his thorough knowledge of anatomy, classical sculpture and the expression of states of mind.
Coupled with this is the technical mastery of the Brussels tapestry weavers of the workshop of Pieter van Aelst (c. 1450−c. 1533) who reproduced Raphael’s designs in warp and weft threads of gold, silver, silk and wool, working on them from 1516 to 1521. But Raphael died unexpectedly on 6 April 1520, the day of his 37th birthday, and only lived to see seven of the tapestries displayed in the Sistine Chapel.
PRESTIGIOUS TAPESTRIES FOR PHILIP II
The appeal of the Sistine cycle and the interest it aroused were incomparable in art history. Monarchies all over Europe vied with each other to obtain re-editions, conscious of the prestige of owning one. Sadly, some of these replicas are now lost: that of Francis I of France during the French Revolution, and that of Henry VIII in the last bombings during the Second World War.
Nearly five centuries later, Patrimonio Nacional preserves two of these replicas based on Raphael’s original cartoons. One was acquired during the reign of Philip III (1578−1621). The second and older of the two is that of Philip II, the subject of this temporary exhibition in the Main Gallery of the Royal Palace of Madrid.
Philip II had these tapestries brought to Spain when he was still prince, during a trip to the Low Countries. There are nine of them, divided into two cycles: four make up the Petrine cycle on the life of Saint Peter; and the other five constitute the Pauline cycle on the life of Saint Paul. They were woven in silk and wool by Jan van Tieghem (active from 1530 to 1568) and Frans Gheteels (active from 1540 to 1568) in Brussels, and are the highest quality re-edition and the best-preserved – in fact, they are even in better condition than the original set in the Vatican.
Their excellent condition can be explained by a combination of factors. Some are related to their weaving in Brussels using resistant fibres and high-quality natural dyes, while the absence of metal threads has prevented oxidation and corrosion. A further factor that should be taken into account is the conservation measures adopted by the Royal Tapestry Office, which were introduced at the Royal Tapestry Manufactory from 1720 onwards.
REFERENCE WORK
In connection with this exhibition, Patrimonio Nacional has published a monograph entitled Tapices de Rafael para la Corona de España (Raphael tapestries for the Spanish Crown) which can be acquired online.
This publication studies in depth the Raphael tapestry series in the Royal Collections in this institution’s care and provides excellent illustrations of the tapestries.
The monograph is intended as the definitive reference work on the Raphael tapestries in the care of Patrimonio Nacional, which has organised this event to enhance the international dissemination of its collection of more than 3,000 Flemish- and Spanish-made tapestries
Multimedia
Tapestries
The Miraculous Draught of Fishes
JAN VAN TIEGHEM, FRANS GHETEELS, RAPHAELc. 1550-1560Silk and wool tapestry 487 x 592 cm.Royal Palace of MadridSee moreThe scene depicted in this first tapestry, inspired by the Gospel of Luke (5: 1−10), shows the moment Christ tells Peter and his companions where to cast their nets to ensure a large catch following a fruitless night’s fishing The action unfolds before a vast, luminous landscape where the city of Capernaum and its shores, the calm, transparent waters of the Sea of Galilee or Lake Tiberias, and the sweeping cloudscape, rendered in a harmonious range of gleaming white and blue silks, meet on the horizon. The two vessels in the middle distance, weighed down greatly by the heavy catch, make up the stark setting against which the main group of the first apostles stands out. All eyes are on the majestic, serene figure of Jesus, seated at the prow of Andrew and Simon Peter’s boat. Peter, overwhelmed by the miracle, postrates himself before the Master’s divine greatness and Andrew drops to one knee in an expressive gesture. In the other boat John and James put great effort – conveyed by their tense muscles – into pulling in the huge catch, while Zebedee, their father and helmsman, tries to maintain the boat’s unstable balance. The shore in the foreground is enlivened by shellfish, crabs, cranes and wetland plants. Borders: The mythological figures of Jupiter, Juno, Neptune and Ceres (black and white), allegorical personifications of the four elements – fire, air, water and earth – are depicted beneath each other in the mirror-symmetrical side borders which are a woven version of the frescoes designed by Raphael’s pupil Giovanni Francesco Penni for the Vatican Loggia. The lower border illustrates the myth of Prometheus, an allegory of divine creation, providence and wisdom. Texts: Concha Herrero Carretero
Christ’s Charge to Saint Peter or Feed my Sheep
JAN VAN TIEGHEM, FRANS GHETEELS, RAPHAELc. 1550-1560Silk and wool tapestry 490 x 727 cm.Royal Palace of MadridSee moreThe scene depicted in this second tapestry, taken from the Gospels of Matthew (16: 18−19) and John (21: 11−17), also unfolds on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The landscape links up with that of The Miraculous Draught of Fishes and the prow, oar and anchor chain of one of the boats, visible at the left edge, create the illusion of a continuation of the setting. The risen Christ, displaying the stigmata of the Passion and draped in a white tunic that gives his figure luminosity and a supernatural and spiritual appearance, entrusts Peter with caring for the sheep in his flock – the believers – and hands him the keys to the kingdom of heaven, watched by the rest of the apostles. The serenity of the risen Christ’s face contrasts with the expressive gestures of the ten disciples, crowded together in a group, and their different reactions to the master’s choice. Borders: The three Fates, an allegory of the course of existence, are depicted beneath each other in the mirror-symmetrical side borders in a woven version of the frescoes designed by Giovanni Francesco Penni for the Vatican Loggia. Clotho spins the thread of human life on her spindle; Lachesis determines Destiny; and Athropos cuts the yarn. The sequence in the lower border is an allegory of Virtue and Vice personified by the two monarchs in the centre who give out crowns or whip their subjects, assisted by the female personifications of Victory and Temperance at each end. Texts: Concha Herrero Carretero
The Healing of the Lame Man
JAN VAN TIEGHEM, FRANS GHETEELS, RAPHAELh. 1550-1560Silk and wool tapestry 493 x 763 cm.Royal Palace of MadridSee moreThe scene represented in this third tapestry, taken from the book of the Acts of the Apostles (3: 1−11), is a faithful illustration of the episode of the healing of the man who had been lame since birth, a miracle performed by Peter in the temple of Jerusalem. The action takes place in a peristyle of Solomonic columns with fluted shafts decorated with bas-reliefs. According to the Gospel account, every day the lame man was laid at the east entrance to the temple, called the Beautiful Gate, through which women entered the temple court. The two apostles, John and Peter, bless the palsied beggar sitting at their feet and Peter holds out his hand to help him up. The other people who witness the miracle are positioned between the columns on either side of the central scene. Borders: The side borders, based on a design attributed to Perino del Vaga, are an allegory of the passage of time and the course of the seasons. The columns of figures, taken from classical mythology, are not mirror-symmetrical like those in the rest of the tapestries. They feature different personifications of day and night (Apollo and Diana); attributes of time and eternity (an hourglass, a twenty-four-hour clock and a snake biting its tail); and personifications of the four seasons. The lower border is an allegory of Fortune, a two-faced woman who gives or denies riches or favours to six people flanked on the left and right by Prudence with a mirror and Constance armed with a spear and shield. Texts: Concha Herrero Carretero
The Death of Ananias
JAN VAN TIEGHEM, FRANS GHETEELS, RAPHAELc. 1550-1560Silk and wool tapestry 491 x 712 cm.Royal Palace of MadridSee moreIn this fourth tapestry the apostles supervise the distribution of earnings among the needy people of the first Christian communities, as narrated in the book of the Acts of the Apostles (4: 32−34 and 5: 1−11). Peter, who could read people’s hearts, discovers the deceitfulness of Ananias and his wife Sapphira, who have kept back part of the proceeds from the sale of some land. They were instantly punished: Ananias was struck down dead, followed by his wife and accomplice. The dignified, solemn meeting of the apostles takes place on a platform in the centre. On either side the faithful hold out their offerings, which are shared out among the needy. In the foreground, Ananias has fallen down and dies, much to the astonishment and horror of those present. Peter has just delivered his verdict and stands out energetically among the group of apostles, while one of them points upwards at the heavens, from where the divine judgement has come. Sapphira, counting the coins in her hand, approaches from the left, unaware of the punishment that has been inflicted on her spouse and will later befall her too. Borders: The side borders illustrate the Muses, goddesses of the sciences and arts, headed by their father, Jupiter. Arranged in a column on the left are Polymnia, the muse of eloquence, with a scroll; Euterpe, the muse of music and poetry, with a double flute; and Clio, the muse of history, with a scroll. On the right are Polymnia again, with a scroll; Athena, the goddess of wisdom and the arts; Terpsichore, the muse of dance, with her lyre; and Urania, the muse of astronomy, with a star-studded sphere. Seated in a row in the lower border are Euterpe again; Calliope, the muse of heroic poetry; Melpomene, the muse of tragedy; Erato, the muse of lyric poetry; and Thalia, the muse of comedy. Texts: Concha Herrero Carretero
The Stoning of Saint Stephen
JAN VAN TIEGHEM, FRANS GHETEELS, RAPHAELC. 1560Wool and silk tapestry 487 x 592 cm.See moreThe composition of this fifth tapestry focuses on the stoning of Stephen, the martyrdom of the first deacon and martyr of the Christian faith who was falsely accused of blaspheming against Moses and against God. The subject links up with The Death of Ananias, the previous tapestry showing the distribution and administration of goods that was entrusted to the deacons. The composition also introduces Saul, the future Saint Paul, marking the start of the Pauline cycle. Outside Jerusalem the burly executioners have laid their coats at the feet of a young man called Saul so as to be able to throw stones with greater ease. Kneeling with outspread arms and dressed in a deacon’s dalmatic, Stephen, a more luminous figure than the rest, gazes up at the heavens at the celestial vision that appears in a parting of the clouds: ‘I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ (Acts 7: 54−60). In the background is a view of the city of Jerusalem and the forest where the stoning takes place. Borders: Female allegories of the liberal arts of the Trivium – Grammar, Rhetoric, Dialectic – and nourishing Wisdom are depicted beneath each other in the mirror-symmetrical side borders. Positioned in a row in the lower border are the female allegories of the theological and cardinal virtues: Faith with a flaming heart; Fortitude with the head of Holofernes; Temperance with a clock; and Diligence with winged sandals, her foot resting on a book. Texts: Concha Herrero Carretero
The Conversion of Saul
JAN VAN TIEGHEM, FRANS GHETEELS, RAPHAELc. 1550-1560Silk and wool tapestry 493 x 724 cm.Royal Palace of MadridSee moreSaul possessed Roman citizenship, a right granted by Julius Caesar to the citizens of Tarsus. His conversion is a historical event of far-reaching importance to Christianity owing to the role he played in its spread and the testimony he bore to the resurrection of Christ with his life and death. The persecutor of the early church, armed as a Roman legionary, has fallen off the horse he was riding on his way to Damascus, blinded temporarily by a divine vision when he hears the voice of Christ, who appears on high in a parting of the clouds: ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ (Acts 9: 1−7). The group of companions on the right gaze at the happening in amazement, while two men try to calm their runaway horses in the middle distance. Borders: Allegories of the arts of the Trivium and Quadrivium are depicted beneath each other in the mirror-symmetrical side borders: Geometry with a pair of compasses; Music with a viola; Astronomy with the celestial sphere; and Arithmetic with sums and figures on a tablet. The centre of the lower border displays a reference to the Garden of the Hesperides with its beautiful tree of golden apples and the watchful dragon chained to the trunk, a symbol of immortality in classical mythology. The tree is flanked by allegories of the virtues Prudence, Temperance, Charity and Faith. Texts: Concha Herrero Carretero
The Blinding of Elymas or The Conversion of the Proconsul
JAN VAN TIEGHEM, FRANS GHETEELS, RAPHAELh. 1550-1560Tapiz de seda y lana 481 x 735 cm.Palacio Real de MadridSee moreThis seventh tapestry and the following two glorify the apostle Paul. The figures of the Apostle of the Gentiles and Elymas, a cunning man who tried to turn the proconsul Sergius Paulus away from the faith, are direct opposites. The imposing, serene figure of Paul, who holds out his arm to dictate the punishment (‘And now listen – the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind for a while’) contrasts with the concern and fear conveyed by Elymas, a masterful depiction of blindness (‘Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he went about groping for someone to lead him by the hand’) (Acts 13: 6−12). The terrified proconsul seated on his throne in the centre is surrounded by figures stricken with dismay and amazement. At his feet, beneath the dais, is a tablet containing a Latin inscription: ‘L. SERGIVS PAVLLVS / ASIAE PROCCOS: / CHRISTIANAM FIDEM / AMPLECITVR. / SAVLI PREDICATIONE’ (Sergius Paulus, proconsul of Asia, embraced the Christian faith thanks to the preaching of Paul). Borders: Depicted beneath each other in the symmetrical side borders are allegories of the cardinal virtues: Justice with a sword and scales; Prudence with two faces and a mirror; Fortitude wearing a helmet with a lion at her feet; and Temperance seated in profile holding reins and bits. The lower border displays seven moral virtues seated against a background decorated with garlands and winged sphinxes: Magnanimity with necklaces and chains in her right hand and an eagle on her forearm; Peace with an olive branch in an amphora being caressed by the lion beside her; Victory seated on a plinth adorned with war trophies holding a hooded falcon in her left hand and a pike in her gauntleted right hand; Hope with an anchor, a two-headed eagle and a book resting on her lap; Providence holding an armillary sphere in her right hand and a spear in her left; Caution with a mirror in her left hand that reflects the image of the fox in a friar’s habit on her lap; and Docility bearing scourges and a sceptre with a book on her knees. Texts: Concha Herrero Carretero
Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas at Lystra
JAN VAN TIEGHEM, FRANS GHETEELS, RAPHAELc. 1550-1560Silk and wool tapestry 485 x 746 cm.Royal Palace of MadridSee moreDuring Paul and Barnabas’s missionary journey around Asia Minor, a lame man, crippled from birth, was cured in Lystra – a Roman colony in Anatolia, now part of Turkey (Acts 14: 8−18). Here the lame man has been healed and has tossed away his crutches, much to his fellow citizens’ amazement. The crowd assembled in the forum gathers around the miracle-worker and his companion – Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas – believing them to be Jupiter and Mercury, whose bronze sculpture stands on a pedestal. The priests have uttered the sacramental words and are about to honour the disciples and offer them a sacrifice as divinities descended from Olympus. One boy plays the double flute of sacrificial ceremonies and another bears the chest of incense and perfumes to be burned on the altar of libations. The executioner raises his axe above one of the oxen, adorned with ribbons and garlands, but a young man reaches out his arm to hold him back. Saint Paul exasperatedly tears his robes in indignation at these idolatrous practices. Borders: The borders depict Hercules and his feats. At the sides, beneath the personifications of Fame and Victory, are Hercules and Atlas with the earthly and heavenly spheres, Hercules and the centaur Nessus, Hercules and Juno, and Hercules with the birds of lake Stymphalia. In the centre of the lower border the mythological hero sits on a throne beneath a tempietto like Alciato’s Hercules Gallicus, a convincing orator and personification of Eloquence. From his mouth emerge subtle chains attached to the ears of the people who approach him, flanked on the left and right by Hercules and the Lernaean hydra, and Hercules and the Nemean lion. Texts: Concha Herrero Carretero
Saint Paul preaching at the Areopagus in Athens
JAN VAN TIEGHEM, FRANS GHETEELS, RAPHAELc. 1550-1560Silk and wool tapestry 485 x 633 cm.Royal Palace of MadridSee moreThis ninth and last tapestry shows Paul, the spiritual focus of the composition, in the foreground preaching at the Areopagus in Athens, which is characterised by the circular temple – a copy of Bramante’s Tempietto in San Pietro in Montorio – and the statue of Ares, god of war. The standing apostle addresses the Athenians: ‘I see how extremely religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, “To an unknown god.” What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you’ (Acts 17: 22−34). The figure of Paul on the edge of the steps with his arms raised heavenwards stands out above all those present, not only because of his higher position but also because the rest of the onlookers have been rendered in a smaller scale. Saint Paul’s speech failed to convince the philosophers, who could not accept the resurrection of the dead, but it did awaken a Christian vocation in some listeners, who embraced the truth of the new doctrine. Among them were Dionysius the Areopagite and his wife Damaris, who are depicted climbing the steps on the left. This tapestry was designed as the culmination of the series and as a tribute from Raphael to his patrons, Pope Leo X and the humanist Janus Lascaris, who are among the philosophers attending Paul’s debate in the agora or main square of the capital of Attica. Borders: The allegories of the theological virtues are depicted beneath each other in the mirror-symmetrical side borders: Faith with a chalice and cross; Hope in a greenish-blue tunic; Charity breastfeeding the infants in her arms; and Theology with the scriptures on a lectern. Sitting on a bench in a row in the lower border are the allegories of the Revelation or History with a phoenix; Philosophy with a ladder; Eloquence in the centre with flames issuing from her mouth; Constance or Sculpture with a Hermes; and Temperance beside a camel. Texts: Concha Herrero Carretero
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Information
ORGANISED BY
Patrimonio Nacional
CURATOR
Concha Herrero
VENUE
Royal Palace of Madrid. Gallery
OPENING HOURS
From Monday to Saturday: 10am−6pm (last entry at 5pm)
Sundays and public holidays: 10am−4pm (last entry at 3pm)
ADMISSION
Admission to the exhibition is included in the price of the visit to the Royal Palace of Madrid: 6.5 euros (final price after 50% discount, until 15 December)
Free admission: from Monday to Thursday after 4pm
EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL
Patrimonio Nacional’s Education Department invites you to visit the temporary exhibition Raphael at the Palace from another perspective using this downloadable educational resource for classrooms. This resource is designed as an introduction to appreciating Renaissance art and includes activities aimed at primary and secondary school children.