The Vatican is the smallest country in the world that has one of the largest art collections. If you are an art lover then not visiting the Vatican is no less than sinning. The Vatican is waiting every day with jaw-dropping masterpieces yet to be discovered by you.
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Before you pack your bag and shoot for the Vatican moon let me highlight some major artworks of the Vatican that you must not miss. Though ranking and sorting thousands of magnificent artwork of the Vatican is tough work.
But here are the top 10 Vatican paintings that tweaked my soul one way or the other.
St. Jerome
St. Jerome was painted by none other than Leonardo Da Vinci in 1482. Its oil on the wooden canvas situated at Pinacoteca Room IX. The credit for this painting being particularly famous can be given to Leonardo Da Vinci.
I mean how can a person be a spectacular painter, inventor, and engineer. He also crafted siege weapons. Can you even imagine that! Only a superhuman is capable of pulling this off.
Okay, I am getting a bit carried away. Let’s stick to the painting. The painting is a sketch of St. Jerome. He lived a moderate life in the Syrian desert to show his love for God. Leonardo Da Vinci portrayed him as a thin, old, bald, and starved figure.
Along his side, we can see a lion. According to legend, he has helped to pull out a thorn from his paw. He could be seen holding a rock which he uses to punish himself. Pain could be seen in his expression.
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Transfiguration
My personal favorite Raphael painted this amazing painting with Tempera on wood somewhere between 1518-1520. This painting is preserved with its glory in Pinacoteca Room VIII.
I only wonder how can a person have a short life of just 37 years and leave so much amazing artwork for the world to see. Yes, unfortunately, Raphael died at a very young age of 37.
One thing that I find so fascinating about this painting is the slight touch of optical psychology that Raphael just played. Naturally, our eyes are attracted to brighter colors. Using this trick Raphael increased the intensity of the colors from below to up to the point of Jesus.
Like Jesus is the grand finale of the painting. Which he surely is.
Image Source: diocesan.com
The Annunciation
Trust me I’m not being biased but I’m going to mention yet another work of my favorite Raphael. It is a part of the painting series done by Raphael for the Oddi family chapel in Perugia. You can now see it at Pinacoteca in the Vatican.
This beautiful painting illustrates the glorious moment when Gabriel announces the Incarnation of Christ to the Virgin Mary. similar to other artworks of Raphael here also the simplicity of the painting steals the show.
Only 2 emerging characters and a stunning backdrop that all this painting offers to mesmerize you for a good time. The fatherly look of God in the sky adds another layer of softness and serenity to this painting.
Leaving the mark of Renaissance the pillars shown on the painting brings out the dimension of the moment to make it look even more realistic.
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Liberation of St. Peter
Raphael yet again. He finished this fresco artwork in 1512. At present, it resides at the Room of Heliodorus among Raphael Rooms.
The magic about this painting is the clever trick of light and shadow. Which makes this painting so fascinating to look at. It’s an amazing fact that Raphael was able to pull off this trick 500 years ago. Undoubtedly he was way ahead of his time.
This painting creates an optical illusion of the whole room is lit. We have to give some credit to the use of robust colors in this painting which helps it to shine even more.
The vibrance of colors is something that you can’t forget so easily. The fresco painting technique is hard to master. It requires precision and fast delivery of strokes. Which makes the painting even more cherished.
Now let’s come to the story of this painting. Basically, it portrays the imprisonment of the first pope St. Peter. In this scene, we can see an angel coming at the hour of the evening and breaking his chains to set him free.
This painting was commissioned by Julius II.
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The Crucifixion of Saint Peter
Another story of great Saint Peter displayed on a painting done by a marvelous painter named Guido Reni. He finished this art of oil on wood from 1604-1605. You can find this painting at Pinacoteca Room XII.
It is believed that Guido Reni and his artwork were highly influenced by Caravaggio. A famous and controversial Italian painter. Who was insanely famous for his large religious-focused paintings and accusation of murder.
Image Source: art.thewalters.org
Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden
Painted by Wenzel Peter in 1828 this classic is located at Pinacoteca Room number XVI. It’s an oil painting. The artist Wenzel Peter was a famous Austrian painter. Different visitors have different opinions about this painting.
At first, it might seem a little odd to you and not so distinctive. But the more time you spend staring at it the more meaningful it gets. The painting portrays the Garden of Eden. The talent of Wenzel Peter of being an animalist painter really paid off in this painting.
He kept each character of the painting and their postures as realistic as possible. We have the famous Adam and Eve in this painting. We have to appreciate the effort of Mr.Peter who very thoughtfully turned this picture naturally decent. Nothing to be embarrassed about and hurry to shut your children’s eyes.
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The Crowning of the Virgin
The prince of painters Raphael painted it somewhere between 1502-1503. It’s Tempera on Wooden canvas. You will find this painting in Pinacoteca Room VIII.
Raphael was only 19 years old when he painted this gem. The simplicity of this painting can charm anyone. The painting portrays two scenarios. The first one has the grave of the Virgin Mary surrounded by Apostles.
On the other side of it, we can see St. Thomas holding the girdle. The girdle was given as a gift from the Virgin. Inside of it, there were flowers where she would have been in the tomb since she had ascended to heaven.
The Apostles were illustrated as amazed by the superior image of the virgin Mary. The painting was part of the Oddi Family chapel in Perugia.
Image Source: m.museivaticani.va
School of Athens
Drawn by Raphael School Of Athens is another gem that I would like to mention in this list. This fresco work is located in the Room of the Segnatura in the Vatican Museums.
The probable finishing date of this masterpiece is considered 1509. This painting illustrates celebrated philosophers and well-known stars of biblical Greece. There’s a Renaissance building on the backdrop to complete the whole concept.
At the center of the painting, we can see Plato and Aristotle. Actually, this painting conveys two contradictory theories. The first world observed through the senses is not reality but just a reflection of something above us. On the other hand, another theory approaches that we have to cling to this world in order to find what is real.
A deep concept conveyed in such a simple manner.
Image Source: visitvatican.info
The Last Judgment
The climax of the final judgment is drawn by Michelangelo in Fresco at the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo painted this entire ceiling 42ft high and 39ft long for 4 years at the age of 61.
He not only just painted something ordinary, but he also painted hundreds of unforgettable masterpieces and combined them on the canvas of the ceiling of the Sistine chapel. The characters of the last judgment can be overwhelming at the first glance. So let’s go one by one.
This painting tells the story of the Second Coming of Christ. Also, it portrays the eternal Judgment by God on all humanity according to the Christian religion. It’s two-dimensional art. but the use of perspective and shading made it a three-dimensional piece.
The non-geometric organic shapes of the painting give a vibe of calm and soothing aura. Here we can see famous personalities like,
- John the Baptist
- Virgin Mary
- St. Peter
and various other saints. Below we can see Angels are blowing trumpets and holding 2 books. The books decide ascending fate. It will decide whether a person will go to heaven or hell.
Michelangelo also kept a little hint of Greek mythology as he added Charon on a boat. The demon could be seen bringing all the damned souls over to the underworld. Where on the far right side we can see the devil owning the souls of the sinned in hell.
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The Sistine Chapel Ceiling
The climax of the Vatican museum is the great Sistine Chapel Ceiling. Pardon me, it’s not just a ceiling it is a masterpiece done above your reach level. So that you can just gaze and wonder how Michelangelo managed to pull this off.
It is the most visited and appreciated the artwork of the entire Vatican and beyond. Michelangelo frescoed The whole ceiling inch by inch. Obviously, there was his team of fine artists to assist him. But most of it is done by Michelangelo with the turmoil of 4 years.
It’s a magical wonder of architecture and art. Basically, it portrays nine stories from Genesis. I won’t say that much cause describing the Sistine chapel with mere words is worthless. Try to see it by yourself.
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Famous Sculptors of the Vatican
I know this blog is supposed to be on the list of the top ten famous paintings of the Vatican. But my dear darling the art of the Vatican is not limited to the canvas only they have scattered around in solid stones. Here are a few sculptures of the Vatican that can turn any head around.
Statue of Hercules: this marvelous sculptor of the great Greek hero Hercules is done by an unknown artist somewhere between 1st-3rd Century AD. It’s currently located at Round Room.
Most of the Roman bronze structures were melted down. I wonder how this made it to modern times. Archeologists discovered this statute under a courtyard. As if it was buried intentionally.
Image Source: expedia.com
The Belvedere Torso: at first you might wonder what’s so special about this headless, handless, and footless body structure. But the more you observe it you will notice the body is in slight motion and all the muscle folds are complementing it.
Which was not so easy to do in the ancient era. It gets deeper when you get to know that it was forbidden to examine humans to study muscles and anatomy. That means it was a pretty big deal back then.
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Apollo Belvedere: my personal favorite is the sun god apollo. It is done on fine white marvel by an anonymous artist. This statue is actually inspired by the original Greek Bronze statue. The hairstyle and the cape all bear the classic stroke of Greek mythology.
Famous Greek writer Pausanias wrote that this magnificent sculpture once ornamented the Athen’s main square also known as agora.
Image Source: flickr.com
Laocoön Group: this statue is inspired by the story of Aeneid by Virgil. When every trojan was enjoying the victory against the Greeks only priest Laocoön was worried. He wanted to warn everyone about the reattack.
But the goddess of wisdom and war Athena didn’t let him do that. She sent two vicious serpents to kill the priest and his two sons. This story wonderfully came into life in the hands of Hagesandros in white marvel.
Image Source: mymodernmet.com
Conclusion
In total the Vatican has more than 70,000 artworks. Among them, only 20,000 are open for visitors. Amongst them, I’ve mentioned only 10. I hope you are getting the tough job that I have done up there.
I thoroughly believe that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. So you might have different top 10 Vatican paintings of your own. Do share it with us.
If you haven’t seen any yet, I urge you to visit the Vatican. Which has myth, magic, and history in every corner. ciao.
