Until January 31, 2018, the Bargello Museum will be hosting the Reliquary of Montalto, coming from the Museo Sistino Vescovile in Montalto, Marche. With the museum’s stability compromised after the earthquake on October 30, 2016, the Bargello has stepped in to host the work while renovations are underway.
The Reliquary is arguably the Marche museum’s most precious piece, executed in the late-14th century by the French artist Jean Du Vivier, who was working in Paris at the court of King Charles V. An exemplary piece of gold work, the Reliquary was made using the en ronde bosse technique, allowing for the artist to encrust the whole piece in enamel, meant to make it shine all the more resplendently when combined with the gems and pearls that also envelope the object.
The Bargello Museum is only the latest in the Reliquary’s many homes over the centuries. Due to its precious nature, the piece was highly regarded by the ruling courts, passing from Charles V to the Dukes of Burgundy, before ending up in the hands of Ferdinand IV of Tyrol, Leonello d’Este, Marquis of Ferrara, Pope Paul II and, finally, Pope Sixtus V, who later donated the Reliquary to his beloved hometown of Montalto.
The exhibition in the Chapel of Mary Magdalene at the Bargello doubles as a fundraising effort, through crowdfunding and the sale of books pertaining to the Reliquary of Montalto, aimed at collecting donations for the renovation of the Museo Sistino Vescovile in Montalto and other monuments belonging to the network of the Sistine Museums of the Piceno affected by the earthquake. Guided visits and activities about sacred gold work will also be offered to raise awareness about Du Vivier’s artwork.
