Raphael at the Capodimonte Museum

The Capodimonte Museum is currently hosting a wonderful exhibition that has brought an extraordinary work by the great Raphael Sanzio back to Naples: the Madonna del Pesce.

Created for the Doce Chapel of the Church of San Domenico Maggiore in 1524, it was transferred to Madrid after about one hundred years by the Spanish viceroy Ramiro Nuñez de Guzmán.

The work is accompanied by a series of paintings and sculptures created during the Renaissance by Spanish artists who, inspired by Raphael, also wanted to leave their mark on a city, Naples, that had always acted as an excellent catalyst for artists from all over the world. An exhibition that is certainly worth seeing and that will be held until 25 June 2023. 

Around Caravaggio

The Royal Palace of Naples is hosting perhaps the most extraordinary and representative work by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio which has been transferred from Capodimonte: the Flagellation.

Temporarily exhibited together with other beautiful works created in Naples by the so-called Caravaggisti, such as Battistello Caracciolo, Mattia Preti and other artists who excelled in depicting both the flagellation of Christ and the Ecce Homo, Caravaggio’s painting never ceases to amaze with its astonishing beauty.

The exhibition also includes Caravaggio’s Saint John the Baptist from Kansas City and a few sculptures representing the Ecce Homo.

The amazing exhibition will be on view until 9 May 2023.

The petrified wood from ancient Herculaneum

An exhibition out of the ordinary for its exceptional testimony of a glorious past is that of the petrified wood recovered intact from the ancient buried city of Herculaneum held at the Royal Palace of Portici.

This is an exhibition of the charred wooden furniture, equipment and other artifacts in an excellent state of preservation that were covered by a thick blanket of volcanic material during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. A wooden cradle, a sofa, an altar, stools and other furniture are just some of the testimonies to the luxurious life that took place in the beautiful and wealthy city overlooking the Bay of Naples.

For guided tours please contact me at the following email address: belsannino@gmail.com

© 2023 Maria Sannino