Papal Patronage: Then and Now

St Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine chapel are among the most well-known and visited sites in the world, yet many think it is a mere accident that such art ended up within the confines of the Vatican walls. Patronage, however, was an important lever in the Renaissance pope’s toolbox, to employed for communication and persuasion. In this talk, Art Historian Liz lev looks at the intricacy of papal patronage from the glory days of Popes Sixtus IV and Julius II to the loss of the collections under Napoleon, and considers the innovative and intriguing ways in which, despite its vastly depleted financial resources, the papacy has continued to sponsor and support the arts.