MessaggeroJune 2017CALIFORNIA PATRONS

OF THE ARTS IN THE VATICAN MUSEUMS

Michael Feeley – Illustrious Chairman of

California Chapter Assumes New Role!By Greg Stanislawski, Chairman

Michael Feeley, longtime Chairman of the California Chapter, has

assumed a new position and has been bestowed with a new title: His Excellency Sir Michael Feeley has been elevated to Lieutenant of the Western Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Michael is taking his many talents to the Equestrian Order whose mission is the support of Christian and Catholic initiatives in the Holy Land.

Michael became Chairman

of the California Chapter in 2004. His energy, vision and organizational skills are unsurpassed. During his tenure the membership of the Chapter grew tenfold and due to his tireless passion throughout the years nearly $8,000,000 in dues and sponsored restorations have been raised, the highest amount raised to date by any Chapter. It is not possible to list all the patronage that has been undertaken by donors due to Michael’s enthusiasm. Some examples include the magnificent continued on page 5

Cardinal Roger Mahoney,

Sir Michael Feeley, Janet Feeley

and Archbishop Jose Gomez.

Restored Charioteer Returns To VaticanBy Debra Colletti

The California Chapter is pleased to report that the Auriga (Charioteer) has

been exquisitely restored, thanks to the generous patronage of Thad and Camille Gembacz. The Charioteer has been re-installed in its rightful place in the Sala della Biga after a detour to Germany for exhibition.

The Charioteer was acquired by Pope Pius VI in 1785 from the private collection of Cardinal Felice Peretti, the eventual Pope Sixtus V (1585-1590). The figure wears typical charioteer clothing of a short tunic tightly wrapped with leather bands around the torso. This served to protect the

Thad and Camille Gembacz

body during competitive races. One can see a knife tucked within the bands that could be used to free the charioteer from the reins if the chariot overturned. Over the centuries, the statue has undergone several changes to its appearance including the head, which was added at the time of Pius VI, the legs, and the arms and hands, one of which holds an intricately carved palm, the symbol of victory, and a cloth used to signal the start of races in the other.

The restorative work sponsored by the Gembaczs was performed over a six month period in 2016.

continued on page 3

CALIFORNIA PATRONS OF THE ARTS IN THE

VATICAN MUSEUMS

2 • June 2017 CALIFORNIA PATRONS OF THE ARTS IN THE VATICAN MUSEUMS

Greg Stanislawski, Chairman • Greg.Stanislawski@claconnect.com • 626-793-3600

Monica M. Lomenzo, Coordinator • mmlomenzo@gmail.com

California Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums301 N. Lake Ave., Suite 900, Pasadena, CA 91101

Chapter Leaders Convene In PhoenixBy Debra Colletti

On the weekend of March 3 - 5, 2017 approximately 40 Chapter leaders from

around the globe at the invitation

of International Director Fr.

Daniel Hennessy descended upon Phoenix to participate in a three day series of conferences, small group discussions, worship

and fellowship. The attendees were honored to

have in their midst for the entire event Dr. Barbara Jatta, the newly appointed Director of the

Enjoying the hospitality of Jim and Carol Hebets

The work included cleaning with compresses of a solution made of cellulose pulp and clay mixed with water, the removal and replacement of mortar grouting, and the application of a protective layer over the entire surface.

The origin of the statue is the subject of debate among scholars. Some have suggested that the statue was appropriately discovered near the train station in Trastevere, an area where there was a shrine to Hercules, the hero of competition.

Thad and Camille will be in Rome later this year and will visit “their” adopted Charioteer. We are sure that he will not disappoint. Thank you, Thad and Camille! n

Charioteer from page 1

CALIFORNIA PATRONS OF THE ARTS IN THE VATICAN MUSEUMS June 2017 • 3

Vatican Museums. The three day event involved months of planning by the indefatigable co-organizers Brad Kidd, Board President of the Arizona Chapter, and Debra

Mauro, Chair of the Canada Chapter. The attendees, almost too numerous to mention in full, came from all corners of North America as well as Rome, Singapore, U.K. and Hong Kong. The California contingent consisted of Greg

Stanislaski and Michael Scott

Feeley, current and former Chairs, respectively, and Debra

Colletti, Vice Chair. The weekend got underway

with a reception Friday evening which was attended by the Governor of Arizona Douglas Ducey who addressed the group. The following two days were filled with lively and informed discussions organized and led by Fr. Daniel and ably facilitated by Arizona Patron Jim Hebets. Jim did a masterful job of conducting the lively sessions and keeping us on point and on schedule. Topics included membership, fundraising, and of course present and future restorations.

Saturday evening all the attendees boarded a bus for the short drive to Jim and Carol

Hebets’ fabulous home filled with many beautiful pieces of religious art. Dinner was served al fresco and was appropriately Italian cuisine from start to finish. Social Media Committee Chair and Board Member James Low had arranged for a film crew to be present throughout the evening to create a short legacy video to promote and raise awareness for the California Chapter and to highlight the Patrons Office at the Vatican. During the evening

many attendees including Dr. Jatta, Fr. Daniel, and Chapter Leaders were filmed discussing their involvement in and hope for the Patrons. This video will be made available to other Chapters and they will be free to use its entirety or to customize it for their particular use.

Private mass for the Patrons was conducted both mornings in the Pastoral Center Chapel. Sunday’s mass, a beautiful service of spoken English and sung Latin, was especially moving in that

two priests, a monsignor and a deacon officated. The conference concluded midday Sunday with renewed enthusiasm and commitment for future endeavors and many expressions of mutual friendship. n

Debra Colletti,

Greg Stanislawski.

Dr. Barbara Jatta,

Fr. Daniel Hennessy,

Michael Feeley

Mary Viator,

Michael Feeley,

Lorraine Dodero,

Janet Feeley

Debra Mauro,

Fr. Daniel Hennessy,

Gov. Douglas Ducey,

Dr. Barbara Jatta,

Brandford Kidd

Debra Manro, Dr. Barbara

Jatta, Greg Stanislawski

4 • June 2017 CALIFORNIA PATRONS OF THE ARTS IN THE VATICAN MUSEUMS

Royal Artist of the EnlightenmentBy Debra Shaw

Edme Bouchardon (1698-1762) was recognized in his day as a highly

exceptional artist, both as a sculptor and as a draftsman.

Yet over the centuries his renown has waned, especially outside of France, and there has never been a comprehensive exhibition on this appealing artist until 2013. At that time the Musee du Louvre and the J. Paul Getty Museum entered into a collaboration to address this need for reevaluation of Bouchardon’s

achievements.On March 19, 2017 about 50

California Patrons gathered at the Getty Museum for docent led tours of the wide-ranging themes of the artist’s work. This groundbreaking exhibition presents Bouchardon’s art in all its remarkable variety of media-drawings, sculptures, medals, prints, and materials (including red chalk, plaster, wax, terracotta, marble and bronze). It surveys the wide-ranging themes of his art, from copies after the antique to subjects drawn from

history and mythology, as well as portraiture, anatomical studies, ornament, fountains, and tombs. Bouchardon’s creations are the result of an exceptional and marvelous synthesis of his passion for ancient art and his intense study of nature.

Bouchardon spent nine years in Rome (1723-32), where he captured the attention of Pope Clement XII and received commissions from the most influential cardinals in the Vatican Curia. Upon his return to Paris, as a sculptor to King Louis XV,

Co-hosts Joe and Karen Knott,

Don and Monica Fishbeck

Karen Knott, Monica Lomenzo, Debra Shaw

and Debra Colletti

Patrons enjoying the docent’s remarks

CALIFORNIA PATRONS OF THE ARTS IN THE VATICAN MUSEUMS June 2017 • 5

he was entrusted with major royal commissions, creating some of the most iconic images of the period, such as Cupid Carving a Bow from Hercules’s Club, the Equestrian Monument to Louis XV, Grenelle Fountain, and Medals and Tokens.

It was a pleasure to be able to experience the beauty of perfectionism in Bouchardon’s work.

A lovely reception at the Bel-Air Bar and Grill, hosted by Don

and Monica Fishbeck and Joe

and Karen Knott, topped off the beautiful afternoon. n

Paul and

Marcia Griffin with Jackson

Athey, Ann

Lawrence Athey

and Michael

Feeley

Linda Chaix with her guest potential Patron Erin

Graass flank new chair Greg Stanislawski

Debra and Bill Shaw (background)

Patrons enjoying the docent’s remarks

restorations of the Gallery of the Maps, the altar in the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens, and the Sistine Chapel in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. In his tireless work on behalf of the Patrons and the Equestrian Order, Michael and his wife Janet travel the world and are often accompanied by their two sons, Declan and Brogan.

On behalf of everyone involved with the California Chapter, I would like to thank Michael for his many years of stewardship. We salute and thank Michael for his dedication and success and are fortunate that he will continue to serve on the Board of the California Chapter. n

Michael Feeley continued from page 1

The investiture

ceremony

Fr. Mark Haydu,

Greg Stanislawski,

Michael Feeley

6 • June 2017 CALIFORNIA PATRONS OF THE ARTS IN THE VATICAN MUSEUMS

Four Exquisite Sarcophagi Return

To The Pio Christian MuseumBy Debra Colletti

The California Chapter is delighted to announce the restoration of four

exquisite sarcophagi from the Pio Christian Museum, thanks to the generous support of Howard

and Roberta Ahmanson. The exterior surfaces of all four pieces are covered with intricate carvings depicting biblical and other narrative scenes that are almost too numerous to mention.

Sarcophagus of Agape

and Crescentianus: Discovered in 1841 in the environs of Vatican City, this sarcophagus depicts biblical characters and scenes such as the sacrifice of Isaac, Moses receiving the Law, healing of a blind man, and the multiplication of the loaves, all of which are framed within a series of colonnades adorned by cupids busy at the harvest. Although a previous intervention had been performed in the 19th century, the result was that the surface was marred by a substance that imbued a yellow ochre color to the piece. The composition of this coating was ascertained by the Scientific Research Laboratory of the Vatican Museums. This analysis helped to insure the sarcophagus’ integrity throughout the cleaning and restorative process which included the temporary removal of the lid making it possible to secure more fully the structure from within.

Sarcophagus with frieze

containing biblical scenes: As a result of an aggressive restoration in the 18th century, the surface was tainted with a waxy substance and resins. The cleaning was

performed using organic solvents that the restoration team was able to compound thanks to the analysis of the deposits by the Laboratory of Diagnostics. In addition, the restoration involved removing plaster reconstructions poorly applied during an earlier restoration that had been designed to connect parts of the sarcophagus. These parts were refashioned using a mortar of marble, quarried sand and hydraulic lime. The final stage involved sealing the entire piece with a protective coating.

Sarcophagus front: Christ

brought before Caiaphas As with the other pieces, this

sarcophagus had been extensively reworked in the 18th century and then again in early 2000. The just finished restoration included a meticulous cleaning using swabs saturated with a solution that was prescribed by the Laboratory of Diagnostics. New plaster elements were constructed and affixed using a mixture of marble and

lime. Lastly, a protective layer was applied to the entire surface.

Sarcophagus with a

Continuous Frieze:

Uncovered in the 17th century in the ancient cemetery at the Basilica of St. Sebastian and received into the Pio Christian Museum in 1854, the carvings on this marble sarcophagus portray Adam and Eve, the sacrifice of Isaac, the wedding at Cana, the healing of a blind man, Peter’s arrest and his baptism of his jailers. A limited restoration of this piece in the 18th century spared it from serious damage. The current restoration involved a delicate cleaning, the removal and proper reattachment of a portion of the piece, the removal of superfluous screws and the application of a protective outer layer.

Future generations of visitors to the Museum will be able to admire and to appreciate these magnificent sarcophagi because of the generous patronage of the Ahmansons. n

Sarcophagus

with a

Continuous

Frieze

Sarcophagus of Agape and Crescentianus

Sarcophagus

front: Christ

brought before

Caiaphas

CALIFORNIA PATRONS OF THE ARTS IN THE VATICAN MUSEUMS June 2017 • 7

Patrons Enjoy German Renaissance

And Reformation Art At LACMABy Debra Colletti

On January 29, 2017, after days of torrential rains in

Los Angeles, the sunshine came out in abundance and in time for more than 50 California Patrons to gather at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Under the able tutelage of docents Bart Benjamins and Susan Bjerre, the Patrons toured Renaissance and Reformation: German Art in the Age of Durer and Cranach, a remarkable collection of paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and decorative arts, many of which were on loan from museums in Berlin, Dresden and Munich. The exhibit coincided with the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Ninety Five Theses and the featured pieces covering the period of 1460 - 1580 are a product of the religious and civil turmoil of their times.

Durer, sometimes referred to as the Leonardo da Vinci of Germany, worked in several media including painting and wood block printing. His Virgin as Mother of Sorrows is a beautifully rendered Mary in the intense colors and proportions that are reminiscent of the Italian artists that influenced him during his sojourn in Venice. His intricately carved wood block print of St. Jerome in His Study makes one feel as if a natural light source baths Jerome while he labors on his translations. Cranach’s “Holy Trinity” depicts the lifeless body of Christ in the aftermath of the Crucifixion enveloped by the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Riemenschneider’s two unpainted wooden statues of Madonna and Child and St. Matthew the Lesser, originally above eye level in altar niches, are seemingly in motion as the folds of their garments are so deeply carved.

We welcomed back into our midst, Fr. Mark Haydu who joined us for art appreciation, fellowship and satisfying refreshments of wine and hors d’oeuvres at the reception on the patio sponsored by Patrons Janet and

Michael Feeley.

Michael’s tenure as Chairman of the California Chapter officially came to a close and he was heartily acknowledged with thanks and applause. We all intend to hold Michael to his promise to cheer us on to great things in the coming years. The gavel was passed to Greg Stanislawski who seamlessly assumed the Chairmanship and announced the new slate of officers. n

Patrons

reunited with

Fr. Mark

Haydu

Greg Stanislawski,

Monica Lomenzo,

Fr. Mark Haydu

Patrons in rapt attention

Nancy

and Mark

McDonald