Our auction of old masters on 18 October 2016 includes a detailed representation of the possesso of Pope Clement XI, previously Cardinal Giovan Francesco Albani, who formally “took possession” of the episcopal seat on 20 November 1700. The painting shows the Pope’s cavalcade, after his coronation at Saint Peter’s, which crossed the city to the basilica of Saint John in the Lateran, his episcopal seat. The processional route, known as the Via Sacra or the Via Papalis, began at Saint Peter’s and proceeded to the Castel Sant’Angelo, Piazza Navona, and then the most important sites of ancient Rome – the Capitol Hill, the Forum, the Arch of Costantine, the Caelian Hill – and onto the basilica of Saint John in the Lateran.
We witness the final stage of the procession, the arrival at the basilica, followed by the so-called introitus, the moment when the Pope is received. The present work is an incredibly rare painterly representation of the ceremony, as most documentation is written or depicted in engravings.
The papal ceremony, which recalled the ancient Roman triumphal processions, was a sumptuous event in the City of Rome. Its political significance underlined the concept of sovereignty: the city was transformed with ephemeral arches made of stucco or papier maché, shops were decorated with garlands of fruits, flowers and sweets for children, porticoes of churches were covered with tapestries and works of art. The most celebrated painters, sculptors and architects were involved in the decoration of the city. The procession itself included magistrates, senators, Swiss guards, cardinals robed in red, and ambassadors, accompanied by the master of ceremonies and the pope riding a white horse.
Alessandro Piazza (active around 1700)
The ceremonial procession of Clemente XI
oil on canvas, 150 x 180 cm
price realised € 161,600
