CANDELABRI -- Vaticano

Speranza

Gallery of the Candelabra
The Persian Warrior, cat. 2794

This gallery takes its name from the massive marble candelabra which, together with the coloured marble columns, divide the exhibition area into six sections.   Arranged under Pope Pius VI Braschi between 1785 and 1788, the gallery was completely renovated during the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII Pecci (1878-1903) and this is the decoration you see today.   This restructuring was carried out by Annibale Angelini, who appointed Domenico Torti and Ludwig Seitz for the paintings, and Giuseppe Rinaldi and Luigi Medici for the marble inlays.   The works were arranged like furnishings, following symmetrical criteria compatible with the architecture of the gallery, to which one gains access through monumental bronze gates, still in place today.