Above: Guido Reni, Atalanta and Hippomenes (1620–1625), oil on canvas, Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Naples.
Newsletter Summer 2024
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A Word from the AFC President
Dear Friends,
Treasures from the Royal Palace of Capodimonte are on tour in the United States for the very first time. Program Director, James Anno, reports from the Art & War in the Renaissance: The Battle of Pavia Tapestries opening in Ft Worth, TX.
In late April, AFC Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow Emma de Jong participated in the opening of an exhibition with panels from a comic book about the Battle of Pavia. The comic book was also presented at Napoli Comicon, one of the most important Comic book and pop culture conventions in Europe, attended by more than 170,000 people.
Through a collaboration with Modio Media Productions, we can now present an eleven minute video of Capodimonte's Director Emeritius Sylvain Bellenger giving a tour of the Pavia Tapestries to our own very AFC members. The video was recorded in September 2022, during an AFC trip to Naples.
The AFC free newsletter subscription expires this month. If you enjoy receiving the newsletter, renew your membership and subscription for $100.
For a $300 donation, you can become a member, receive the Pavia tapestries exhibition catalogue, and advance trip notifications.
Thank you for your interest in and support for our mission!
Yours sincerely,
Cristina Del Sesto, AFC Board President
And the AFC Board:
Vice Chair, Nancy Vespoli; Founder and President Emeritus, Vincent Buonanno; Program Director, James Anno; Treasurer, Mary Ellen Countryman; Secretary, Gretchen Hirschauer; Tory Gath; Henrietta Hakes; Bartley Livolsi; and Francis Prins
Watch Capodimonte's Director Emeritus Sylvain Bellenger Give a Tour of the Battle of Pavia Tapestries to the AFC
Click on the image to play the video.
Exhibition opening at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, TX
By James Anno, AFC Program Director
The Kimbell Art Museum launched the opening of Art & War in the Renaissance: The Battle of Pavia Tapestries with a bang. I was greatly pleased to attend the opening festivities on June 13-15. I am moved by the elegance of the installation and the probity of their interpretation of these incredible artworks. The seven monumental tapestries that depict the seminal Battle of Pavia that occurred in the early hours of February 24th, 1525, envelope each visitor within a large, well appointed gallery in the Piano Pavilion. The turbulent action of the tapestries is complimented by arms and armor strategically placed throughout the gallery to draw your eye towards what we see in the tapestries. The balance, harmony, and visual impact of the Kimbell display is impeccable. My thanks to the Kimbell staff and Capodimonte curator Carmine Romano for their warm welcome.
Photographs courtesy of the Kimbell Art Museum.
James Anno with Carmine Romano, Capodimonte curator of Art & War in the Renaissance.
James Anno, Krista Brugnara, David Gramazio, George Shackelford, Anna Bursaux, Nancy Edwards, Jeffrey Fraiman
U.S. Curators on the Exhibition Art and War in the Renaissance: The Battle of Pavia Tapestries
“The opportunity for close inspection of masterpieces during the installation of an exhibition is a thrilling privilege. Marvels of superlative design and craftsmanship, the enormous tapestries of The Battle of Pavia from Capodimonte are full of exquisite details—from burly soldiers in ostentatious outfits dominating the foreground, to tiny vignettes of camp life and the countryside in the far distance. Throughout, gold and silver threads enliven the brightly colored surface of these luxurious artworks.”
“The Pavia tapestries, together with arms and armor from the Farnese Collection, present an immersive experience for our audiences. The monumental dimensions and scale of these seven tapestries envelope the viewer into the world of art, fashion, and military technology all within the context of a battle that would shape Europe for centuries to come.”
“The opportunity to present these extraordinary landmarks of Renaissance art to our audience here in Northern California is something special. Equally special is the chance to work on such a global project with our museum colleagues in Naples, Fort Worth, and Houston. This global collaboration mirrors the complex team effort involved in producing the tapestries themselves five centuries ago.”
Exhibition Dates
Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX: June 16, 2024 - September 15, 2024
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, CA: October 19, 2024 - January 12, 2025
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX: Spring 2025
Comic Book The Battle of Pavia: the Tapestries of Capodimonte
By Emma C. de Jong, ACF Curatorial Fellow, 2023-2025
In collaboration with two artists from the Scuola Italiana di Comix (Italian school for Comics), the Capodimonte has published a comic book retelling the story of the Battle of Pavia. Artist Fabiana Fienga based her designs on the Van Orley tapestries, incorporating many details from the woven masterpieces. Chiara Macor wrote the story, recounting the events of the battlefield from the perspective of a young Habsburg soldier. The English edition of the comic book was translated by AFC fellow Emma C. de Jong.
Presentation of the comic book in the tapestry gallery at the Capodimonte Museum.
In late April, the comic was presented at Capodimonte with a small exhibition whereby panels from the book were put on display alongside the tapestries. This allowed visitors to discover the details which were taken directly from the tapestries. It had the intended result: many young visitors could be seen enthusiastically viewing the tapestries up close.
The comic book was also the subject of a panel at the Naples Comicon convention. Naples hosts a Comicon convention every year, attracting over 170,000 visitors. Comicon offered a great way to introduce a completely new audience to one one the great masterpieces of the Capodimonte.
The comic book can be ordered on the publisher's website.
The AFC Serves One of Europe’s Greatest Museums
The American Friends of Capodimonte (AFC) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to build awareness in the English-speaking world of one of Europe’s greatest museums. Thanks to our Capodimonte Fellowships, we are the first and only American organization to place talented, young American art historians directly inside an Italian museum. Our members and donors enjoy private tours, events, and dinners in the Museum and Royal Park. When works from the Capodimonte collection travel to America, we invite all who contribute to join us for events and exhibitions. For more information on the AFC, check out our website: https://www.americanfriendsofcapodimonte.info/
The Museo di Capodimonte remains open during renovations! For the most up to date opening times, check: https://capodimonte.cultura.gov.it/useful-information/. Full price entry is € 15, free entry for under 18. Free entry on the first Sunday of the month.
The museum can easily be reached by taxi and when departing from the city center by bus lines 3M, 168, 178, 204, C63. Address: Via Miano 2, 80131 Napoli NA.
Spring Newsletter 2024
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Filippino Lippi (Prato, ca. 1457 – Florence, 1504), Annunciation with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Andrew, ca. 1470-75
Tempera on panel. inv. Q 42. Restored in 2023.
Word from the AFC President
There is much anticipation surrounding the Battle of Pavia 500th anniversary exhibition, Art and War in the Renaissance: The Battle of Pavia Tapestries, which will be touring the United States beginning in June. Fort Worth’s Kimbell Art Museum is the first venue.
In this issue we will hear from filmmakers Gia Marie Amella and Beppe Mangione about the three films they created for the exhibition. Checkout the clip including Renaissance tapestries scholar Thomas Campbell.
“The opportunity to view [these tapestries] is unprecedented and not to be missed.”
We will be visiting Campbell’s museum in San Francisco for the AFC Trip October 17-October 20, 2024. There are still spaces available for this unique long weekend experience that includes attending the exclusive opening and a private tour of the exhibition with Campbell. We will also be honoring Director Emeritus Sylvain Bellenger. For more information about the trip: visit our website. A $500 nonrefundable contribution to AFC is tax deductible and reserves your spot.
Director Sylvain Bellenger’s historic tenure at Capodimonte came to a close in November, 2023. Eike Schmidt, the former director of Florence’s famed Uffizi Gallery, was appointed as Sylvain’s successor and took the reins in January, 2024. Dir. Schmidt is now running for Mayor of Florence. His directorship at Capodimonte will remain suspended until the outcome of the election in June, 2024. In the meantime, Massimo Osanna, Director General of Museums in Italy, will oversee Capodimonte’s administration. Rest assured that our intrepid AFC Fellow, Emma de Jong, continues to make huge progress.
Our AFC Fellow reports on Ottocento Napoli, an exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale, Rome, featuring 19th-century objects from Capodimonte’s collection. The exhibition is curated by none other than Director Emeritus Sylvain Bellenger.
In other news, Naples in Paris, which opened at the Louvre last June and closed in January is now open in Turin under the title Capodimonte da Reggia a Museo.
Thank you for your continued support and we hope you are as enthusiastic as we are about the fact that one of Italy’s most culturally significant treasures is coming to the United States for a year. Subscribe to our trip to San Francisco for exclusive access to the exhibition and learn about the battle in 1525 that changed the course of history.
Yours sincerely,
Cristina Del Sesto, AFC Board President
“And That's a Wrap!”
by Gia Marie Amella, Writer, Producer, Director at Modio Media USA
and Beppe Mangione, Camera, Sound Designer, Editor at Modio Media USA
Click on the image above to play a clip of ‘Battle of Pavia Tapestries: A Masterpiece of Messaging’. This film is commissioned by The Museum Box, filmed and edited by Modio Media. This clip features Thomas P. Campbell, Director & CEO Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; Cecilia Paredes, Brussels University, Brussels Regional Public Service Urbanism and Heritage; and Carmine Romano, Curator, Head of Digitization & Digital Catalogue, Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte.
In spring 2022, the AFC contacted us about creating a series of short films for the Museo di Capodimonte as part of the 2024/25 U.S. touring exhibition comprising selected armor and firearms from the Farnese collection and the majestic Battle of Pavia tapestries. The unprecedented exhibition commemorating the battle’s 500th anniversary is just one of the countless initiatives spearheaded by Director Emeritus Sylvain Bellenger.
Click on the image above to play the exhibition trailer
Modio Media kicked off principal photography in August 2022 and delivered the final films in April 2024. We interviewed Sylvain Bellenger, a number of Capidomonte’s staff, including Carmine Romano, Sara Vitulli, and Antonio Tosini; Siena-based textile conservator Graziella Palei; Cecilia Paredes from Brussels University; and Thomas Campbell, Director of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and an authority on Renaissance tapestry. Together, their voices tell a historically complex story of chivalry and heroism, long before the idea of “Europe” came into being.
Gia and Beppe filming the restauration of the tapestries at Capodimonte
The first in the trilogy, The Battle of Pavia: The Beginning of Modern Europe, traces the battle's history and how warfare evolved over time. The second, Battle of Pavia Tapestries: A Masterpiece of Messaging looks at tapestry production in Brussels in the early 16th century and features a segment with Campbell on how to interpret a tapestry. The third and final film Armor, Dress & Heroes spotlights selected armor and how costumery and historical figures are represented in the tapestries. When viewed back-to-back, the three films create a nuanced portrait intended to entertain and educate audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
As filmmakers, it was an absolute pleasure to film surrounded by great works of art and the professionals who care for these treasures. We're most grateful to the AFC Board and AFC Postdoctoral Fellows Caroline Paganussi and Emma C. de Jong as well as The Museum Box. And, lastly, to our fantastic DoP Matteo Castelli for his beautiful camerawork.
The exhibition is organized by the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte and The Museum Box in collaboration with the Kimbell Art Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
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“You Could Say They Are the Sistine Chapel of Tapestries”
By Carmine Romano, Curator, Head of Digitization & Digital Catalogue, Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte
During the Renaissance, monarchs and religious leaders glorified their power and wealth through the art of tapestry, commissioning some of Europe’s greatest artists to commemorate significant events through the costly medium. Seven lavish tapestries depict the 1525 Battle of Pavia, commemorating Holy Roman Emperor Charles V’s decisive victory over French King François Francis I, which was a pivotal point in the Italian Wars almost five hundred years ago. The tapestries are monumental in scale—each measuring about twenty-eight feet wide and fourteen feet high—drawing viewers into the world of Renaissance history, military technology, and fashion.
They are some of the most awe-inspiring examples of this often-overlooked yet highly prized Renaissance artform. They required remarkable feats of collaboration between artists and weavers—a single panel could take more than a year to produce. Designed by court artist Bernard van Orley, the tapestries were woven in Brussels by Willem and Jan Dermoyen in deeply saturated hues and exquisite detail, luxuriously highlighted with gold and silver thread. Each composition is filled with richly adorned military leaders, horsemen, and mercenary foot soldiers armed with swords, pikes, and firearms, all inhabiting a stunning panoramic landscape, from the walled park of the battleground to undulating hills in the distance.
Enhancing the visitor’s understanding and enjoyment of the woven depictions of battle, the exhibition will include a selection of arms and armor from Capodimonte’s renowned Farnese Armory. Among the most elegant objects on view will be a splendid helmet and rotella shield with episodes from Roman history, Pompeo della Cesa’s elegant “Volat” armor garniture, an exquisite arquebus made for Ranuccio Farnese by Giovanni Battista Visconti, and a variety of ornately detailed swords and firearms.
AFC Fellow reports: Napoli Ottocento
By Emma C. de Jong, ACF Curatorial Fellow, 2023-2025
Emma with Capodimonte’s Director Emeritus, Sylvain Bellenger.
Together with AFC board member Francis Prins, I was invited to attend the opening of the exhibition Napoli Ottocento at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome. Curated by former Capodimonte director Sylvain Bellenger and Capodimonte’s Carmine Romano, this show puts Naples’ long 19th century back into the spotlight. It includes many works from the Capodimonte Museum, as well as other Neapolitan and international collections.
Although Naples was not nominated as the capital city after the completion of Italy’s unification in 1870, nor was their king chosen to be the new head of state, Naples became the cultural trendsetter within the newly established kingdom. Local artists, including Giuseppe De Nittis, Domenico Morelli, Ercole and Giacinto Gigante, made innovations in genres such as landscape painting and scenes of daily life. This attracted foreign artists, including William Turner, John Singer Sargent, and Edgar Degas, who traveled to the city in search of inspiration. Degas portrait of Thérèse De Gas (c. 1863), which shows a view of Naples through an open window, forms one of the center points of the show and features on the exhibition’s promotional materials.
Spanning works from the tail end of the Grand Tour up to the start of the first World War, this exhibition comes highly recommended by Francis and myself to those interested in gaining a new perspective on the ancient city on the bay.
Emma and Francis at the opening.
Ottocento Napoli is on view at the Scuderie del Quirinale, Rome. Open everyday 10am - 8pm until June 16.
The AFC Recommends: Reggia di Venaria, Turin
Exhibition of Capodimonte masterpieces, previously on view at the Musée du Louvre, Paris. Open Tuesday - Sunday until September 15.
The AFC Serves One of Europe’s Greatest Museums
The American Friends of Capodimonte (AFC) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to build awareness in the English-speaking world of one of Europe’s greatest museums. Thanks to our Capodimonte Fellowships, we are the first and only American organization to place talented, young American art historians directly inside an Italian museum. Our members and donors enjoy private tours, events, and dinners in the Museum and Royal Park. When works from the Capodimonte collection travel to America, we invite all who contribute to join us for events and exhibitions. For more information on the AFC, check out our website: https://www.americanfriendsofcapodimonte.info/
The Museo di Capodimonte remains open during renovations! For the most up to date opening times, check: https://capodimonte.cultura.gov.it/useful-information/. Full price entry is € 15, free entry for under 18. Free entry on the first Sunday of the month.
The museum can easily be reached by taxi and when departing from the city center by bus lines 3M, 168, 178, 204, C63. Address: Via Miano 2, 80131 Napoli NA.
Exhibition announcement
/Art & War in the Renaissance:
The Battle of Pavia Tapestries
Exactly 499 years ago, in the early morning of February 24, 1525, the Battle of Pavia was fought between the forces of the French King François I and Emperor Charles V. In order to celebrate his victory, a series of seven large tapestries was gifted to Charles V. They had been designed by Bernard van Orley and woven in the Brussels workshop of Willem and Jan Dermoyen.
The Capodimonte Museum in Naples, Italy, is pleased to announce an unprecedented traveling exhibition of the Battle of Pavia tapestries, which will be going to three U.S. cities. ‘Art & War in the Renaissance: The Battle of Pavia Tapestries' will first open at the Kimbell Art Museum in Ft.Worth, TX, and then travel to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, CA. A third U.S. venue is still to be announced.
Swiss captain Jean de Diesenbach seeks an honorable death by offering himself up to an imperial knight on horseback
“Capodimonte is excited to share these masterpieces with the American public for the first time. The exhibition will recreate the series’ panoramic and immersive view of the battlefield, highlighting the innovative design of these tapestries. The Farnese armory will evoke the conditions of the decisive Battle of Pavia in the wake of its 500th anniversary.”
Originally presented to Emperor Charles V in 1531, the tapestries depicting the battle were inherited by the Neapolitan d'Avalos family in the 1560s. The family sold the tapestries in the mid-eighteenth century, but reacquired the set in 1815. The works were donated to the Italian state in 1862. Never before has the complete series been lent to another museum. In addition to the seven enormous tapestries, the exhibition will also display a large collection of arms and armory, originally belonging to the Farnese family.
“The Battle of Pavia tapestries are, quite simply, one of the most important works of art created in northern Europe during the sixteenth century. If they had been made in fresco, they would be world renowned, but as tapestries they have been overlooked. The opportunity to view them on this US tour is unprecedented and not to be missed.”
THE SURRENDER OF KING FRANÇOIS I
American Friends of Capodimonte members are invited to exhibition opening events in San Francisco. The provisional dates for the trip are October 17-20, 2024. Director Emeritus and AFC Co-Founder, Sylvain Bellenger, is the co-curator of this exhibition and AFC Program Director, James Anno, is the Museum of Fine Arts Houston curator for the special exhibition. This trip will also offer the opportunity to meet the Capodimonte's new director, Eike Schmidt. For more information visit our AFC trips page or email us at: americanfriendsofcapodimonte@gmail.com.
THE FLIGHT OF THE LADIES AND SERVANTS
“The Battle of Pavia Tapestries are both important works of art and valuable records of history. The Kimbell is grateful to the Italian government, the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, and The Museum Box for the unparalleled opportunity for our audiences to experience firsthand these spectacular examples of the most luxurious art form from Renaissance Europe. Our visitors will be enveloped in the world the tapestries depict.”
The exhibition schedule is as follows
Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX: June 16, 2024 - September 15, 2024
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, CA: October 19, 2024 - January 12, 2025
A third U.S. venue will soon be announced for Spring 2025
Rizzoli will be publishing the exhibition catalog.
The exhibition trailer was made in collaboration with Modio Media.
For press inquiries: Cristina Del Sesto, AFC President: americanfriendsofcapodimonte@gmail.com
AFC Winter Newsletter 2024
/Happy Valentine's Day!
This year we celebrate the occasion with Annibale Carracci's painting of Rinaldo and Armida. This couple's love story features in Torquato Tasso's incredibly popular poem Jerusalem Delivered (La Gerusalemme liberata, 1581), which is set during the crusades. Armida is a Muslim sorceress, who kidnaps the Christian knight Rinaldo. She intends to kill him in his sleep, but instead falls in love. When Rinaldo's fellow knights come looking for him - in the painting they can be seen hiding in the bushes - they give him a diamond mirror. When Rinaldo sees himself reflected, he is convinced to return to war and leaves Armida behind. At a later point in the poem, Rinaldo finds Armida just as she is about to commit suicide because she is so lovesick. He stops her and the couple is reunited.
Annibale Carracci, Rinaldo and Armida (ca. 1601), oil on canvas. Capodimonte Museum, Naples.
Word from the AFC President
Dear American Friends of Capodimonte,
We would like to welcome Director Eike Schmidt to Capodimonte Museum and thank Director Sylvain Bellenger for his eight years of leading the museum through extraordinary change for the better.
Last year, AFC traveled to Paris to attend the opening of Naples à Paris at the Louvre. This year, Capodimonte Museum’s traveling exhibition ---Art & War in the Renaissance: The Battle of Pavia Tapestries--- will visit three U.S. cities: Ft. Worth, San Francisco, and a soon to be announced third venue. The exhibition will commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Pavia, which took place on 23-24 February, 1525. Originally presented to the Emperor Charles V in 1531, the complete series of seven tapestries depicting the battle was inherited by the Neapolitan d'Avalos family in the 1560s. The family sold the tapestries in the mid-eighteenth century, but reacquired the set in 1815. They have never left Naples as a complete set since their return over 200 years ago.
Thank you to Modio Media! The AFC commissioned Gia Marie Amella and Beppe Mangione to create a film about the Battle of Pavia Tapestries exhibition. The trailer for the film can be watched below.
2024 AFC Trip: Pledge Now to Reserve Your Spot
Director Emeritus and AFC Co-Founder, Sylvain Bellenger, is the co-curator of this exhibition and AFC Program Director, James Anno, is the Museum of Fine Arts Houston curator for the special exhibition. The AFC is planning its annual trip to coincide with the opening in San Francisco at the de Young Museum (October 17-20, 2024, to be confirmed). This trip will also offer the opportunity to meet the Capodimonte's new director, Eike Schmidt.
Rooms are on hold at The Fairmont Hotel for donors who pledge $2,500 or more before March. Space is limited. Major donors at $500 and above will also receive an exhibition catalogue (Rizzoli. Pages: 208. Pub. May 21, 2024). AFC Fellow Emma C. de Jong is a contributor.
Checks may be paid to:
American Friends of Capodimonte
Kaczynski & Associates, Ltd.
17W635 Butterfield Rd., Suite 140
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
In Napoli!
Our AFC Fellow offers tours to AFC Members whenever they visit. Are you planning a trip? Let us know! Contact us at:
americanfriendsofcapodimonte@gmail.comFor the latest news and archived programs, check out our events calendar.
Thanks to Emma, at least twice a week on Instagram @american_friends-capodimonte you will find posts on all sorts of relevant information about Capodimonte, including what is opened during construction, special exhibitions, restaurant and teahouse hours, and posts focusing on a single work of art.
AFC Board News
Vice Chair, Nancy Vespoli; Founder and President Emeritus, Vincent Buonanno; Program Director, James Anno; Treasurer, Gretchen Hirschauer; Tory Gath; Henrietta Hakes, Bartley Livolsi, and Francis Prins are now joined by Mary Ellen Countryman who was elected to the board in December and began her two year term in January. Mary Ellen will serve as AFC Treasurer. You may remember Mary Ellen as the former U.S. Consul General in Naples. We thank Benjamin Patton for serving on the board and are looking forward to him remaining involved.
We are a small but mighty nonprofit and we can only support our AFC Fellow with your help. Thank you to the many generous donors and we hope you remain engaged.
Yours sincerely,
Cristina Del Sesto, AFC Board President
2023 Donors (Alphabetically)
Colleen Harvey
Gretchen Hirschauer
Paul & Mary Humenansky
Bart & Julie Livolsi
Maloy Family Fund
John Musto
Benjamin Patton
Ann Pizzorusso
Francis Prins & Ed Villani
Ellen Saville
George Shackelford
Samuel Tinaglia
Nancy and Mike Vespoli
Anonymous
James Anno
Sylvain Bellenger
Carmela Brown
Tim & Fran Buckley
Vincent Buonanno
Coltman Foundation (Charles Coltman & Juliette Lloyd)
Mary Ellen Countryman
Clare Cushman & Amedee Prouvost
Cristina Del Sesto
James & Lisa Dworkin
Helena Foulkes
Tory Gath & Mark Echlin
Henrietta Hakes
Art and War in the Renaissance:
The Battle of Pavia Tapestries
Detail from: Bernard van Orley, THE INVASION OF THE FRENCH CAMP AND THE FLIGHT OF THE LADIES AND SERVANTS (1525-1531), Tapestry. Capodimonte Museum, Naples.
U.S. Exhibition Dates
Kimbell Art Museum: June 16, 2024 - September 15, 2024
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco: October 19, 2024 - January 12, 2025
(A third U.S. venue will soon be announced)
AFC Fellow News
The AFC mission is singular in Italy. Unlike other non-profit organizations that fund the restoration of Italian art, the AFC provides a talented young American curator to the Capodimonte museum through our fellowship program. Since 2017, our contributions to the Capodimonte museum have been signal. Our newest AFC fellow, Emma de Jong, is continuing this tradition. After a competitive application process, her tenure in Naples commenced September 1, 2023. She has hit the ground running in a most impressive way. You may read of her accomplishments below.
James Anno, AFC Program Director
The prints in the Firmian collection are kept in 123 large albums, all housed in a wooden cabinet gifted by the Italian king Vittorio Emanuele.
Update from Current AFC Fellow Emma C. de Jong
Just five months into her fellowship, Emma has already cataloged over seven hundred individual art works from the Carlo Firmian print collection. Once the prints have been photographed, the information she has gathered will be incorporated into the online museum catalog. This digitization project will make the Firmian Collection easily accessible worldwide. She has also been writing a new guide to the Firmian collection in order to improve in-person visits to the print cabinet. She intends for her research to result in several articles on different aspects of the Firmian collection. The prints at Capodimonte have hardly been studied, which means there is still a lot to be discovered! Promoting this collection among print scholars and enthusiasts is one of the aims of her tenure.
At the end of January Emma received the final proofs for her entry in the catalog Art and War in the Renaissance: The Battle of Pavia Tapestries, which will accompany the U.S. traveling exhibition. Her contribution focuses on the preparatory drawings, which are today housed in the Louvre.
Together with the fellows from La Capraia (The Center for the Art and Architectural History of Port Cities), Emma has been visiting the many libraries and archives of Naples. All are located in beautiful historic buildings, from castles and palaces to monasteries.
The best way to stay up to date with the AFC fellow’s latest activities is by following our Instagram account, where Emma regularly posts updates about her work and AFC events.
AFC Newsletter Fall 2023
/October 2023
Dear American Friends of Capodimonte,
Our third AFC Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow has arrived in Naples and is already hard at work. Emma de Jong is a specialist of Dutch and Flemish art, and her fellowship will focus on Northern European prints in the collection of Carlo Firmian (1716-1782).
Even before her tenure officially began, Emma was invited by Director Bellenger to contribute to the catalogue for a 2024-2025 traveling exhibition to the United States of Bernard van Orley’s seven-part tapestries series of the Battle of Pavia in 1525. The catalogue will be published by Rizzoli in March and AFC 2024 members at the $300 donor level or above will receive it as a gift.
Contemplating an end of year gift? Gifts are tax-deductible. You can also make a pledge for 2024.
AFC Fellow Emma de Jong at work in the Capodimonte print room. Major funding for the AFC Fellowship (2023 – 2024) is provided by the AFC with additional support from Michael and Nancy Vespoli.
Stay tuned for more information about Art & War in the Renaissance: The Battle of Pavia Tapestries exhibition and potential AFC trips and programs. The exhibition opens at the the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth: June 16, 2024 to September 15, 2024 and the de Young, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco: October 19, 2024 to January 12, 2025. A third venue is to be announced.
Previous Fellow Updates
Dr. Caroline Paganussi completed her two-year appointment in August as the AFC Fellow (2021-2023) and has agreed to assist with short term special projects. With Director Bellenger, Caroline spoke on the BBC Radio 4 podcast Moving Pictures about Caravaggio’s Flagellation (1607), a jewel of Capodimonte’s collection. Caroline’s essay, “Style, Devotion, and the Living Body in Prospero Fontana’s Deposition,”is slated for publication in a forthcoming volume from Brill entitled The Mannerist Altarpiece, ca. 1500: Painting and Religious Experience in Sixteenth-Century Italy. Her article, “Containing a Jesuit Philippine Dream: The Manila-Bologna Maritime Trajectory of an Engraved Bamboo Container,” has been accepted for publication in the journal Eighteenth-Century Life (January 2025). She has organized two Italian Art Society-sponsored panels at the Renaissance Society of America Annual Conference in Chicago in March 2024 entitled “Women in Sculpture I & II.” In addition to presenting a paper on the anatomical wax sculptor, Anna Morandi Manzolini, Caroline is also in the early stages of producing an edited volume of the conference proceedings.
Dr. Claire Van Cleave is in discussions with a publisher to produce a book about the Farnese drawings at Capodimonte. The aim of Claire’s Senior AFC Fellowship (2020-2021) was to catalogue the 57 Farnese drawings held in Capodimonte’s Gabinetto dei Disegni e Stampe.
Dr. James Anno Associate Curator, European Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston served as the AFC’s first postdoctoral curatorial fellow (2017-2019). James recently acquired for the MFAH a masterpiece lifetime cast of Giambologna’s Flying Mercury bronze sculpture, the only one of its kind in North America. A version of this sculpture is also present in the Farnese Collection at Capodimonte. On January 17, 2024, James will deliver a lecture at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth entitled “Young Michelangelo: The Torment of Saint Anthony to the Doni Tondo.”
Naples in Paris: This “Rare Exhibition” Closes in January
In June, 26 AFC members traveled to Paris to attend the opening of Naples in Paris: The Louvre Hosts the Museo di Capodimonte – a brilliant exhibition organized by Director Bellenger. The Financial Times (FT Weekend) featured a lengthy story about this “rare exhibition” on June 28: “The tremendous exhibition Naples in Paris hosts the treasures of the Museo di Capodimonte, Europe’s least-known great museum, on the big stage of the French capital...many of the post-Farnese Neapolitan paintings function as magnificent, disruptive interlopers, disturbing the Louvre’s classical equilibrium, like flamboyant dignitaries from an exotic court.” The exhibition closes January 8, 2024 and we recommend you not miss it!
National Italian American
Foundation Gala
AFC Vice Chair and former president, Nancy Vespoli, and her husband, Mike, will represent the AFC at NIAF’s annual gala in Washington, D.C.. Italian Americans comprise the fifth largest ancestry group in the United States, numbering about 16.5 million people or 5.1% of the total population, according to the 2020 U.S.Census Bureau. Many Italian Americans trace their roots to the Naples region, but when they visit Italy they rarely venture south to Naples. The AFC hopes to raise awareness about the Capodimonte Museum to this important group.
Capodimonte under Construction
The Royal Palace of Capodimonte is about to undergo extensive renovations that will result in improved visitor services spaces, a visible storage gallery, updated climate control systems, and increased energy efficiency, among other facilities upgrades. The museum will remain open during construction, with the intermittent closure of certain galleries as the works progress.
We recommend visitors consult the museum’s website to find the most up-to-date visitor hours and accessible galleries.
The Bosco and the Stufa dei Fiori teahouse will remain open for the duration of the construction.
The Bosco of Capodimonte is one of the largest public parks in Italy. It spans 300 acres and contains more than 400 species of plants and flowers. It is open to the public every day. Check the Capodimonte website for current opening hours, including those for the Chapel of San Gennaro, recently reimagined by the architect Santiago Calatrava. Stroll or jog through the Bosco’s numerous trails, including the wellness path, or take in a game of soccer or rugby played by locals on the sports fields. You can also admire the historical trees and plants brought to Naples as early as the eighteenth century in the Sino-English Garden located next to the Stufa dei Fiori.
The Stufa dei Fiori had been used since 1843 as a greenhouse until it was turned into a teahouse and cafe in May 2022. It is the perfect place for a snack or coffee. The rotating, seasonal menu features daily specials using only the freshest local ingredients. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed Wednesdays.
AFC advertisement for the Art & War in the Renaissance: The Battle of Pavia Tapestries exhibition as seen in the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF)’s Ambassador magazine.
AFC Newsletter Summer 2023
/Dear American Friends of Capodimonte,
We have just returned from Paris where we visited the exhibition Naples in Paris: The Louvre Hosts the Museo di Capodimonte. Over 60 masterpieces from Capodimonte are now on view in the Louvre’s magisterial Grande Galerie, Salon Carré, Salle de l’Horloge, and Salle de la Chapelle. Exhibited alongside important Italian paintings from the Louvre’s collections, such as Leonardo da Vinci’s Madonna of the Rocks and Raphael’s Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione, Capodimonte’s recently restored – and, in many cases, reframed – works proclaim the exceptional quality of our Neapolitan museum’s collections to the Louvre’s broad visiting public.
Twenty-four AFC members traveled to Paris to attend seven exclusive events held over three days:
Private view of the exhibition at the Louvre followed by dinner at Racines des Prés
Tour of the exhibition for AFC members with Capodimonte Director General Sylvain Bellenger
Reception in honor of the exhibition at the Italian Embassy, the elegant Hôtel de la Rochefaucault-Doudeauville, hosted by the Ambassador of Italy to France Emanuela D’Alessandro.
U.S. Ambassador to France and Monaco, Denise Campbell Bauer, welcomed the AFC to the magnificent ambassador’s residence, the Hôtel de Pontalba, and we were given a tour followed by a reception.
AFC tour of the Pompidou Centre followed by dinner at the rooftop Restaurant Georges.
Director Sylvain Bellenger and the AFC tour of Naples in Paris exhibition. June 7, 2023. Photo by C. Harvey
Our current AFC Fellow, Caroline Paganussi, and our incoming AFC Fellow, Emma de Jong, were also able to join us. Initially we believed that we’d be lucky to attract a dozen people, but to our delight, the trip was immediately oversubscribed. Ultimately, the Paris trip raised over $60,000 for our AFC Fellows!
The exhibition catalogue (only available in French) can be purchased on Amazon.com.
Ambassador Campbell Bauer and the AFC
AFC Fellows Caroline Paganussi and Emma de Jong
Director Bellenger with the AFC at the Naples in Paris exhibition opening. June 6, 2023
In September, we will kick off the 2023 – 2024 cycle of AFC Talks. These 20–30-minute lectures followed by a Q&A are given by invited scholars whose work focuses on Neapolitan culture and/or works in Capodimonte’s collections. Ideally, these talks will be held in spaces where members of the public can attend and will be live streamed. If you would like to nominate a speaker and/or relevant topic for consideration, contact AFC Program Director James Anno at: james.philip.anno@gmail.com.
Capodimonte’s seven Battle of Pavia tapestries (1525-1531) will tour the United States in 2024 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the 1525 battle that changed the course of European history. Are you an AFC member? If so, you will receive advance notice about exclusive trips and events we are planning surrounding this exhibition.
Thank you again for your interest and your support.
A presto!
The AFC Board
Cristina Del Sesto, President; Nancy Vespoli, Vice Chair; Vincent Buonanno, Founder and President Emeritus; James Anno, Program Manager; Gretchen Hirschauer, Secretary; Tory Gath, Member; Henrietta Hakes, Member; Bart Livolsi, Member; Benjamin Patton, Member; Francis Prins, Member; Museo di Capodimonte Director Sylvain Bellenger
AFC Newsletter Spring 2023
/Dear American Friends of Capodimonte:
Thank you to recent donors: Mary Blaney and Paul Humenansky, Tory Gath and Mark Eichlin, Helena and William Foulkes, Colleen Harvey, Juliette Lloyd and Charles Coltman, Ann Pizzorusso, Francis Prins and Ed Villani.
Upcoming AFC Talk
The AFC Talks series continues this month with AFC Fellow Dr. Caroline Paganussi presenting on March 26 @ 3p.m. Please RSVP to americanfriendsofcapodimonte@gmail.com.
The title of Dr. Paganussi’s talk is: Representing the Youthful Bishop: Juan de Borgoña’s Stubbly Saint Augustine
In a small panel of Saint Augustine in the Capodimonte Museum (c. 1510), painted by the Burgundian or Provençal-born Spanish artist, Juan de Borgoña (d. c. 1538), the eminent Church Father is missing his characteristic flowing beard, a curious omission given that Augustine wrote about facial hair as a signifier of courage and maturity (Psalm 133). Instead, the saint bears an unmistakable five o’clock shadow, one which appears in Juan de Borgoña’s treatment of the saint in other panels. In this talk, how this stubbly Saint Augustine appears in other works by the artist will be explored— including another altarpiece in Capodimonte’s collections —and how local audiences might have interpreted his unusual appearance.
Watch Caroline give a fantastic overview for the AFC Fellowship in a newly produced video for the AFC
The AFC Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow (2022-2023) is supported by a grant from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation Interpretive Fellowship program and by Michael and Nancy Vespoli.
In other AFC News
Caroline presented in early March at the Renaissance Society of America’s Annual Meeting, considered the largest and most prestigious conference dedicated to early modern studies in the world. Dr. Paganussi co-organized “Artistic Ways of Knowing: Papers in Honor of Meredith J. Gill.” The panel is chaired by Anthony Colantuono, Professor of Art History at the University of Maryland.
New exhibition at Capodimonte: La Madonna del pesce di Raffaello torna a Napoli dopo quattrocento anni'
Opens March 13 and runs until June 25. AFC members are offered tours by reservation.
If you are not already a member, please join us!
Warmly,
The AFC Board
Executive members: Cristina Del Sesto, Sylvain Bellenger, Nancy Vespoli, Vincent Buonanno, James Anno, Gretchen Hirschauer
Members: Tory Gath, Henrietta Hakes, Bart Livolsi, Benjamin Patton, Francis Prins
Welcome from AFC President, Cristina Del Sesto
/I am grateful to my fellow board members for entrusting me with not just the title of president but all the responsibilities that come along with it. I would like to thank Nancy Vespoli for leading us for four years and bringing in a cohort of friends who have made our trips so much fun while simultaneously supporting our mission of sending an American post-doctoral curator to the Capodimonte Museum for two years.
Following in her footsteps is my ambitious plan.
To kick off 2023, the AFC met in Washington, D.C. for the first time on January 14 and January 15. We were received on Saturday at The Phillips Collection by outgoing Director, Dorothy Kosinski, and Renato Miracco, curator of the exhibition An Italian Impressionist in Paris: Giuseppe De Nittis. Miracco, a native Neapolitan, gave us an informative and entertaining tour of the exhibition. We were delighted to see two major loans from Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte in the show: Crossing the Appenines and Farmhouse near Naples. De Nittis (1846-1884) was just 20 when he painted them. The first King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel, acquired both for the royal collection. De Nittis was one of the few artists—and arguably the best—to have documented the eruption of Vesuvius on April 26, 1872.
AFC Travelers at The Phillips Collection
Phillips Collection Director Emerita Dorothy Kosinski and exhibition curator Renato Miracco led the AFC on a special tour of the De Nittis exhibition.
Giuseppe De Nittis, Farmhouse Near Naples, 1866.
Capodimonte lent this work to the exhibition: Giuseppe De Nittis, Farmhouse Near Naples, 1865. Oil on canvas, 43 x 75 cm. Signed and dated by the artist. Inv. PS 60.
Giuseppe De Nittis, Crossing the Appenines, 1867
Capodimonte also lent this work: Giuseppe De Nittis, Crossing the Appennines, 1867. Oil on canvas, 45 x 76,5 cm. Signed and dated by the artist. Inv. PS 61.
On Sunday, AFC board member and National Gallery of Art curator, Gretchen Hirschauer, gave us a tour of Vittore Carpaccio: Master Storyteller of Renaissance Venice. It’s true Carpaccio ((1465-1525) and this exhibition had nothing to do with Naples but for the involvement of our beloved AFC board member. It is, however, a beautiful exhibition and well worth a visit. We were introduced to a little white dog which Gretchen nicknamed Fazzoletto (handkerchief) in Carpaccio’s St. Augustine in His Study, usually housed in the Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni of Venice but traveled for the very first time for this exhibition.
AFC TRAVELERS ON THEIR TOUR WITH NGA AND EXHIBITION CURATOR (AND AFC BOARD MEMBER) GRETCHEN HIRSCHAUER IN FRONT OF VITTORE CARPACCIO’S SAINT GEORGE AND THE DRAGON, ANOTHER MASTERWORK FROM THE SCUOLA DI SAN GIORGIO DEGLI SCHIAVONI IN VENICE FEATURED IN THE EXHIBITION. PHOTO CREDIT: TOM WOLFF.
While art fed our souls all weekend we were also fortunate enough to have eaten very well. Sette Osteria is just around the corner from the Phillips, and Fabio Trabocchi’s Bar Piccolo at Fiola Mare was a fitting setting along the Potomac River. It was no substitute for the Bay of Naples, but still.
Nearly 20 people participated, coming from Houston, London, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York City, Rhode Island, and D.C.
The next AFC trip will take place in Paris in early June for the opening of the Louvre exhibition Naples à Paris. Le Louvre invite le musée de Capodimonte. It will be at least three days of events. If you want to come, don’t wait or you’ll be too late! Email your pledge to: americanfriendsofcapoidmonte@info.com. The AFC contribution minimum to be able to participate in this trip and its exciting events is $2,500 pp, excluding lodging and airfare.
In the meantime, we debuted a robust speaking series at the end of last year and the lectures continue in 2023.
With so much going on, one might forget that the application deadline for the AFC Fellow (2023-2025) closed on January 15. The posting for the fellowship received more than 1,000 views and we are confident we have attracted yet another competitive applicant pool. We will be announcing the next AFC Fellow soon.
When the AFC was founded in 2016, the Capodimonte museum did not have any English didactics (wall text). It made the museum almost inaccessible to all but Italians and Italian-speakers. In the almost two years since Caroline began her post, she has more than doubled the amount of didactics the AFC produced. As of right now, there are over 90 bilingual wall texts in the Neapolitan painting galleries alone. And, this is the least of what Caroline has accomplished. She has been instrumental in the organization of a touring exhibition to Hong Kong, The Road to the Baroque: Masterpieces from the Capodimonte Museum, she has worked on the forthcoming exhibition on Capodimonte at the Louvre, and she is supporting the museum’s ongoing digitization efforts, bringing the collections catalog online. She has done her own scholarship, published essays, spoken at conferences, given VIP tours, and more. She has far exceeded our expectations and I know the Director is most pleased.
There are more than 300 people on our mailing list, but only 40 people have made contributions. It’s something to consider for 2023. Contributions are tax deductible as we are a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit. We have no overhead. No staff. Everything goes towards the support of the AFC Fellow. I’d like to thank loyal and major donors such as Vincent Buonanno, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Julie and Bart Livolsi, Nancy and Mike Vespoli, and our entire board for their tireless work, especially James Anno and Gretchen Hirschauer who are fulltime curators at major U.S. art institutions. I would like to give a special thanks to Giovanni Lombardi for his generous support of the Fellow, as well as Errico di Lorenzo, president of the Amici di Capodimonte, our sister organization. Finally, I’d like to thank Giuditta Giorgio at the Italian Embassy, Washington for her encouragement.
To have articulated a mission and have fulfilled it is incredibly rewarding.
Thanks to you all, we are able and at the ready. Andiamo!
Cristina Del Sesto
Email: americanfriendsofcapodimonte@info.com