When visiting the palaces, museums, and castles around the world, it is amazing to see the volume of art that exists in these amazing places. In many cases, there is so much artwork that they literally line the hallways with the art that they have collected. Halls are not just a way to traverse from one room to another room, but is a destination in and of itself. Whether lined with paintings, sculptures, tapestries, books, or rare artifacts, the amount of art can become overwhelming. It is hard to imagine the wealth of some of the kings and queens that collected such vast amounts of historic pieces and horded them for their own benefit. Fortunately, over time, these pieces of history have been returned to the public in the form of museums and other sites that have been opened to the public. For this week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, Hallways, we have chosen some photos of our favorite halls that surround you with incredible pieces of art.
Walking Through the Vatican MuseumLibrary in Trinity College in Dublin, IrelandInside of the LouvreWarwick Castle Hallway Converts to a Banquet RoomVersailles Palace
When traveling to Rome, one of the highlights is taking the time to visit Vatican City and specifically the Vatican Museums. Throughout history, the Popes have collected artistic treasures from throughout the world. The majority of the artwork that the church has collected is not on display, but what is on display is overwhelming and can’t be taken in during a single visit to the museums or even to just one of the museums. We were on a tour of Vatican City and our guide asked us whether we wanted to focus on the paintings or on the sculptures since there wouldn’t be time to see both. We decided upon the sculptures, but we really wish we could have had enough time to see both.
Room after Room of ArtworkColorful DetailsWalking the Museum HallsDetailed Tapestry
There are 54 galleries spread out inside of the museums and even 4 museums dedicated to the various sculptures. With over 50,000 pieces of art and approximately 20,000 of them on display, the total area of the museums is daunting. Included in the galleries is the final stop on any tour to the museums, which is the Sistine Chapel. You often get very limited time inside of the Sistine Chapel, but we were fortunate to be able to stay as long as we wanted, which was truly a memory that we will never forget. Photography is not allowed, although some people were sneaking photos, but we chose to obey the rules and not take any photos ourselves.
Room Filled with Animal StatuesOrnate CeilingEnormous Marble TubCapturing the Reality of Nature
The very first piece of art collected and put on display at the museums over 500 years ago is the Laocoön and his Sons, which truly is an amazing marble sculpture with incredible details. It was put on display one month after its discovery in 1506 at a vineyard in Rome. There were so many interesting pieces of art that we couldn’t come close to describing them all here, but one other statue that we found fascinating was of a man with a child on his shoulder with such lifelike eyes. One thing that is hard not to notice is that many of the statues have been “censored” by the church through the addition of fig leaves, which we think is a shame since it modifies the original sculpture.
Statue of Laocoön and His SonsLook at the Amazing DetailsLifelike EyesThe Full Statue
Like many other large museums, to truly appreciate all of the artwork you would need to visit many times and spend more time truly enjoying each piece of art. At a certain point, when you are walking past masterpiece after masterpiece, the mind starts to tune out and you stop absorbing the beauty that is in front of you. No visit to Vatican City would be complete without visiting the museums, especially to see the spectacular Sistine Chapel.
Each Pope Proudly Takes Credit for Their AdditionsAdmiring the StatuesReligious TapestryDamaged, But Still BeautifulSphere within Sphere3-D Relief
When visiting Rome, one of the places that everyone should take the time to see is the Vatican City. We highly recommend getting a tour guide when seeing Vatican City as there is so much to see and learn. We only had about five hours during our visit, which was barely enough time to see the main sights. Our tour started with the Vatican Museums, followed by the Sistine Chapel, and then St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Square.
From the Front of the Basilica, You Can’t See the DomeModel of Vatican CityStatue of Laocoön and His SonsSwiss Guard
The Vatican Museums are a collection of galleries and contain a wealth of artwork, too much to see in a single visit. Just like visiting a museum like the Louvre in Paris, you have to choose what is important to you and make your way to those exhibits. We focused on the many famous statues and will have to find time to return at another time to see all of the famous paintings contained within the complex. Of course, no visit to the museums is complete without going to the Sistine Chapel, which concludes the tour of the museums. We were fortunate to be able to spend as much time as we liked in the Sistine Chapel as most of the time people are limited to just fifteen minutes to absorb the beauty of the artwork on the ceiling as well as the walls. Obviously we don’t have any photos from within the chapel as photography is not allowed, but seeing the paintings of Michelangelo was definitely a highlight of our time in Vatican City.
Saint Peter’s Basilica is an overwhelming sight to see. Equally amazing is that all of what appear to be paintings are actually tile mosaics. The detail and beauty of each piece is exquisite. Walking through the basilica and gazing at the statues, which are all uniform in proportion and size, is an awe inspiring experience. Leaving the basilica, you enter Saint Peter’s Square and take in the beauty of its design. If you stand at just the right spot, each series of columns combine as if they were each just one column.
Inside of the BasilicaLooking up through the DomeElaborate TombDetailed Mosaic
We were grateful to have the opportunity to visit Vatican City while we were in Rome. The history, architecture, and artwork make this one of the most special places in the world to see.
Statuary inside of the BasilicaSphere Within Sphere in the Museums CourtyardPart of Saint Peter’s SquareDome of the Basilica
