News & Events

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Posted on October 24, 2025

The DC Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums is thrilled to reveal our 2026 restoration project: The Equestrian Monument of Constantine by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1654-1670).

This important sculpture was commissioned by Pope Innocent X Pamphili (1644–1655). It depicts Emperor Constantine on horseback at the moment he sees the miraculous vision of the Cross in the sky, bearing the words In hoc signo vinces (In this sign you will conquer).

Carved from a single block of marble, the statue is placed in a niche adorned with magnificent, animated painted stucco drapery, a perfect example of the Baroque aesthetic, which blends sculpture, architecture and painting. Bernini was the eminent interpreter of this aesthetic.

The monument is located on the route of the Scala Regia, the scenic staircase designed by Bernini to connect the Bronze Portal – the official entrance to the Vatican – to the Sala Regia of the Apostolic Palace. This strategic positioning ensured that, as visitors ascended to the state rooms, they were greeted by the powerful symbolic image of the triumph of Christ.

State of Preservation

There are widespread deposits of inconsistent and partially adherent particulate matter, chromatically altered layers of various kinds, reworked mortar and/or plaster, and grout. The basement has suffered significant degradation due to the acute yellowing of the surfaces caused by the alteration of superimposed substances. Fractures and cracks are also present.

The base, parts of the stucco have fallen off the metal reinforcement, with a greater concentration in areas of overhang. There is widespread retouching on the surfaces, masking old damages and putty. Similarly, there is widespread repainting over the original tempera and gold leaf finish, with frequent dirt deposits, especially in the reliefs.

Our Chapter, thanks to your membership, has pledged $40,000 towards the restoration of this dynamic work of Bernini. We will keep you updated on its restoration process.

Posted on October 24, 2025

REVISITING RAPHAEL AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART
Saturday, April 12, 2025 10:00-11:30 AM

PAVM Washington, DC Chapter Patron and museum docent, Brooke Fink, will lead us in discovering the role of the good, the true, and the beautiful in Raphael’s Vatican Stanza della Segnatura (1508-1511). We will focus on The Disputation of the Holy Sacrament, one of Raphael’s often over-looked frescoes, and then, through guided looking, revisit with new eyes Raphael’s The Alba Madonna (1510) in Gallery M20.

Only 20 spots available. $20 donation requested.

Tickets can be purchased HERE.  

Posted on March 26, 2025

The Board of Directors of the Washington DC Chapter is proud to announce the new restoration project for 2025: The Vision of Saint Leo the Great by Sebastiano Ceccarini.
This beautiful painting hangs prominently in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major. 


Please see our Restorations page for more information.

Thank you for your support!

Posted on February 25, 2025

Under the gracious patronage of the Apostolic Nuncio,
His Eminence Cardinal Christophe Pierre,
the Washington DC Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums
cordially invites you to our 2024 Dinner.

Sister Raffaella Petrini, F.S.E., Secretary-General of
the Governatorate of the Vatican City State,
and Monsignor Hogan, coordinator of the Patrons office in Rome,
will be attending this year’s dinner. 


This event is now SOLD OUT.

Posted on November 9, 2024

The Washington DC Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums has arranged for a private tour of the National Gallery of Art.

Saturday, September 7, 2024
10:15am 

We will meet at the Rotunda at 10:15, and the tour and discussion will start at 10:30am. 
The tour will be led by art historian, Dr. Jennifer Healy. Tickets are $25 per person. 

Old Favorites, New Conversations: Engaging Masterpieces of the NGA 

Taking a fresh look at world famous masterpieces, we’ll find rich topics for conversation as these works engage our eyes, minds, and hearts. Across centuries and cultures, in widely differing subject matter and styles, we’ll enjoy lively discussion and find new perspectives on art and life.

Dr. Jennifer Healy is the Director of the USCCB’s office to Aid the Church in Central and Eastern Europe. She has a PhD in language didactics and visual art, and taught art history for many years for Franciscan University’s Austria Program.

This event is now SOLD OUT. 

Posted on August 2, 2024

The Board of Directors of the Washington DC Chapter is proud to announce the adoption of a new project for 2024:

HEAD OF FAUSTINA MAJOR (THE ELDER)

Artist: Unknown
Date: 140-60 A.D.
Dimensions: 67 cm h
Materials: White marble
Inventory Number: 255

The portrait depicts Faustina Major (the Elder), who married Emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161 A.D.). In 138 A.D. Faustina received the title of Augusta in 138 A.D. and was deified soon after she died in 141 A.D. The Vatican specimen is one of the best portraits of the empress, which was also used for postmortem depictions.
During the excavations conducted by Gavin Hamilton in the locality known as Pantanello, the head was discovered in 1769 in an area located near the Greek Theater of the Grand Villa Adriana where, probably as early as late antiquity, marbles of the villa’s sculptural furnishings had accumulated.
An effigy of Faustina must have decorated one of the rooms of Villa Adriana, testifying to the constant attendance of the imperial family in the residence during the 2nd century A.D. In 1776, the artifact was sold to Pius VI and mounted on a bust executed by the papal restorer Giovanni Pierantoni. The sculpture was displayed in the Sala Rotonda in the Vatican Museums, where it is seen today.

State of Preservation

The sculpture appears opaque and darkened due to the presence of consistent deposits. There are areas with various stains and inhomogeneities on the surface of the head (of ancient workmanship) and the bust (of modern age). There are also cracks, fractures, and small and medium-sized lacunae.

Restoration Procedures

• Structural verification of the bond between the torso and head
• Dry removal of incoherent surface deposits with specific micro vacuum cleaners and paint brushes
• A cleaning plan will be determined after the analytical testing
• Integrate the stucco and micro stucco work with suitable materials compatible with the original
• Perform localized chromatic balancing to restore harmony for reading the work
• A final application of a protective coat will complete the restoration

  

  

  

Posted on May 19, 2024

 

The Conservation and Maintenance of the Santa Rosa Necropolis, Feb. 2024

The project included restoration, routine maintenance, and prompt interventions carried out mainly by the Painting Restoration Laboratory. The unsafe environmental situation, detected in February 2023, was solved and the area was cleaned; this allowed restorers to restart activities, although with delays to the planned schedule.
In the second half of 2023, restorer Rossana Giardina performed maintenance and minor interventions on the monuments. In parallel, Dr. Stefania Bani, a biologist at the Scientific Research Laboratory, monitored the environmental situation.
In addition to periodic conservation activities, the project included the restoration of Sepulchre II, which began in the fall and was not completed in December 2023 due to organizational problems in setting up the site and using the laser needed for the restoration. The restoration of the adjacent sepulchers XVII and XVIII of the Santa Rosa sector is postponed to a later intervention.

INTERVENTION IN SEPULCHER II
In the first phase, the restorer prepared a report noting all critical conservation issues, quantifying time and costs, and specifying the necessary work phases. The restoration intervention in the sepulcher II, Santa Rosa Section, involves four macro phases:

Cleaning Process

• Removal of earthy deposits from all surfaces.
• Removal/extraction of salts, from painted surfaces and curtains.
• Thickness reduction of the most tenacious encrustations by mechanical means, scalpel, and microdrill.
• Chemical cleaning to soften irrelevant layers
• Cleaning with laser technology, protecting the painted surface with Nevek gel

Consolidation

• In-depth consolidation of plaster detachments and pozzolanic preparatory layer using TB1
• Surface consolidation for superficial detachments, with nano lime

Grouting

• Conservative under-level grouting with suitable mortar composed of color-differentiated marble powders and lime putty
• Level grouting made to reconstruct the modeling of the stuccoes (e.g., in the shell on the bottom side)

Chromatic Reintegration
Chromatic reintegration is carried out only where strictly necessary to enhance the decorative legibility. The restorer has adopted an “archaeological” criterion.

The intervention is in progress, and the restorer is proceeding as follows:

• Removing the soil deposits and soluble salts
• Cleaning with the Eos Combo laser
• Performing consolidations on the three walls in the lower register and inside the niches where the ollae are located.

In the upper register of the left wall during the first cleaning phase, traces of color were found that could be evidence of plant motif decoration. Currently, given the lack of legibility, this hypothesis cannot be confirmed until scientific analysis is performed, which hopefully will reveal the expected result. The
restorer made sub-level fillings to prevent further loss of original material in the white plaster gaps. The stuccoes, while recognizable, are very similar in composition and color to the original.

Below are some images of the restoration:

Posted on February 26, 2024

– SOLD OUT –

Please email WashingtonPatrons@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Posted on November 15, 2023

The Washington DC Chapter is excited to invite all of its members to a special trip to Rome to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Patrons! Events in Rome will be from Monday, November 6 through Friday, November 10, 2023. The plans include private tours of the Museums, a visit to the Pope’s summer residence at Castel Gandolfo (including the Apostolic Palace, the Gardens, and the Observatory), Mass and a reception at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, an audience with the Holy Father, and Vespers in the Sistine Chapel followed by a gala dinner inside the Museums. 

Please send an email to Sue@Lohsen.com if you have any questions. 

Ci vediamo a Roma! 

 

Posted on March 5, 2023