041.

Basilica di S. Pietro in Vaticano

What at first appears to be a postcard shot is actually an all-encompassing view of the Vatican area as seen in morning light, presciently including much of what would become the sovereign state of Vatican City after 1870. This print relates closely to Vasi’s lateral view of the piazza, Plate 27. The great sweep of the Bernini colonnades (2) (1650s) encompassing the piazza is called "Anfiteatro" by Vasi, possibly alluding to the fact that the Colosseum would fit almost exactly within that oval. The right hand fountain, which bears the coat of arms of Paul V Borghese (1605-21), was moved to its present location by Bernini, while the symmetrical fountain was built ex novo during the reign of Innocent XI Odescalchi (1676-89). Maderno's early 17th century facade for St. Peter's lacks the two intended corner towers which would have framed Michelangelo's dome (completed by Della Porta in 1593). The ancient obelisk was moved to this site from its original location on the south side of St. Peter's. It was placed in the piazza slightly off the axis of the church by Domenico Fontana during the reign of Sixtus V (1585-90) and became the center point for the development of Bernini's design for the oval piazza. Sixtus V also ordered the building of the boxy papal residence to the right of the open, porticoed courtyard of S. Damaso (1). To the right of this block is one of the two long wings, built by Bramante in the early 16th century, joining the papal palace to the distant Belvedere building erected by Innocent VIII (1484-92). Visible on the skyline between the St. Peter's facade and the obelisk is the sloping roof of the Sistine chapel (1473) built during the reign of Sixtus IV (1471-1484). This is one of Vasi’s most photographically realistic views which also accurately captures morning lighting effects. This can be verified by comparing it to the contemporary photo. Only the left hand corner of the colonnade, which is shown to be smaller than it is from this station point, and the vertically exaggerated dome of St. Peter’s depart from the veracity of the scene.